__________________ SEAFORD _________________
HERALD Geography Bee crowns champs
Boat slip lottery now open
Turning trees into mulch
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Vol. 73 No. 3
JANUARY 16 - 22, 2025
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Annual drive collects over $10K in toys said she would rather buy toys for children in the hospital. The Vulpi family’s toy drive The John Theissen Chil- runs all year, collecting toys in dren’s Foundation, based in preparation for the holiday seaWa n t a g h , p a r t n e r e d w i t h son. Last year, Emma Vulpi was a 13-year-old Emma Vulpi for her 6th annual toy drive on Dec. 21, recipient of the 17th State which collected more than Assembly District’s “Women of $10,000 worth of toys for chil- Distinction” Award for her dren in hospitals and shelters. extraordinary efforts to sup“I’m doing this for all the port children going through difchildren with canficult times. cer and people in Emma was shelters, because aware of these chilthey also deserve a dren thanks to Christmas,” Emma aw a r e n e s s p r o said. “It was a realg rams from St. ly fun experience, Jude’s Children’s i t ’s n i c e t o s e e Research Hospital. everybody be Today, she has gotEmmA VUlPI happy.” ten to know many Student, W.T. Clark Local businesses of those children. rallied to support Middle School Last year, they the toy drive, donated $6,000 including the A&S Pork Store worth of toys to the JTCF, and Deli in Massapequa, the which distributes toys to chilCornell Cooperative Farm, and dren in Long Island’s hospitals the Grand Stage Diner in East and shelters. Meadow. “It’s sad that we have to raise Emma, a 7th grade honor money for the kids in shelters, roll student at W.T. Clarke Mid- but it’s heartwarming to watch dle School, began her annual all these kids get what they toy drive on her seventh birth- want for Christmas,” Emma day when she received several said. gift cards to buy herself toys. The whole Vulpi family To her parents’ surprise, she
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Courtesy Seaford School District
Ava Caruso and Anastasia Perlegis are Seaford High School’s class of 2025 salutatorian and valedictorian, respectively.
Top of their class at Seaford High
Perlegis and Caruso named valedictorian and salutatorian By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
Anastasia Perlegis and Ava Caruso have become role models at Seaford High School, achieving top academic honors while inspiring their peers to excel. Their dedication paid off this year, earning Perlegis the title as Seaford’s class of 2025 valedictorian with a weighted grade point average of 107.46, while Caruso was named salutatorian with a 107.29 GPA. Nicole Schnabel, the high school’s principal, described the pair as model students who want to continue to show the community what that means. The two students have truly earned their accomplishment, Schnabel said, and now they are paving the way for other people to earn it as well. “They’re just incredible young women, and they are going to shape a lot of the future for us,” Schnabel said. Both Perlegis and Caruso credit hard
work and late study nights for their achievements. Throughout their time at Seaford, Perlegis enrolled in 14 Advanced Placement classes while Caruso took 13 college-level courses. “You have to make sacrifices sometimes,” Caruso said. “I don’t hang out with friends during school days, because you can’t manage it with sports and homework.” Among Caruso’s favorite courses was AP Research, which she tackled in her junior year. Going in, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in environmental science research. Seeing the research process, along with being independent in her studies, was an impactful moment that helped her envision her career. “It was just my favorite thing,” Caruso said. “I would come home and I’d want to work on my research paper. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.” Perlegis was also in Caruso’s AP Research Continued on PAge 4
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t’s nice to see everybody be happy.
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