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All the news of the Five Towns
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Vol. 100 No. 11
MARCH 9 - 15, 2023
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JCC details proposal for 5TCC By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Hernesto Galdamez/Herald
PEoPlE CRowDED THE Five Towns Community Center gym on Jan. 25 for the first community meeting to address the county’s request for proposals for the future of the center.
The Five Towns Community Center feared losing its home on Lawrence Avenue when Nassau County issued a request for proposal in January, seeking a new entity at the property. In the meantime, the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC has seen continued growth at its headquarters on Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst, and has outgrown the facility. So the Gural JCC has proposed a partnership with the 116-year-old Five Towns center, in which the two organizations would share a home. “Our proposal is an impactful initiative, one that serves all community residents,” the JCC’s proposal letter states. “Our vision Continued on page 7
Lawrence H.S. notes long-sought 90 percent graduation rate By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
For the first time since 2008, Lawrence High School attained a 90 percent graduation rate in 2021-22, three points higher than the state average, according to a state education department report. The report documents a range of data, including the number of students in schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, average class sizes and “accountability status,” an evaluation of school performance based on student performance. “The graduation rate does show that our students, even
with the challenges posed by the pandemic and remote learning, were dedicated to their studies and were able to come through these unprecedented times successfully,” Lawrence superintendent Ann Pedersen said in a news release. “We are immensely proud of every one of our graduates, and we are ready to assist those needing additional time and help to ensure that every student is given every opportunity to succeed and move on successfully to the next stage of their lives.” In recent years, the district’s graduation rate has consistently ranged in the 80s. The enrollment in Lawrence
w
e’re ready to assist those needing additional time. ANN PEDERSEN
superintendent, Lawrence school district schools is 61 percent Hispanic/ Latino, 20 percent African-American, 15 percent white and 4 percent Asian. Lawrence High Principal Jennifer Lagnado Papp has faced the ongoing challenge of how to work with students who need academic help outside
school, specifically those who are economically disadvantaged. “It’s not a matter of (the) ethnic breakdown of our student body,” Papp wrote in an email. “A true indicator of the challenges LHS faces is our economically disadvantaged subgroup.” Those students take part in economic assistance programs such as free and reduced lunch
programs. Most have limited academic resources at home, so the district has incorporated programs like the Weekend Academy, which was created in 1999 and focuses on state Regents exam subjects including math, English, science and history. According to the education department report, 88 percent of Continued on page 21