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Yearly Archives: 2019

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'Ensnared' by Jonathan Horn

By Melissa Arnold

For the past three years, The Atelier at Flowerfield has buzzed with activity. Artists of all skill levels come to the St. James art studio to create, learn and connect with others through classes, studio time, social events, art history lectures and exhibits.

As The Atelier has grown, it has also attracted a host of young, talented creatives looking for a place to hone and share their skills. Since 2017, the annual Long Island Young Artists Exhibition has provided a platform to celebrate their accomplishments with the community.

“I believe that when artists are young, they’re uninhibited. The sky is the limit for their creativity, and they don’t filter themselves by what will or won’t sell or how people will respond,” said Director Kevin McEvoy in a recent interview. “They’re willing to experiment, to take risks with their art. It’s incredible to be a part of that,” he said.

McEvoy estimates that 50 to 60 young people spend time at a workshop on a regular basis, many of them students at local schools or recent college graduates. Some of the artists take classes or have studio time five nights a week, while others come by for several hours during the day. The Atelier’s state-of-the-art studio space simulates natural light, allowing nighttime students to create pieces with realistic-looking daylight without interrupting their daytime responsibilities.

This year’s Young Artists Exhibition invited artists ages 11 to 28 to submit works of any medium or theme to be reviewed by a panel of curators including Margaret McEvoy, Gaby Field-Rahman, Dr. Stephen Vlay and Barbara Beltrami.

In total, 46 applicants submitted 130 different pieces for judging. The completed exhibit includes 47 pieces from 33 artists, mostly from Suffolk and Nassau counties.

Aside from age, there were no specific requirements to enter a piece for consideration. McEvoy said he wanted to welcome young artists of all kinds to explore themes and mediums that appeal to them the most.

One of this year’s exhibitors, Ariel Meltzer, 16, has always been fascinated with drawing people. “I’ve always found art to be very calming, and even when I was young I loved drawing faces and people in general,” said the artist, who lives in Stony Brook. “There’s so much diversity in the human figure, but there are so many similarities at the same time.”

Meltzer discovered The Atelier a few summers ago after her mother encouraged her to find something fun to do. She said she was interested in continuing to develop the art skills she’d gained during the school year at The Stony Brook School, and the St. James studio was a perfect fit.

“You get to know so many different people that each have their own perspective on art,” Meltzer said. “I love the connections that I’ve been able to make through The Atelier. Everyone is welcoming and supportive — it’s a great atmosphere to learn in.”

Whether she’s attending morning classes in the summer or night classes during the school year, Meltzer always has a new project to work on. She’s worked with charcoal, oil, acrylics and more, but at home she tends to return to her old standby, graphite pencil.

Her submission to this year’s exhibit, “Grace,” is a drawing of a classmate she completed for a school assignment. Meltzer said she wanted to make the girl’s hair and face appear softer to match her name, Grace.

“I’m proud of the work that I send in no matter what, so I don’t worry too much about whether or not it gets chosen. But it’s still really exciting to be a part of the exhibit. This is my second year being included,” Meltzer said.

Jonathan Horn, 27, is on the upper end of the young adult group, but that doesn’t stop him from creating whimsical, unique and fun works of art.

The East Setauket resident has been artistic his entire life, starting to draw with markers at just 2 years old. These days, he’s primarily a painter, but his tools are one of a kind. Horn studied studio art and anthropology at Stony Brook University, and in the process developed a deep curiosity for the tools used in ancient civilizations.

“I started to wonder what it would be like to make and use these tools to paint with,” Horn said. “So I did. And I found that they work just as well as anything you’d buy commercially today.” His yucca leaf and palm brushes are used with paints Horn has made himself using a special clay. 

While Horn enjoys painting using classic techniques and subjects, his real passion is fantasy. “I grew up watching a lot of cartoons and playing video games, so the work I do tends in the direction of fantasy,” he explained. 

