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VOL. 74 NO. 9
FSD holds music concert
Obituary: Sister Shamus Dwyer
Amity girl places at Colgate games
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FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2025
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Robert Schilling to retire from Massapequa schools after 25-plus year career By MIKE POLANSKY
Luke Feeney/Herald
Runnie Myles, Michelle Crosley, Deputy County Executive Anissa Moore and Minority Affairs Executive Director Lionel Chitty joined in song at the Town of Oyster Bay’s Black History Month celebration.
TOBAY celebrates its Black history
during his stint in the Marines, and went on to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, South lfeeney@liherald.com Oyster Bay residents and elected officials Africa, the United Nations and Australia, as celebrated Black History Month recently at a well as director general of the U.S. Departtown-hosted celebration of extraordinary Af- ment of State’s Diplomatic Corps. Saladino described Perkins as a man who operated with rican Americans in Oyster his heart and his mind. Bay and Nassau County. Deputy County Executive Town Supervisor Joe SalAnissa Moore traced the hisadino welcomed other local e have survived tory of black people on Long elected leaders, educators, Wrap Ad Specs Island. “We have survived the community leaders and resithe horrors horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, dents. The event began with racism, sexism, hatred, pova performance by the Black of slavery, Jim Crow, x 6.5” = Yellow erty, lynchings, world wars, Voices box of Nassau County, racism, sexism, hatred, to name a few,” she said, “but who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Keep Your poverty, lynchings, world we’re holding on to the promise of America.” Lamps Trimmed and Burn- wars, to name a few, Africans arrived in New ing.” York as early as 1626, she Saladino said that sup- but we’re holding on to porting and remembering the promise of America. said, and the first slaves were brought to Long Island around Black history is integral to 1654. Moore traced the roots of celebrating broader Ameri- ANISSA MOORE Black history through a numcan history, describing it as Deputy County Executive ber of Long Island communipart of the “mosaic” of the ties. By 1840, the Long Island past. “We all want to remind everyone that black history is American his- Rail Road had been built through the town of tory,” he said. “Democracy is something very Westbury. As the number of Black families grew over important to us. Advocacy has one direction: time, she said, “they began to develop their forward.” they created a whole village Saladino retold the story of Edward Per- own stores, andor Apply online at mptrg.com/heraldwrap call 516.715.1280 kins, who shared a tent with Saladino’s father around the railroad of Black-owned stores.”
By LUKE FEENEY
Correspondent Robert Schilling, an assistant superintendent in the Massapequa School District and a longtime educator in the town, has announced he will retire on Aug. 15, 2025. Schilling’s ties to Massapequa schools date back to his childhood: he attended Carman Road School, East Lake School for 6th grade, McKenna School for junior high, and graduated from Berner High School as a “Berner Bison” in 1985. He went on to teach at Grace Episcopal Church School and Carman Road. “Every one of my professional jobs has been in this zip code,” Schilling said with a laugh. “Massapequa is a cult, it sucks you back in, and there’s a charm to that. I love this town.” After earning a degree in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland in 1989, Schilling returned to Massapequa, to teach physical education at Grace Episcopal. After obtaining a master’s degree in Special Education from SUNY Stony Brook, he became too a special education teacher at Carman Road in 1991, which by then was a BOCES school. He recalled, “I couldn’t turn down a public-school job. I was making $14,000 as a private school teacher versus $30,000 as a publicschool teacher.” Schilling spent eight years teaching special education at Car-
Robert Schilling man Road before pursuing his administrative degree at SUNY Stony Brook in 1998. He then joined the Massapequa School District as an administrative assistant in 1999, working under Assistant Superintendent Charlie Sulc. Schilling moved on to roles as Executive Director of Human Resources, Executive Director of Instructional Technology and Technology Services, and in 2016, he was appointed Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and General Administration, a position he has held ever since. Schilling and his wife, Donna, have two sons: Ryan, 29, who works in technology for the Patchogue-Medford School District, and Austin, 27, a teacher in the
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