_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD VOL. 59 NO. 52
A festive temple celebration
Santa Claus came to town
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DECEMBER 19 - 25, 2024
$1.00
Dees’ Nursery sends Trees for Troops and the beautiful words on the cards, it matters and is appreciated,” retired U.S. Army Col. The warm spirit of the holi- Thomas Sullivan said. “Little days was heartfelt at Dees’ Nurs- did I know 21 years ago that I’d ery in Oceanside for a storied be a young captain in a foreign tradition, as community mem- country away from home and bers gathered for the Trees for family during the holidays, and Troops send-off on Dec. 9 — an to bridge that gap in the absence event that has brought joy and of family, were letters. It is appreciated, and it comfor t to thoucertainly makes a sands of service difference.” members deployed Many supporters overseas. turned out in Dees’ The 21st annual parking lot, at 69 event, held in partA t l a n t i c Av e . , nership with interincluding Gold Star national courier serfamilies, the Chamvice DHL Express, inade High School local schools and CAtHy O’REIILy hockey team, the organizations comGirl Scouts of Nasb i n e d t h o u g h f u l Manager, sau County, and stumessages, holiday DHL dents from Nassau cheer and a powerful reminder of the sacrifices County schools, who sent letters to accompany the trees overseas made by military families. More than 400 live Christmas to the troops. In addition, Proctrees adorned with handwritten tor-Hopson Post 1896 of the Vetletters, ornaments and decora- erans of Foreign Wars in Jamaitions prepared to make their ca, Queens presented a donation way to U.S. troops stationed of $15,409 for Trees for Troops. Gold Star families are the around the world. For many of these soldiers, separated from immediate family members of loved ones during the holiday U.S. military service members season, these trees serve as a who died while serving their comforting reminder of home country in combat, during military operations, or as a result of and community support. “The care packages, the cards Continued on page 7
By KEPHERD DANIEL
kdaniel@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
A holiday house to help cancer patients Oceanside residents Michelle, Denise and Mike Rosello created their annual bright holiday display for a good cause. Visitors can donate funds that will go to the American Cancer Society. Story, more photos, page 5.
Oceanside Middle School wins $23,000 grant for coding club By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Oceanside Middle School math teacher John Heron has secured a $23,000 g rant from DonorsChoose to enhance students’ experiences in coding and problem solving. Financed by Optimum, the grant will fund cutting-edge Lenovo Yoga laptops for Heron’s Coding Club, enabling students to participate in hackathons and hone skills vital for thriving in a tech-driven world. The Coding Club was presented with the grant after school on Dec. 11, as seventh- and eighth-graders sat engrossed in coding projects
that could help lead them to future careers as software developers, engineers or even tech entrepreneurs. The students will now have the state-of-the-art tools to fuel their creative pursuits. Heron’s grant submission, Fast Laptops for Hackathons, was funded by DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that connects public school teachers with donors who are eager to support impactful educational initiatives. The Yoga laptops the grant will pay for will help students prepare for hackathons — intense, team-based coding competitions in which they create innovative soluContinued on page 8
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verybody is just part of this great ‘Di’ team.