Serving New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Garden City Park, North Hills, Manhasset Hills and North New Hyde Park
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Friday, July 2, 2021
Vol. 70, No. 27
N E W H Y D E PA R K
HOME & DESIGN
WHEATLEY GRAD SPEECH SPARKS FUROR
KAMINSKY DEM CHOICE FOR DA
PAGES 21-28
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New Hyde Park Memorial grads reflect on COVID Commencement ceremony held at Hofstra BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW HYDE PARK MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
New Hyde Park Memorial High School held commencement ceremony at Hofstra University on Sunday.
Student leaders from New Hyde Park Memorial High School’s class of 2021 reflected on the memories they made over the past six years and how a global pandemic spurred newfound appreciation during Sunday’s commencement ceremony. The ceremony, held at Hofstra University, featured four leaders from the senior class expressing their gratitude for the relationships made during high school and the unique experiences they had. Class President Nicolette Caneda thanked parents, faculty, staff and
fellow classmates for their constant support and encouragement to make the most out of the last two school years despite the obstacles the pandemic presented. Caneda, who was a member of the varsity girls soccer team, touted members of the graduating class for all they have achieved over the past six years and the resiliency they showed during the pandemic. “The class of 2021 is full of strong-minded, hard-working and overall incredible individuals,” she said. “Being president of our class throughout our high school journey Continued on Page 34
Herricks grad swims for Olympic spot B Y B R A N D O N D U F F Y the United States Olympic trials. to qualify for the finals without a Olympic gold medalist Ka- her and maybe when she was my Herricks High School swimmer Sophia Karras has closed the books on an illustrious high school career by competing in
In the 1,500-meter women’s freestyle, Karras finished 23rd out of 30 swimmers during the preliminary round with a time of 16:53.09, making her ineligible
finish among the top eight. The event, Wave II of the United States Olympic trials, held June 13 to 20 at the C.H.I. Center in Omaha, Nebraska, was the last week of meets before final selection of the Olympic swim team. Winning both rounds of the event was five-time
tie Ledecky, the niece of Jon Ledecky, co-owner of the Islanders. When asked about the level of competition she was around all week, Karras alluded to sharing more similarities than differences. “She’s amazing at what she does and it’s really nice to just know that I’m swimming with
age, she was in the same boat,” she said. Karras, the second-ranked swimmer in the state, said she appreciated the time spent preparing for her meet. “I flew out June 9th and was there for about a week, five days before I actually Continued on Page 35
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