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Vol. 37 No. 12
MARCH 19 - 25, 2026
$1.00
30A West Park Ave. | Lon
g Beach NY, 11561 | 0:5
16-763-6150
1310418
ry. Your Home is Your Sanctua
L.B. Polar Bears finally celebrate 2026 Splash By CHRiS ColuCCi ccolucci@liherald.com
Justine Stefanelli/Herald
The Long Beach Polar Bears made a triumphant return to the waves on Sunday. The annual event was scheduled to take place on Super Bowl Sunday, as it has been since 2000, but was postponed for the first time in its history due to nearly a foot of snowfall at the end of January worsened by freezing temperatures in the beginning of February. Undeterred by weather that was still far more winter than spring, the ocean-jumpers braved water temperatures in the mid-30s, and land temperatures only slightly warmer. The plunge helped the Polar Bears in their continued drive to raise money for the MakeA-Wish Foundation. The funds come from direct donations, contributions and the eye-catching branded merchandise associated with the Long Beach Polar Bears — most recognizable are T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts
Several hundred people showed up to breach the waves for this year’s event after waiting more than a month.
Continued on page 10
LBHS students advance to international science fair By CHRiS ColuCCi ccolucci@liherald.com
For the first time in 14 years, students from Long Beach High School have earned entrance into the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, with sophomores Sydney Olivo and Karina Rios attending the competition May 9-15 in Phoenix, Ariz. The two students, under the guidance of science research teacher Kristen Conklin-Kearney, advanced to ISEF after taking first place at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, which took place from Feb. 2 to March 12.
“Making it to ISEF, you have to be 1 percent of the population on planet Earth,” ConklinKearney said. “It’s one of the most prestigious science competitions in the world. A lot of students see it as their golden ticket to apply to colleges. When a college sees this student got an ISEF ticket, that sets them apart.” The Long Island Science and Engineering Fair — a competition comprising students from grades eight through 12 who present their research across nine categories — began with nearly 70 schools from across the Island presenting more than 400 projects in round one.
Nearly 150 projects from less than 50 schools advanced to the second round of competition. Of them, Long Beach garnered three second-place awards, one for third place, and two honorable mentions. Olivo and Rios captured two of the three total ISEF tickets that were available to first-place winners. O l ivo ’s re s e a rch , t i t l e d “Detection of Trifluoroacetic Acid in Commercial Water Filters and its Toxicolo gical Impacts on Keystone Aquatic Species,” investigated the ability of common water filters to remove trifluoroacetic acid — a “forever chemical” — and its effect on daphnia magna, a
crustacean that plays a small but notable role in the environment. “I enjoy researching gaps in literature because I know these things can have real-world implications on people,” Olivo explained of her interests. “I like the problem-solving aspect of science and how it can be challenging, but it’s very
rewarding when you’re able to put together an experiment like this and you see significant results.” Rios’ work, titled “Evaluating Behavioral Outcomes and Gut Microbiome Diversity in Drosophila melanogaster Following Exposure to Natural Versus Prescription ADHD Continued on page 7