________________ OYSTER BAY _______________
HERALD 1308529
Author releases new book Page 3 Vol. 127 No. 29
JUlY 18 - 24, 2025
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WaterFront Center marks 25 years in O.B. By WIll SHEElINE wsheeline@liherald.com
Courtesy the WaterFront Center
The mission of the WaterFront Center is to use education and recreation to help people connect to the water. One way it does so is by taking students and families out on historic vessels like the oyster sloop Christeen.
The WaterFront Center, in Oyster Bay, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, marking a quarter-century of offering public access to the harbor through marine education and recreation. What began as a local effort to preserve the shoreline from overdevelopment has grown into a regional institution, welcoming thousands of people each year to experience Long Island Sound in new ways. The center was established in 2000, “but it starts back a little bit further,” Jamé Krauter, the center’s director of marketing and engagement, said. “About 1980, a real estate development proposal threatened the former Jacobson Shipyard. They wanted to basically take this spot to create more homes, but because of the environmental impact and the cultural impact on the harbor, different groups got together to encourage a different plan.” That plan became the Western Waterfront ConCOnTinued On page 12
St. Dominic’s honors four top grads instead of just two By WIll SHEElINE wsheeline@liherald.com
Families, students and faculty saw double at St. Dominic’s High School’s graduation this year, as the Oyster Bay school honored two valedictorians and two salutatorians, a first in its 80-year history. The uncommon distinction came after nearby Our Lady of Mercy Academy, in Syosset, closed in 2024, and its senior class joined St. Dominic’s for its final year. The combined class of 98 students marked a poignant ending for both schools. St. Dominic’s Valedictorian Molly Byrne, who grew up in
Bayville and transferred from St. Edward the Confessor School, in Syosset, for freshman year of high school, will begin studies in the Honors Program at Providence College as a biology major this fall. “It was an absolutely incredible experience to have the Mercy girls join us for our senior year,” Byr ne said. “I have this whole new friend group — I met wonderful people throughout this process that I’ll probably be friends with longer than high school.” She added that small classes and dedicated teachers were key to her success. “St. Dominic’s was very welcoming, and
kind of like a family as soon as you stepped on campus,” Byrne said. And she recalled being “very grateful and very honored” to be named a valedictorian. “They announced it during school, and honestly, I was very surprised,” she said. “And it was kind of like a surreal experience.” Victoria Klein, the valedictorian representing Our Lady of Mercy, will attend Boston University, where she plans to study mechanical engineering. A Massapequa native with a passion for math and science, Klein was also a captain of the bowling team, and acknowledged that she had been aiming
for the top spot throughout high school. “From the start of my freshm a n ye a r, I w a s wo rk i n g towards trying to be valedictorian,” Klein said. “I don’t think I ever really fully expected it would happen.” When the school revealed its plan to honor the four top students, Klein recalled, she felt
that “it was really great to hear that they were going to give us that opportunity.” When she heard her name announced as valedictorian, she said she experienced “a mixed feeling of extreme happiness, and also complete disbelief and shock.” Olivia Ahearn, St. Dominic’s salutatorian, will attend VillaCOnTinued On page 14