_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
HERALD Also serving Bay Park
Washing cars for a cause
Summer kickoff at Greis Park
Fifth-graders move up
Page 2
Page 3
Page 9
VoL. 33 No. 30
JuLY 23 - 29, 2026
$1.00
LFD has answered the call for 125 years By KAYLA DECHTER kdechter@liherald.com
Courtesy Brian Grogan
Lynbrook junior firefighters marched in the parade celebrating the Lynbrook Fire Department’s anniversary last month.
The Lynbrook Fire Department celebrated its 125th anniversary on June 27, hosting the Fourth Battalion Parade, welcoming fire departments from across the region while earning Best Appearing awards for its members, the Ladies Auxili a r y a n d t h e Ju n i o r F i re D e p a r t m e n t . T h e Va l l e y Stream Fire Department was named the overall parade winner, but for Lynbrook members, the day represented far more than trophies. For Chief James DiGiamContinueD on page 10
Students reflect on representing peers on school board By KAYLA DECHTER kdechter@liherald.com
As the 2025-26 school year came to a close, two students who attend local high schools also completed milestones in the history of their school districts. Jackson Bowler, a rising s e n i o r at Ly n b ro o k H i g h School, and Sofia Ferkov, a rising senior at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School, recently completed their terms as their school districts’ firstever ex officio student members of the Board of Education. Although they did not vote on board matters, both students spent the past year attending
board meetings, presenting monthly reports, sharing student concerns and offering a student perspective on district decisions before passing the role on to the student representatives for the 2026-27 school year. For Bowler, serving as Lynbrook School District’s first student board member was about making sure students felt they had a voice. He was selected after a multi-step application and interview process involving students, staff members and the Board of Education. “I think I’m most proud that this was the first year of the role,” Bowler said. “People felt
this position was important. They felt if they spoke to me, what I said would get through to the board members or administration.” Each month, Bowler presented reports to the Lynbrook Board of Education based on student surveys and conversations with classmates. He also reached out to elementary school principals to better understand the perspectives of younger students. “My role was for every student in the district,” he said. “I wanted people to know I was willing to talk with anyone who had a concern.” Bowler said one of the biggest surprises was seeing how
much work goes into developing the school district’s budget. “It was September or October, and they were already talking about budget season,” he said. “Seeing that process from the beginning gave me a whole new appreciation for how much planning goes into those decisions.” The experience also reinforced his plans to study politi-
cal science after high school. “I know what representing a constituency looks like now,” Bowler said. “That experience will definitely help me in the future.” As incoming senior James Pisano prepares to take over the student position on the Lynbrook school board, Bowler encouraged him to embrace the ContinueD on page 5