As part of an oral history project, students in Amy Lustig’s fifth-grade class at Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School in the Harborfields Central School District interviewed a member of their family about a recipe that represents their family’s heritage.

After interviewing the adult, students transformed their conversation into a story and added the steps and ingredients needed for the recipe. The pages were bound together to create a cookbook and each student received a copy.

As a culmination of the project, the fifth-graders and their family members participated in a multicultural feast where students prepared the recipe to share with their classmates and invited guests.

Photo’s Fifth-grade students and their families participated in a multicultural feast.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

Four students in Dr. Arnold Kamhi’s independent science research class at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School in the Elwood Union Free School District received honor recognition’s in two prestigious science research competitions.

Seniors Grace Franzese and Zachary Wollman jointly won for their project, “Testing the Effectiveness of Alpha Lipoic Acid as an Antioxidant,” in the 2016 Long Island Science Congress competition. They were honored at an awards dinner at the Wheatley School in Old Westbury on May 16, 2016 where they earned the designation of Honors for their project.

Sophomore Siobhan McPherson’s project, “The Effect of Bisphenol A Derived from Thermal Receipts on Daphnia,” and senior Christina Wesnofske’s research on “The Effects of Magnetic Field on Directional Alignment of Dogs During Excretion” competed in the New York State Science and Engineering Fair. At the NYSSEF award reception at Jericho High School’s Little Theatre on May 24, 2016 McPherson received second place for her research project, while Wesnofske’s project earned third place.

“These four students are hard workers,” said Dr. Kamhi. “They devoted their time to perform wonderful experiments and present as professionals at the competitions.”

The district extends its congratulations to these fine students on their exceptional scientific achievements.

Photo: LISC: Elwood-John H. Glenn High School seniors Grace Franzese and Zachary Wollman received Honors for their project in the Long Island Science Congress competition.

Photo: NYSSEF: From left, Elwood-John H. Glenn High School sophomore Siobhan McPherson and senior Christina Wesnofske.

Photos courtesy of the Elwood Union Free School District

Harborfields High School seniors were recognized for their outstanding achievements, citizenship and service at the school’s annual senior awards ceremony on May 24. In addition, more than 20 memorial and organizational scholarships were presented to deserving seniors.

Principal Dr. Rory Manning announced Sabrina Qi and Trevor Jones as the Class of 2016 valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. The two seniors were commended for their academic dedication and contributions to the school community. Dr. Manning also announced the other eight members rounding out the Wall of Scholars, comprised of the top 10 students in the graduating class.

The following are the top 10 students in the graduating Class of 2016: Sabrina Qi, Trevor Jones, Abigail Wax, Alexander Bloom, Erin Walden, Kaitlin Dluginsky, Kelly Stone, Rachel Bram, Ryan Scanlon and Evan Chang. Their names were added to the Wall of Scholars, which is affixed in the hallway of the high school.

The district extends its congratulations to all the award-winning seniors.

Photo Caption: Harborfields High School top 10 students in the graduating Class of 2016 with Superintendent of Schools Diana Todaro and Principal Dr. Rory Manning.

Photo: Harborfields High School top 10 students in the graduating Class of 2016 (from l-r) Evan Chang, Rachel Bram, Kaitlin Dluginsky, Alexander Bloom, Trevor Jones, Sabrina Qi, Abigail Wax, Erin Walden, Kelly Stone and Ryan Scanlon.

Photos courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

David Amram, a widely acclaimed artist in several musical genres, will close out the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s current season of First Saturday Concerts on June 4 at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, Centerport). The 8:30 p.m. concert, during which other musicians will join him, will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets priced at $25 ($20 for FMSH members) may be purchased online at www.fmsh.org using a credit card or at the door (cash and checks only). For more information, visit the FMSH website or call 631-425-2925.

Aptly described as “the Renaissance man of American music,” David Amram is a composer, a conductor, a soloist, an improvisational lyricist, an author, and a multi-instrumentalist who plays piano and various horns and whistles – as well as dozens of folkloric instruments from around the world. A pioneer in ‘world music’ dating back to before the term was even coined, he’s been engaged in and has integrated many genres in his work  — including folk, jazz, classical and chamber music.

