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UNIONDALE _____________ Your Home is Your
HERALD
Sanctuary.
Don’t Let High Ta Chase You Away!xes
DEADLINE MARCH 31 BEACON
Superintendent wins award
Scouts sell at John J. Byrne
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VOl. 76 NO. 12
MARCH 19 - 25, 2026
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Schools’ Knight food pantry remains busy
“They’re not uncomfortable, taking food and hygiene products, at a separate location where there The Uniondale school district aren’t a lot of kids in the buildcontinues to support families fac- ing.” Mehu, who manages the pantry, ing food insecurity at a food pantry known as the Knight Market at explained that the Stop & Shop the Cornelius Court Central Regis- funds are distributed through store gift cards tied tration building, supto a dedicated ported by an ongoing account, allowing partnership with the the district to track Stop & Shop School purchases online Food Pantry Proand ensure that the gram. money is used The pantry, which appropriately. The has operated for pantry stocks a variabout two and a half ety of items includyears, offers grocering canned goods, ies and household cereal, rice, pasta, staples to families soups and other identified by district easy-to-prepare social workers. The foods. Uniondale effort is supported by staff also try to proan annual $10,000 vide fresh items grant from Stop & Shop, which helps SHANNON KARAfIAN such as milk, eggs, fruit and chicken the district purchase School Food Pantry when available, nutritious food. Program manager, along with hygiene Since the proproducts and other gram’s founding in Stop & Shop household essen2019, the Stop & Shop tials. chain has donated A district secretary monitors $8.5 million to schools to fight hunthe gift cards at the Carl Place Stop ger. “We wanted it to be a safe space & Shop. The pantry is typically for parents, where there aren’t restocked twice a month, though that many eyes looking at them,” its staff can also use the funds to Cassandra Mehu, the district’s quickly purchase groceries or assistant grant coordinator, said.
By STACY DRIKS
sdriks@liherald.com
H
Alice Moreno/Herald
A taste of Carnival Caribbean Carnival is traditionally celebrated on the first Monday and Tuesday after Ash Wednesday, but this year the Long Island Children’s Museum held the carnival the weekend immediately after the holy day, on Feb. 28. “A Celebration of Caribbean & Latin American Culture” brought families together for a cultural celebration. During the day, lively performances by Samba Nova, a Brazilian dance troupe, got the crowd singing and dancing to samba and salsa, accompanied by drummers and stilt walkers. In Caribbean folklore, the stilt walkers, known as moko jumbies, are believed to be mythical spirits, like ghosts or demons. Story, more photos. Page 3.
Knightime Jazz Band strikes a chord By ABBY GIBSON Intern
The Uniondale High School auditorium was filled with the warm and soulful sounds of jazz music on March 6, when the Knightime Jazz Band entertained an audience during its inaugural Jazz Night. The evening was designed not just to entertain, but also to celebrate student musicians. Colton Wynter, Uniondale’s music director who has led the program for about 20 years, said Jazz Night was created specifically to spotlight the dedication of the students. Joseph Boardman, also a Knightime Jazz Band director, has
served for seven years. “I have a great bunch of kids,” Wynter said. “They work hard, and they’re very good players — they need to be appreciated and celebrated. I figured a night like this would be a great opportunity for them to be celebrated, so people could see how great they are.” Some of the selections that the jazz band performed during the evening included “All of Me,” written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons, with arrangement by Billy Byers; and “Time After Time,” a classic romantic jazz standard with words by Sammy Cahn, music by Jule Styne and arrangement by Don Schamber. “Time Continued on page 10
unger exists in every Zip code, but we prioritize schools that have a majority of their students experiencing food insecurity.
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