Horn’s two works in the exhibit include a clay-based gouache painting of flowers done on watercolor paper and a vivid gouache painting on gypsum board of a fish being attacked by a squid and eel. 

“This is the first recent exhibit I’ve submitted work for, so I was pretty nervous and relieved to be chosen,” he said. “The Atelier is a fantastic place to learn, whether you’re an experienced artist looking to hone your skills or a beginner looking to dip your toes in the water for the first time.”

The Long Island Young Artists Exhibition is currently on view at The Atelier at Flowerfield’s Atelier Hall Gallery, located at 2 Flowerfield, Suite 15, St. James through Nov. 21. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and admission is free. For more information, call 631-250-9009 or visit www.atelierflowerfield.org.

Image courtesy of The Atelier at Flowerfield

 

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Jessica Schleider. Photo from SBU

By Daniel Dunaief

Many teenagers who are struggling with depression need help. According to several estimates, less than half of teens with depression receive treatment that would help them manage through everything from negative feelings toward themselves and their lives to a lack of control over events during the day.

Jessica Schleider, an assistant professor of clinical psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University, wants to offer teenagers battling depression a new kind of assistance.

Jessica Schleider on a hike with her dog Penny. Photo by David Payne

Schleider is seeking participants for a new study, called Project Track to Treat, that offers teenagers from 11 to 16 years old symptom-tailored treatment. After participating teens respond to surveys she sends them on smartphones, she will provide single-session, computer-based interventions that address symptoms such as hopelessness or withdrawal from daily activities.

Schleider recently received a five-year, $2 million Early Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health to test the benefits of these half-hour computer sessions.

The funds will go toward study staff, the cost of recruiting youths and families for the study, equipment, statistical packages for the analyses she plans to run and compensation for the families who take part.

“A vast majority of teenagers who experience depression never access treatment,” Schleider said, potentially because teens are not typically in a position where they can seek out treatment on their own. “Between the lack of access to services and the limited potency of services, there needs to be a broader array of options and layers we can provide.”

In the world of clinical psychology, three to four months is generally considered brief treatment. A single computer-based session that a teenager can access at any time offers support during a much shorter time frame.

The idea behind the briefer, more targeted intervention is that it could offer help. The goal of the session is to create positive momentum, to teach teens useful skills for coping with depression-related difficulties, and to offer it in a setting where modern teenagers spend much of their time, online, Schleider suggested.

Jessica Shleider with husband David Payne and their dog Penny.
Photo from Jessica Schleider

“For young people who would never go to a therapist, the question may be whether there is something else that could help, and [Schleider’s] work may offer one such ‘something else,’” John Weisz, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, wrote in an email. It’s also possible, explained Weisz, who has known Schleider since 2013 when she worked in his lab, that a single session might encourage teenagers to believe that other types of therapy can also help if they try.

Part of the motivation for this study is to determine if the nature of the symptoms — which she will explore through survey questions — can inform how teenagers will respond to a single, therapeutic session.

Schleider created these programs from available research in psychology and education. She adapted some of those programs to these specific circumstances and she taught herself rudimentary coding with html. She currently has three programs available on her website, which interested parents and teenagers can explore at www.schleiderlab.org/participate.

The teenagers participating in the study will receive questions a few times a day for three weeks about how they are feeling, checking to see any signs of depression. From those interactions, Schleider will be able to determine which symptom is the most central and which might lead to other symptoms over time. She hopes to take parameters from that to see if those symptoms predict how much a participant will respond to a session.

Schleider will also measure how teenagers respond to training through the study. If their emotional state deteriorates, the researchers can intervene and can monitor the level of risk and refer any cases appropriately. “Our top priority as researchers is to make sure the kids are taken care of,” she said.

She was skeptical before she started working on brief sessions. “I was on the side of, of course you can’t do anything in one session,” Schleider said. “I thought you need several sessions to make a sustained change.”

