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your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
and MAY 18, 2023
HERALD
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Vol. 100 No. 21
A shake-up in lawrence
lag B’omer brought the fun
Page 3
Page 23
MAY 18 - 24, 2023
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LWA will remain in operation, for now By HeRNesTo GAldAMeZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Joe Abate/Herald
lAwReNce woodMeRe AcAdeMY will remain open after the group LWA into the Next Century came together to help keep the school open for the next school year and the foreseeable future. Above, Catherine Hockley welcoming guests at the 2022 Homecoming.
Lawrence Woodmere Academy was looking for help in January, when the school’s trustees asked former students for ideas on how it could remain open. The nonsectarian educational institution was struggling financially. F ive m o n t h s l a t e r, t h e school, whose history dates to the late 19th century, is feeling better about its future, as alumni and parents have joined forces in a group called LWA into the Next Century. Continued on page 8
Michelle Young is new director of H-W public library By HeRNesTo GAldAMeZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
The first chapter for the H e w l e t t - Wo o d m e r e P u b l i c L i b r a r y ’ s n e w d i r e c t o r, Michelle Young, will be a familiar experience. Young, who started work on May 1, joins the community after working in public libraries for over 20 years. Most recently, she was the director of the Island Trees library, in Levittown, for six years. In Hewlett-Woodmere she succeeds William Ferro, who has moved on to direct the East Meadow library. Young, a resident of Rock-
ville Centre who is married and has a daughter, said she had always had an appreciation for the 75-year-old Hewlett-Woodmere facility and its community, programs and services. “I’ve always admired the library here,” she said. “They really prioritize programming, cultural programming and just their programming in general is amazing. The community is very active here, and I became very involved in (Levittown) and I’d love to do that here.” At Island Trees, she was a Levittown Chamber of Commerce member, and sat on the library board for two years. Yo u n g e m p h a s i z e d t h e
I
’ve always admired the library here.
MIcHelle YouNG H-W library director
importance of community outreach, and saw an early example from her fellow library staffers. “The first few days were great,” she said. “I felt very welcomed, and so many people kept introducing themselves. Like, we had a staff meeting on my first day and it was really nice.” At Island Trees, Young faced
a unique challenge as the pandemic waned. “Post-Covid it was hard, because the biggest challenge libraries have is bringing people back in,” she said. “People got used to getting their services virtually and differently. People use the library but don’t come to the building. We want people to use the library, but also bring them
back in.” To help understand neighbors’ needs before and after the pandemic, Young created surveys, and discovered what Levittown patrons had missed. “People loved interacting,” she said. “Something that brought people together, such as food programs and cooking. People Continued on page 20