Amram is considered a pioneer of the French horn in jazz. He has composed more than 100 orchestral and chamber works – including “Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie” (commissioned by the Woody Guthrie Foundation) and “Theme and Variations on Red River Valley.” He’s written two operas and numerous theatrical and film scores – notably including those for Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate. He’s worked with such musical luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Odetta, Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, Levon Helm, Pete Seeger, Arturo Sandoval, Mary Lou Williams and many more. And he’s a musical luminary in his own right. He’s even been immortalized in a popular children’s song by Raffi – “One for me and one for David Amram.”

Many honors have been bestowed on Amram. He’s the subject of a documentary film entitled David Amram: the First 80 Years.  He’s been the recipient of a Pete and Toshi Seeger Power of Song Award, several lifetime achievement awards, and six honorary doctorates.

Now in its 47th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam, and an annual folk festival (Saturday, July 30 at Huntington’s Heckscher Park from noon to 10:30 p.m.) in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council.  On Thursday, June 16, FMSH hosts a special NERFA Showcase in partnership with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance to close out this season’s Hard Luck Café series at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Center, it will feature five talented touring artists who have had juried showcases during recent annual NERFA Conferences.

Photo of David Amram Photo credit Bob Yahn.

Famous award-winning children’s book author Brian Heinz visited Washington Drive Primary School in the Harborfields Central School District to teach the students about the book writing and publishing process on May 18.

With entertaining re-enactments of a variety of his real-life experiences, Mr. Heinz taught the students methods he uses when researching possible book topics.

In his discussion, he spoke about the importance of using the five senses to develop and incorporate descriptive language in their writing.

With the use of a “road map”- style mural board and dozens of visual aids, students learned how a book becomes reality from raw ideas to a finished product, and the many steps and people involved in the process.

Photo: Washington Drive Primary School first-grade students with award-winning children’s author Brian Heinz.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

Throughout the school year, members of the Elwood-John H. Glenn High School International Club, under the advisement of Nicole Gendjoian, held fundraising events in an effort to raise money to donate an Inspired Gift through the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

The club members held bake sales after school and sold baked goods at school-related events. Spearheaded by junior Rachel Berlin, the club sold Pura Vida bracelets to raise funds. The English translation for Pura Vida is Pure Life, a Costa Rican philosophy that encourages the appreciation of life’s simple treasures. While raising money for UNICEF, profits from every Pura Vida bracelet sold helps to provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica.

Through their collective efforts, the students raised nearly $400 for a hand pump, as the Inspired Gift, that will provide a community abroad with clean drinking water.

“The girls set a high goal for themselves and were determined to achieve it,” said Gendjoian. “It was all possible through their teamwork and dedication. I am so proud of how hard they worked to make a difference.”

Photo Caption: Members of the Elwood-John H. Glenn High School International Club with Interim Principal Dr. James Ruck.

Photo courtesy of the Elwood Union Free School District

Assemblyman Andrew Raia (R,C,I-East Northport) joined Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C Canandaigua) and members of the Assembly Minority Conference for a press conference June 1, 2016. At this event they refocused legislative efforts on the heroin epidemic. Kolb and other guests reiterated the importance of passing comprehensive legislation to combat the heroin epidemic, and outlined the Assembly Minority Conference’s Heroin Elimination & Prevention (H.E.L.P) plan. The Assembly Majority has refused to act on or even debate these findings.

“I want to thank Leader Kolb for bringing the heroin epidemic back to the forefront in the final days of session,” said Raia the Ranking Minority Member of the Health Committee. “My colleagues and I in the Assembly Minority Conference have done our part by putting together an aggressive plan based on the findings of our task force. Unfortunately, the Assembly Majority doesn’t have the same sense of urgency, and it is still without a comprehensive plan.”

The Senate Majority and Gov. Cuomo recently joined the Assembly Minority in its calls for action on the heroin epidemic. Following the lead of the Assembly Minority Conference, The Senate Majority held a press conference in early May to release the findings of its report, and Gov. Cuomo launched his own task force to address the epidemic in late May.

“We cannot afford to stand by while this epidemic continues to destroy families throughout our communities. The Assembly Majority has to get its priorities in line with those of New York families, and that means acting on legislation that will end the heroin epidemic,” Raia concluded.

Assemblyman Raia has aggressively championed reforms that would help to combat the heroin epidemic in Suffolk County, where unfortunately, opiate and heroin related deaths rank number one in the state. Raia understands the importance of a well-rounded effort in fighting the heroin epidemic, and supports an extensive variety of reforms. He supports anti-drug education as early as the third grade, insurance reform to end the fail first approach to patient care, and has called for the utilization of available beds at the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center to provide much-needed care for patients who currently do not receive it.