In looking at the available research, however, she discovered that through 50 randomized control trials in 2017, the magnitude of the effect of the trials was between small to medium range, which matched the effect of sessions ranging from an hour to 16 sessions for other teenagers. After her study, she realized that “there is something to this. We need to do more work to find out what to do and how to harness it for our youth.”

Through monitoring over two years, Schleider hopes to gain a better awareness of who will benefit from this session and under what time frame they might see an improvement.

She hopes teenagers can share their thoughts and ideas for how to improve these programs. She also offers some of these teenagers to help reconstruct the content and language and references.

Teenagers who don’t participate in the Track to Treat study can participate in an anonymous Project Yes effort, which is a program evaluation initiative. These participants can offer feedback on these sessions.

For a subset of teenagers, one session likely won’t be sufficient. 

Weisz suggested that Schleider, who joined Stony Brook last year, is a “terrific addition” to the university and the community. “I believe her work will reflect very well on both.” Weisz added that Schleider’s colleagues in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook “are among the finest psychological scientists in the nation,” where Schleider can “take her work to a very high level.”

Schleider, who joined Stony Brook last year, lives in Coram with her husband, David Payne, who is a medical resident in radiology at Stony Brook Hospital. 

As for her work, Schleider said she recognizes that there is no panacea, but that this approach is “something when the alternative is nothing.”

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Port Jeff currently looking at more than 10 zombie homes

The Town of Brookhaven and Port Jefferson village have launched numerous intermincipal agreements over the past year. File Photos

A new intermunicipal agreement between the village and town could mean more zombie homes in Port Jeff may have a larger target on their heads. 

The boarded-up house at 49 Sheep Pasture Road. Photo by Kyle Barr

At its Oct. 3 meeting, the Brookhaven Town board voted unanimously to enter into an intermunicipal agreement to let town workers assist, if requested, with demolition projects and then dispose of the waste at the town’s landfill in Brookhaven hamlet.

Under the agreement, Port Jefferson would pay the expenses of inspecting the property, demolition and carting away the debris.

In previous meetings, the village identified little more than 10 zombie homes in the village boundaries. These colloquially named “zombie homes” are derelict houses that have slowly started to degrade where the owner is absent. The village’s Zombie Task Force, run by the constabulary, goes weekly to these houses to check in, looking to see if there are vagrants or squatters at the premises and checking for other illicit activity.

Mayor Margot Garant said this will mean shearing costs for the village.

“Tremendous savings for us, because we can just call it in and schedule it, instead of going out to bid and doing everything like that,” she said. “If it works out, it will be great.” 

Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said the agreement will mean the town’s engineers that usually inspect these derelict houses, Hauppauge-based Cashin Spinelli & Ferretti, will inspect homes in Port Jefferson upon request and report to the village. Then, depending on the decision by the board after a public hearing, a vote to demolish will mean either Brookhaven employees will demolish the home, or a private company will be contracted in the case where asbestos is on the premises. The area will be cleared, and debris taken to the town landfill. The village will then have to put a lien on the property for any unpaid taxes and for the cost of demolition.

Costs range on average from $25,000 to $40,000, depending on the size and type of home being demolished, according to the supervisor.

“It helps reduce the overall cost of government.”

— Ed Romaine

Romaine said this is just one deal in a long line of 35 intermunicipal agreements between the Brookhaven and smaller municipalities such as Port Jefferson Village for close to a year. The town has made these deals as part of a $20M Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency grant from New York State. Other agreements have included plowing snow in the Village of Shoreham and completing road repairs in the Village of Patchogue.

“We have contracts and things of that nature that they can benefit from, and we’re happy to help with that,” he said. “It helps reduce the overall cost of government.”

Recently the village announced it would be working on two zombie homes, one on Sheep Pasture Road and another at Nadia Court. The former was soon found to be a nearly 300-year-old historic structure, and the village has promised not to touch the property while local historians and New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) work to find ways to preserve it, though the difficulty comes from the owner, Jericho-based Tab Suffolk Acquisitions, not responding to any calls or having a set location. 

