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A look inside Spring Fling
Seaford music program honored
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VOL. 74 NO. 19
MAY 7 - 13, 2026
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Manor School’s new inclusive playground “This playground represents years of thoughtful planning, collaboration and a A yearslong effort to create shared commitment to our a more inclusive recess expe- children and our school comrience for students at Seaford m u n i t y , ” M a r y C a t h e r i n e Manor Elementary School Culella-Sun, the district’s came to life on April 24, when executive director for student support services, the Seaford School said. “We are District unveiled proud to open a an adaptive playspace designed for ground for them to play, exploration use. and connection to District adminincrease their conistrators, Board of Education trustfidence and try ees, teachers, parnew things.” ents and students Culella-Sun said gathered for a ribthe idea dates back bon-cutting cerenearly eight years, mony, held in conwhen she recogjunction with the nized that some district’s second students were annual Vikings unable to access United Day — a traditional play c e l e b r a t i o n o f MARY CATHERINE ground equipment. unity, belonging “We’re finally at a n d r e s p e c t f o r CULELLA-SUN that place where individuals of all Executive director we were able to abilities. install a playThe new playground, locat- ground that provides access ed between two wings of the for every student,” she said. school, was designed to ensure “Whether they use a wheelthat all children, including chair, seek sensory input or those who use wheelchairs or are sensitive to noise and benefit from sensory-friendly change, there’s activities for equipment, can fully partici- all. It gives every child an outpate in outdoor play.
By HUNTER FENOLLOL
hfenollol@liherald.com
Courtesy Brandon Weissman, WeisFlicks
Lindsey Parke’s family and friends and other members of the Wantagh community took part in a memorial softball tournament at Eisenhower Park.
Remembering Lindsey Parke
Community gathers for memorial tournament in E. Meadow By HUNTER FENOLLOL hfenollol@liherald.com
The sound of laughter, cheers and bats hitting softballs filled the air at Eisenhower Park last Sunday. It was a scene that felt familiar to the family of Lindsey Rose Parke. But for them, the memorial tournament held in Lindsey’s honor was about more than a game. It was about remembering the kind of person she was and the impact she made. “It’s kind of like a full-circle moment,” her brother, Timothy Sitzman, said. “Seeing everybody get involved, it shows the type of person she was — always being there to help somebody else.” Parke, a 19-year-old firefighter from Levittown, died in January, a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Old Country Road, whose driver, police said, was operating the vehicle recklessly, and was later charged. Her loss shook the community. In the
months since, her family, friends and fellow firefighters have worked to ensure that her memory lives on — not only through grief, but through action. The outpouring of support, they say, mirrors the way she lived. “She never hesitated to help anyone,” her sister, Haley Parke, said. “So the fact that no one else hesitates to do for her now — that’s exactly who she was.” For Lindsey, helping wasn’t just a habit — it was a personality trait. There were the everyday moments, like working with children at camp, where she would proudly tell her family about kids calling her “Dr. Lindsey” after she put bandages on their scrapes. “She’d come home and say, ‘They’re calling me Dr. Lindsey, Mom,’” her mother, Annette Sitzman Parke, recalled. “She loved that — just helping them with a little BandAid and making them feel better.” And then there were the moments that showed just how instinctive that drive was. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
W
e are proud to open a space designed for play, exploration and connection to increase their confidence and try new things.
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