_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD An oceanside toy drive for the ages
Santa comes to Island Park early
Lightning-bright holiday lights
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VoL. 59 No. 51
DECEmBER 12 - 18, 2024
$1.00
MSSN opens on boardwalk in Long Beach that built the new condominium and apartment towers on the Superblock, between RiverMount Sinai South Nassau side and Long Beach bouleopened an ambulatory medical vards. The center, at 106 Boardfacility in Long Beach in June walk, is closest to the apart2023 on the grounds of the old ment building known as the Breeze. Long Beach Hospi“ We ’ v e b e e n tal on East Bay committed to the Drive, expanding Long Beach comits reach on the barrier island. The munity ever since hospital widened the hospital has i t s p re s e n c e o n b e e n i n p l a c e, ” Dec. 3, celebrating Sharma said, “but the opening of a certainly since walk-in primary Superstorm Sandy, care center on the we took on more boardwalk. of an obligation to The staff of the m a ke s u re t h at n o - ap p o i n t m e n t health care was needed, full-service restored to the barfacility (which also r i e r i s l a n d . We acce pts appoint- ADHI SHARmA worked collectivements) began see- President, ly with our Long i n g p at i e n t s o n Mount Sinai Beach elected offiNov. 4, but marked South Nassau cials and the City its full opening this Council to make week. sure that we could City officials joined Mount do this in an effective manner. Sinai executives including its This site is just a furtherance president, Adhi Sharma; Alan of that commitment.” Wong, senior vice president The center offers preventive and chief medical officer; and and diagnostic services, includPhysician Director Haran ing physicals, acute care for Ratna for the ribbon-cutting, injuries and illness, managealong with representatives of ment of chronic disease, and B2K Development, the company Continued on page 14
By BRENDAN CARPENTER
bcarpenter@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Rhonda Glickman
Local kids shine in Herald Wrapping Paper Contest Jiana, Rylie, Liliana and Amelia, all second-graders from Oceanside School Four, with their winning designs in the Herald Wrapping Paper Design Contest. Their festive artwork was featured as holiday gift-wrap in last week’s issue of the Herald.
Girl Scout earns Gold Award, silently O’Side High senior teaches elementary students sign language By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Amrece Rivera, a senior at Oceanside High School, has achieved the Girl Scouts’ highest honor — the prestigious Gold Award — by spreading awareness of American Sign Language and promoting inclusion in her community. Her project brought ASL education to elementary school students, highlighting the importance of early language acquisition while fostering inclusion and understanding. Rivera’s project, inspired by her own journey of learning ASL, introduced basic signing skills to students at School Five in Oceanside. She conducted classes as part of the afterschool pro-
gram, teaching fundamental signs like animals, family terms, and greetings, and tailoring lessons to students’ interests based on surveys she distributed. “I noticed that ASL wasn’t being taught in elementary schools, even though it’s offered in middle and high schools,” Rivera, a member of Lynbrook’s Girl Scout Troop 2570, said. “I wanted to introduce kids to the language early because it’s easier for them to absorb and retain at a young age.” The Gold Award is a distinction achieved by less than 5 percent of Girl Scouts nationwide, requiring more than 80 hours of dedication to a sustainable project that addresses a pressing Continued on page 8
e’ve been committed to the Long Beach community ever since the hospital has been in place.