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It's Inside _________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD Survivor visits O’Side school
Sharing stories through art
I.P. students earn scholarship
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VOL. 60 NO. 24
JUNE 12 - 18, 2025
$1.00
Food, fun and a 5K run this weekend
organizing the 5K and planting flowers at the church, to holding outdoor movie nights — all The annual St. Anthony’s while letting fathers of the feast and 5K run is returning to community teach their children Oceanside this weekend, from acts of service for the commuThursday through Sunday, pro- nity. St. Anthony’s feast has viding family fun, food and fanbecome the largest and most tastic community spirit. The four-day extravaganza celebrated festival in Oceanswill feature live entertainment ide, with all proceeds going to and carnival rides promising to support the church. “People come from several attract thousands of community members to the feast, which towns to join,” Tom Cesiro, is St. Anthony’s Church’s big- feast organizer and St. Anthony’s volunteer, said. “It just gest fundraiser of the year. Thursday’s activities will keeps growing and growing.” The St. Anthorun from 6 to 10 ny’s Feast 5K, was p.m.; Friday’s, from established in 2019 6 to 11 p.m.; Saturt o c e l e b r at e t h e day’s, from 4 to 11 50th anniversary of p.m.; and Sunday’s, the St. Anthony’s from 2 to 9 p.m. Feast, the 5K run The 5K is has quickly become Oceanside’s only a favorite among road race, offering TOM CESIRO local runners and a flat, fast course St. Anthony’s walkers open to all skill lev- volunteer Sponsors and els, beginning at 9 various groups a.m. on Saturday, rain or shine. Hosted by the St. within St. Anthony’s Church Anthony’s Fathers Club, the will have booths set up for famiFamily Fun Run/Walk wel- ly-friendly activity options. A comes runners seeking to post plethora of delightful food fast times, leisurely walkers, choices also will be available and even those of the canine for festival goers, including community, alongside their meatball subs, homemade zeppoles, pizza, and more. owners. This feel-good community The Fathers Club, created almost 13 years ago, has become event goes beyond just the a pillar of the community, ful- church, bringing together comfilling a dual mission — to munity members across towns serve the St. Anthony’s commu- and promoting a grand collabonity and to create a social ave- ration of volunteers and businue for fathers to get to know nesses. “ S t . A n t h o n y ’s C h u r c h one another. The club undertakes a range of activities, from
By LAUREN MAGGIORE
Intern
Courtesy Oceanside school district
Sam O’Brian, Dylan Long, Emma Matijevic and Louis Saglembeni display their ‘blocks’ that showcase how they plan to build a better Oceanside.
Student project aims to build a better Oceanside
By KEPHERD DANIEL
kdaniel@liherald.com
In a year-long exploration of civic engagement, Oceanside High School’s newly creditbearing Integrated Global Citizenship elective program culminated this spring in a studentdriven initiative called “Build a Better Oceanside.” Over the course of the year, 10th and 11th grade students partnered with local historians, and community leaders at the Oceanside Library to research pressing global issues— mental health stigma, educational equity, water scarcity, and homelessness—and translate their findings into actionable, locallyfocused proposals. The “Build a Better Oceanside” project challenged students to investigate local issues and propose innovative solutions deeply. The project was a collaborative effort between the English and social studies departments, designed to help students develop critical research, communication, and problemsolving skills. “We wanted students to understand that
they can make a real difference in their community,” said social studies teacher Deanna Confredo, one of the program’s teachers. The course aligns with the New York State “Profile of a Graduate”—a set of state-adopted competencies including effective communication, collaboration, global citizenship, and novel problem-solving. “We built the project with those skills in mind,” said Confredo, co-designer of the curriculum. “Besides content, we wanted transferable skills: research, writing emails to professionals, and public speaking.” This academic year also marked the pilot for making the elective credit-bearing. “The integrated program has existed since at least 2012,” Confredo noted, “but this is the first time it earns a separate grade.” Over the summer, Oceanside’s social studies and English departments rebranded the course to better highlight its civic-learning priorities under the “Global Citizenship” title. Students like Emma Matijevic, Louis Saglembeni, Dylan Long, and Sam O’Brian explored complex topics ranging from mental health COntinuED On pagE 13
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ot just keeps growing and growing.
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