Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1.50
Friday, September 1, 2023
Vol. 72, No. 35
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
NHP DANCE STUDENT ADVANCES IN AGT
BLAKEMAN SIGN SCUTTLE FUNDRAISER
PAGES 21-32
PAGE 9
PAGE 6
Racist graffiti at Center Street Elementary
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Herricks board prez ‘sickened’ by language spray painted multiple times BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Herricks Board of Education President James Gounaris said Thursday night he was “sickened” by racially charged language that was spray painted multiple times at the Center Street Elementary School playground. Gounaris said the district discovered Thursday morning that the playground area at the Williston Park school and some trees in the vicinity were graffitied overnight. “The vandalism included profanatory and derogatory language including racist language, which was spray painted multiple times,” Gounaris said. The president said the Nassau County Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into who is responsible for the incident. “The safety and well-being of our students, families, faculties and staff is our priority and we will continue nurturing a school community that centers on empathy and compassion and denounces hate and injustice,” Gounaris said. In a written statement, Gounaris implored district residents to have a conversation with their children at the dinner table on hate and its impact. “If you’ve resided here for one day or 100 years, this is not what the community is about and we need to make
sure that these people understand that it’s never going to be tolerated,” Gounaris said. “We are going to find out who they are and we are going to make sure they get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement she was heartbroken about the incident and that the town has worked hard to foster an inclusive community. “These heinous acts will not be tolerated, and I am confident the Nassau County Police Department will do everything necessary to apprehend and prosecute those responsible,” DeSena said. Herricks Superintendent Tony Sinanis said some of the graffiti has already been removed and that the rest of it will be removed before the first day of school on Tuesday, Sept. 15. In unrelated district news, Sinanis provided capital project updates from the summer, including side-by-side pictures of different parts of the district before and after their upgrades. Summer projects include new epoxy floors, lights, furniture and repainting the tech room in the high school tech room and middle school art room, among others. The middle school gymnasium had its padding on the walls and floor redone. Continued on Page 45
PHOTO COURTESY OF MINEOLA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Fall athletes in the Mineola School District recently returned to action.
Oyster Bay Branch upgrade set for Sept. 5 BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The Long Island Rail Road Oyster Bay Branch will be implementing service changes starting Sept. 5, made in collaboration with community feedback and elected officials, that the Metropolitan Transit Authority say will diminish crowding and lend to shorter commute times. “We are so thrilled to be able to make these improvements for our Oyster Bay Branch customers. The changes we announced today are the result of
many conversations with the region’s elected officials, community leaders and commuters,” LIRR Interim President and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi said in a press release. “Despite our operational challenges and limitations, these improvements show a willingness to work with our riders and make adjustments wherever possible to improve their commutes.” Two changes on the Oyster Bay Branch will be implemented starting on Sept. 5. The 6:55 a.m. train from Oyster
Bay to Hunterspoint Avenue will now depart at 7:01 a.m. This train will only make stops at Locust Valley, Glen Street, Glen Head, Roslyn, East Williston and Jamaica. The second change is that riders on the 7:17 a.m. Penn Station-bound train from Oyster Bay to Hunterspoint Avenue will be able to transfer to a new train originating at Jamaica. Previously the train connected to a train that was already occupied with passengers from Babylon. Continued on Page 46