Annie McClintock, a special education paraeducator at Harborfields High School, was among 12 school-related professionals to be honored by the White House as a School Support Champion of Change.

Each honoree was selected by the White House for their leadership and work to ensure that students receive the support and motivation they need to succeed. According to the White House blog, school support professionals make up one-third of the nation’s education workforce and often go above and beyond to meet the needs of all students so they can achieve success inside and outside the classroom.

During the event, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Deputy Assistant to the President for Education Policy Roberto Rodriguez and Dr. Monique Chism, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, afforded remarks to the honorees and invited guests.

With a passion for volunteerism, McClintock has coordinated volunteer efforts and participated in countless food, winter clothing and backpack school supply drives. Over the past 15 years, she has collected toys that are donated to the Congregational Church of Huntington. The church in turn donates the toys to the annual Family Service League’s Holiday Boutique. The Holiday Boutique allows parents of low-income children to “shop” with dignity for unwrapped gifts for their children. Additionally, she participates in the annual Breast Cancer Walk at Jones Beach, the annual Cross Bay Distant Memories Swim in Northport Bay and many other community projects.

“It was an honor to be recognized for my 50 years of committed service to the Harborfieds community and to have shared it with my son Jamie, who is a Harborfields graduate,” said McClintock. “To be among the 12 who were recognized out of the more than three million school support professionals in the nation, was humbling. School-related professionals are often the first person our students encounter in the morning and the last they see at the end of the day. We will remain the backbone in our schools and community. We live where we work.”

Photo Above: Annie McClintock with her son Jamie McClintock at the School Support Champions of Change honoring ceremony.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

The Harborfields Central School District is pleased to announce that three Oldfield Middle School students earned top place titles in the Earth Science and General Science categories of the National Science Olympiad contest.

Each year, the National Science League administers multiple-choice contests in various science categories and grade levels. Students complete the exam in April and results are announced in May.

Recognized as National Student Leaders in the Earth Science contest, eighth-grader Christopher Benincase earned first place, while his peer Jia Qi Gao received second place among all the student participants from eight schools.

In the General Science challenge, seventh-grader Jacky Xie achieved the highest score, which resulted in a four-way tie with three students from the 74 participating schools.

The district extends its congratulations to these students on this exceptional achievement.

Photo Above: From left, Oldfield Middle School eighth-grader Christopher Benincase, seventh-grader Jacky Xie and eighth-grader Jia Qi Gao.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

Drive away in a CLA or choose $25,000 Cash in Little Shelter’s 18th Semi-Annual Drawing. Drawing at Little Shelter 3pm Sunday June 26, 2106

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As a culmination to their science unit on metamorphosis, third-grade students in Diane Brown and Noreen Paccione’s classes at Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School in the Harborfields Central School District put on their musical performance of “Goin’ Buggy.”

For their curriculum unit, third-graders received a caterpillar to observe as they transformed into butterflies. They learned about the caterpillar’s life cycle and the different features of the bug as it undergoes metamorphosis.

For the show, students dressed as various insects and bugs including butterflies, grasshoppers, bees, ladybugs, spiders and fireflies. Through the use of memorized rhyming phrases, catchy songs and dance movements, students shared the story of bugs and insects uniting together with the goal of convincing the White House to pass their “Bugs Bill of Rights.”

Photo Caption: 1-2: Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School third-graders dressed as various bugs and insects for their performance of “Goin’ Buggy.”

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

Students at Harborfields High School as well as members of the Booster Club and PTA Council’s Health and Welfare Committee rallied together to raise funds to benefit the Long Island Chapter of the Special Olympics. Through their collective efforts, they raised more than $1,700 for the cause by selling customized Special Olympics bracelets and collecting donations from community sponsors and local businesses. Harborfields’ donation will go toward helping to prepare and send four local athletes to competitions this year.

“Harborfields School District should be extremely proud of the dedication and time they put into raising funds for our Long Island Special Olympics athletes,” said Rebecca Strickland, associate director of development at the Long Island Chapter of the Special Olympics. “With some struggles along the way, with conflicting fundraiser dates and last minute forced cancellations, they didn’t let it stop them. We are so thankful and proud of their determination to make a difference in the lives of our athletes.”

