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UNIONDALE _____________
HERALD BEACON
Mitchel Field recreates history
LICM hosts a ‘shel-ebration’
Turning music into literacy
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VoL. 76 no. 31
JuLY 30 - AuguST 5, 2026
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Learning, yes, but don’t call it summer school Darrisaw-Akil added that the program is important for the summer, because children’s While many children spend minds are still active, and teachtheir summers at camp, Union- ers want to find a way to contindale students are spending theirs ue to incorporate education. The building robots and creating art district is using practical, handsprojects tied to science, writing on projects in literacy and math, “so kids don’t feel like they got and poetry. Those activities are part of punished.” California Avenue Elementathe Uniondale school district’s summer Passport to Innovation, ry School hosted 170 rising pre-K to fifth-graders for a free five-week the program, and enrichment proeach classroom had gram that blends unique projects academics with based on their grade hands-on projects level. designed to make Rhonda Taylor, learning feel more assistant superinlike camp than a tendent of curricuclassroom. lum and instruc“We don’t call it KRISTen AnDIno tion, incorporated summer school,” the word “passport” S u p e r i n t e n d e n t RoDRIguez because she wanted Monique Darrisaw- Rising third-grader students to feel as if Akil said. “Not they were traveling everyone can afford camps, swimming courses and around the world. “Some kids all those programs. We want don’t have the opportunity to be children of all economic back- able to travel during the sumgrounds to have that opportuni- mer,” she said. “Science is one of the things ty.” Now in its fifth year, Passport we really want them to explore,” to Innovation serves 377 stu- Taylor added of the elementary dents. Middle-schoolers focus on students. “But not necessarily in coding, while elementary stu- the same way that they do it durdents take part in project-based ing the school year. We want this lessons that blend literacy, math, to be something that’s a little difSTEM, art and real-world experiContinued on page 10 ences.
By STACY DRIKS
sdriks@liherald.com
P
Michael Rechter/Herald photos
Corvettes, and more Corvettes The Long Island Corvette Owners Association hosted the Vettes, Vets & Rockets car show in the Cradle of Aviation Museum parking lot last Sunday. The event featured 58 vehicles ranging from classic muscle cars to the latest versions, and raised more than $1,000 in car registration fees and donations, which will benefit the museum and its educational mission. Above, the third-place winner was a 1965 Corvette owned by Kevin Vasti, of Hicksville. At right, Michael Poetszsch, also from Hicksville, with his 1982 Crossfire.
eople live on Earth, and I’m grateful I’m living here.