Photo Caption: (From l-r) John Valente, Harborfields High School athletic director; Rebecca Strickland, associate director of development at the Long Island Chapter of the Special Olympics; Deb Stolba, chairperson of the Harborfields Booster Club; and Rachel Spencer, chairperson of the Harborfields PTA Council Health & Welfare Committee.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

The Folk Music Society of Huntington (FMSH) partners with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, in presenting a NERFA Showcase to close out the current season of its monthly Hard Luck Café series in the Sky Room at the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) on Thursday evening, June 16.  The 8 p.m. concert will be preceded by an invitational mic beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets priced at $15 ($10 for FMSH and Cinema members) will be available at the door. For more information, visit www.fmsh.org or call (631) 425-2925.

“For this very special show, we have invited five artists who have recently had juried official showcases at annual NERFA conferences to share their talents with our audience,” says Michael Kornfeld, president of FMSH and vice president of the NERFA board of directors. “Aaron Nathans & Michael Ronstadt, Hayley Reardon, Amy Soucy and Jim Trick will participate in two hour-long song swaps that will be preceded by an invitational mic featuring artists who regularly attend the conferences — Mark Alan Berube, Jay Hitt, Lisa Jane Lipkin, Kirsten Maxwell, Cheryl Prashker and others.” Refreshments – including craft beer and wine – will be available.

About the Featured Performing Artists

Aaron Nathans & Michael Ronstadt: A singer-songwriter with a propensity for penning songs about subjects others haven’t has joined forces with a virtuoso cellist who hails from musical royalty (he’s Linda’s nephew) to form a duo that has been drawing critical acclaim. Aaron Nathans brings his brilliant, off-kilter world-view and warped sense of humor to live shows that are as captivating as his guitar work, voice and catchy melodies. Michael Ronstadt (cello, guitar, mandolin) carries on his family’s eclectic musical tradition with adventurous, mind-bending songs. The duo recently showcased their talents as part of John Platt’s monthly “On Your Radar” series in NYC. (www.aaronnathans.com, www.michaelronstadt.com)

Hayley Reardon is a Massachusetts native noted for her thoughtful, vivid songwriting and engaging stage performance. Performer Magazine describes her music as “brilliantly moving folk/pop with a lyrical depth and soul.” In 2012, The Boston Globe Magazine named her a Bostonian of the Year for both her music and her work to pair it with a message of youth empowerment. In a live setting, Reardon’s soulful songs are carefully intertwined between thoughtful stories and soft, clever humor to form a comforting, yet commanding, stage presence. Hayley Reardon is full of heart, and what’s even better is that she has proven her ability to share that heart and make an audience feel her songs and stories just as strongly as she does. (www.hayleyreardon.com)

Amy Soucy is a Beacon, NY-based contemporary folk chanteuse who writes evocative songs exploring the kaleidoscope of human experience (dreams, longing, forgiveness and healing) and sings them in a voice that’s been called “powerful,” “comforting,” and “angelic.” Dubbed “enchanting” by singer-songwriter Sloan Wainwright and “just gorgeous” by NJ folk radio DJ Joe Pszonek, Soucy’s 2015 debut album, This River, takes listeners on a soulful journey through a lush landscape of life, love and earth – full of timeless, poetic songwriting, soaring melodies and shimmering harmonies.   The CD was among the top folk albums of 2015 on both the Folk DJ Listserv and the Roots Music Report international radio airplay charts. (www.amysoucymusic.com)

Jim Trick is a Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter who combines carefully crafted lyrics with acoustic guitar instrumentation featuring percussive, intricate and ethereal ranges, to create a powerful music experience. He cites Neil Finn, Bruce Cockburn, John Gorka and Charles Bukowski as influences. An engaging and entertaining performer, Trick connects with audiences through his music, words and real life perspective. As a touring member of Banding People Together, Jim travels throughout the U.S. and beyond, using music and behavioral science to help companies create collaborative strategies and improve leadership. He is also a frequent speaker at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. (www.jimtrickmusic.com)

The grass fields at Harley Avenue Primary School and James H. Boyd Intermediate School in the Elwood Union Free School District were filled with blue and white pride fs students, at their respective schools, participated in field day celebrations. The district’s physical education departments coordinated the day’s festivities, which allowed students to showcase their various athletic abilities while demonstrating good sportsmanship.
Each grade level wore a blue or white T-shirt and competed in a variety of physical activities. The field day events required both an individual and team effort. Throughout the day, students participated in games such as tug of war, an egg balancing exercise, a potato sack race and relay races.

As students competed in the events, their fellow teammates, along with teachers and parents, cheered them on from the sidelines.

Photo Caption: Harley Avenue Primary School first-graders participated in a blue vs. white team tug of war.

Photo Caption: Harley Avenue Primary School first-graders participated in an egg balancing exercise.

Photos courtesy of the Elwood Union Free School District

Honors Vanderbilt’s Love of Exploration, Generates Revenue

On June 29, 2016 the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will observe the 45th anniversary of the opening of its Planetarium, now known as the Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium.

The anniversary coincides with the final stage of the Planetarium’s technological update – the installation of a cutting-edge SkyLase laser light-show system with entertainment programs, from Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc. (AVI). The Planetarium’s advanced GeminiStar III system – which includes a Konica Minolta Infinium-L star projector, full-dome video and surround-sound – offers audiences a spectacular, immersive experience.

Suffolk County built the $1-million Planetarium in 1971 as a way to increase visitorship and to produce operating income to supplement the museum’s original $2-million trust fund. The Planetarium enhanced the Museum’s ability to carry out the science-education aspect of its mission and honored William K. Vanderbilt II’s love of science and astronomy – and his use of celestial navigation when he traveled the world’s oceans in the early twentieth century.

Following an extensive $4-million makeover and technological update, the Vanderbilt Planetarium reopened on March 15, 2013, as one of the finest and most advanced in the United States and the largest astronomical facility on Long Island.

Suffolk County provided $3.9-million of the financing for the Planetarium renovation. Private donations totaling $160,000 financed building enhancements: new theater seating; an improved heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system; a lobby facelift and a new gift shop.

Following the reopening, the Planetarium received the most generous gift in the Museum’s history. Charles and Helen Reichert pledged $1.7 million over 20 years to support the Planetarium, its programs and its future. In their honor, the facility was named The Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium.

Lance Reinheimer, executive director, said, “We are especially grateful to the Reichert family, Suffolk County and private donors for their extraordinary support of the Museum, its education programs, and its enduring value to Long Island.”

On June 28, the day before the 1971 public opening, the Vanderbilt held a private event for a select group of 120 business leaders, legislators, friends of the Vanderbilt, and planetarium directors from other cities. Suffolk County Legislator John V.N. Klein, then chairman of the Legislature, called the show “spectacular” in Newsday’s coverage. “I am overwhelmed,” he said, adding that the Planetarium “is a great educational asset to the community.”

In 1987, after welcoming more than 2.2 million visitors, the Vanderbilt refurbished the Planetarium, acoustically redesigned its newly renamed Sky Theatre, and equipped it with the latest audio equipment. The Planetarium classroom received a makeover, too, with the addition of a then-advanced VCR (video cassette recorder) and video laser-disk equipment.

(Photos by Jennifer Vacca)

MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM INFORMATION

Hours – Museum and Mansion
Through June 26: Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 – 5:00. (Planetarium is open Friday and Saturday nights.) Open additional days during school holidays. See website for details. The Museum and Mansion are closed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Hours – Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium
Through June 26: Daytime shows Tuesday at 2:00 and Saturday and Sunday at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00. Evening shows on Friday and Saturday at 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00. (The Planetarium is open on Friday and Saturday nights, but the Mansion, Museum and Estate grounds are closed.) The Planetarium is closed Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Observatory
Year-round viewing of the night sky (weather permitting), Friday only, 9:00-10:00 (free with show ticket; $3.00 without show ticket)

Planetarium Schedule – Summer 2016

Through June 26

Tuesday Afternoons
2:00 – Stars: Powerhouses of the Universe

Friday Nights
8:00- Long Island Skies
9:00 – Black Holes: Journey into the Unknown
10:00 Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon (Laser Show!)

Saturday Nights
8:00 – Night Sky, Live!
9:00 – Stars: Powerhouses of the Universe
10:00 – Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon (Laser Show!)

Saturday & Sunday Afternoons
12:00 – One World, One Sky
1:00 – Earth, Moon, and Sun
2:00 – Laser Magic
3:00 – Night Sky, Live!
4:00 – iPop laser

Museum Admission
General museum admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students with ID and seniors (62 and older), and $3 for children 12 and under. General admission includes estate-grounds access to the Marine Museum, Memorial Wing natural-history and ethnographic-artifact galleries, Nursery Wing, Habitat Room, Egyptian mummy and Stoll Wing animal-habitat dioramas. For a mansion tour, add $5 per ticket. (A video tour of the mansion is available on request.)

Mansion Tours
Guided tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — are available Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00.

Planetarium Admission
During the day, visitors to the Planetarium pay general museum admission ($7 for adults, $6 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $3 for children 12 and under), plus $5 each for a Planetarium show. Since the museum is closed in the evening, no general museum admission is charged — visitors pay only for Planetarium show tickets: $9 for adults, $8 for students with IDs and seniors 62 and older, and $7 for children 12 and under.

Vanderbilt Observatory
Night-sky viewing on Friday (weather permitting), 9:00-10:00 p.m. Observation is free to visitors with a planetarium show ticket, $3.00 for those without a show ticket.

Location and Website
The Vanderbilt Museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, NY. Directions and updated details on programs and events are available at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. For information, call 631-854-5579.

During its regular business meeting on June 15, the Harborfields Central School District Board of Education accepted a check in the amount of $11,525.19 from the Harborfields Alumni and Community Educational Foundation to help fund three grants that will provide enhanced learning opportunities for students in the district.

Photo Caption: Harborfields Alumni and Community Educational Foundation President Eric Gerde and Karin Fey, vice president and summer camp director of HACEF, presented a check in the amount of $11,525.19 to Superintendent of Schools Diana Todaro and Board of Education President Dr. Thomas McDonagh.

HACEF trustees voted to fund the addition of 30 online lab notebooks for the science department at Harborfields High School, a Chromebook Touch for students with disabilities in the PALS program at Washington Drive Primary School and a Delta Drill Press for students to utilize in the Robotics/STEM program at Oldfield Middle School. On behalf of the organization, HACEF President Eric Gerde and Karin Fey, vice president and summer camp director of HACEF, presented a check in the amount totaling the three grants to Superintendent of Schools Diana Todaro and Board of Education President Dr. Thomas McDonagh.

HACEF’s mission is to enhance the educational opportunities for the children in Harborfields community in creative and exciting ways. By offering opportunities to learn a new skill, invest in a natural talent or by offering new and innovative technology, the organization strives to help provide the Harborfields children with various resources so they can best reach their full potential.

Since its inception in 2003, HACEF has funded more than $115,000 in grants and nearly $54,000 in scholarships. In the 2015-16 school year, the organization funded more than $20,000. Other recent grants they have supported include pit orchestra lights at HHS, 32 pedometers for the physical education department at Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School, iPads for ENL students at HHS and a color printer for the special education department at TJL.

All funds raised by HACEF are a direct result of fundraising efforts as well as HACEF’s summer camp program which, for the coming 2016 season, enrolls more than 540 students in the district.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone met recently with the members of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 286, speaking with them about and thanking them for the mural that has been on display in the lobby of Town Hall.

The scouts, who attend Washington Drive Primary School in Centerport, earned their Girl Scout painting badge by painting several pieces, including the 10-foot-by-three-foot mural depicting the community. The mural indicates several locations in the Town, including Town Hall and some of the girls’ favorite businesses.

Supervisor Petrone welcomed the scouts, their leaders and their parents to Town Hall and spoke with them about the process by which they created the mural, which will remain on display until the end of the month.

Second-graders at Washington Drive Primary School in the Harborfields Central School District participated in a series of outdoor activities, while engaged in friendly competition at the school’s annual field day celebration.

The students traveled to Harborfields High School where the fields were transformed into an arena of fun and games for all to enjoy. Divided into team, the students participated in activities including various relay races, tug of war, tag and bocce ball.

Demonstrating respect and sportsmanship toward each other, the students completed their challenges successfully with laughs and smiles on their faces throughout the day.

Photo Caption: Washington Drive Primary School second-graders participated in a series of relay races at the school’s field day celebration.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District

To help encourage and foster a love for reading during the summer months, representatives from the Harborfields Public Library visited the children at Washington Drive Primary School and Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School to share information about the library’s summer reading club. With the theme of this year’s club program inspired by the 2016 Summer Olympics, Harborfields Children Librarian Patricia Moisan brought with her more than 25 books and props that represent the Olympics.

To become an “All Star Reader,” students must read at least 10 books and report the book he or she read at the Children’s Room Olympic Village. For the children that complete this task, he or she will receive a ticket to the Olympic final event and closing ceremony on August 15.

Photo Caption: Washington Drive Primary School kindergarten students with Harborfields Children’s Librarian Patricia Moisan.

Photo courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District