While the village has not made any move on the property, other than to continue to board it up and monitor for vagrancy, Garant said the village is not willing to pick up the tab for any restoration, citing the costs associated with fixing up the Drowned Meadow House.

“Until you find a full-time [caretaker] for [the house], it’s going to be a big challenge,” she said. 

This is just one in a line of intermunicipal agreements between the village and town. Earlier this year the town and village announced a new intermunicipal agreement to consolidate property tax collections. The village has also worked out an agreement over salt and sand between the two municipalities.

The article that appeared in the Oct. 24 edition of the Port Times Record inaccurately reported the number of zombie homes in Port Jeff. We regret the error.

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Shoreham-Wading River senior Co-Captain Sara Hobbes pushes up the sideline at home against John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Senior Co-Captain Sara Hobbes throws in for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Senior Co-Captain Sara Hobbes with the header for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn. Bill Landon photo
Senior Maura Ginley with a clearing shot up-field for the Wildcats in a home game against John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Senior defender Maura Ginley passes inside for Shoreham-Wading River in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River freshman Madison Bergen battles mid-field in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River freshman Madison Bergen settles the ball in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Sophomore Co-Captain Maddie Joannou takes flight for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River junior Lydia Radonavitch #26 battles mid-field in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Lydia Radonavitch re-directs in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Junior Co-Captain Lakin Ciampo looks to pass for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn Oct. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River freshman defender Jessica Nastasi pushes up-field in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Senior Co-Captain Gianna Cacciola settles the ball for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Senior Gianna Cacciola drives mid-field for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Senior Co-Captain Gianna Cacciola re-directs for the Wildcats at home against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior mid-fielder Elizabeth Shields out maneuvers a defender at home against John Glenn. The SWR Wildcats would win their first title crown last year, but won't have another chance to play until January, 2021. File photo by Bill Landon
Wildcats celebrate after a goal in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Wildcats celebrate after a goal in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Brooke Langella heads the ball for the Wildcats in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn. Bill Landon photo
Ashley Borriello on the move for the Wildcats in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Ashley Borriello settles the ball for the Wildcats in a home game against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Striker Ashley Borriello passes up-field for the Wildcats in a home game against John Glenn Oct. 24. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Ashley Borriello pushes up field in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior goalie Alison Devall (pink headband) on a Glenn corner kick Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior goalie Alison Devall with a save in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo
Shoreham-Wading River senior goalie Alison Devall clears the ball in a Div. II matchup against visiting John Glenn Oct. 24. Bill Landon photo

Goals are hard to come by in soccer, and one was all it took for Shoreham-Wading River when 9thgrader Graceann Leonard crossed to junior Ashley Borriello who buried her shot minutes into the second half. John Glenn was unable to answer and the Wildcats won 1-0 Oct. 24 as they conclude their regular season at 11-1-2, one game behind Div. II leader Hills West.

The win bodes well for the Wildcats as they’ll play the opening round of the playoffs at home Oct. 29. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

This post was amended Oct. 28 to reflect new start times for the first playoff game for the wildcats.

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After 50 years of trials and tribulations, the Commack School District is forging ahead with a plan to use the Marion Carll Farm on Commack Road for educational purposes, but some activists are not happy with the decision. 

Since July, the district has been renting its barns to Long Island University. The site is expected to become the region’s first veterinarian school of medicine by September 2020.

“We expect animals to be on the site by February,” said Superintendent Donald James.

But, Cynthia Clark, a concerned citizen, who formed the Marion Carll Preserve Inc. said she has asked the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau to intervene. Her goal, she said, is to acquire, restore and sustainably run the site in perpetuity according to benefactor Marion Carll’s wishes. 

“For 50 years, the district has squandered this gift,” Clark said. “It’s a crime! A cultural and ethical crime.” 

Clark said that she has commitments with Harbor Harvest to buy organic produce grown on the 9-acre site and can secure grants to restore all buildings. But the district unanimously chose the LIU proposal over her application earlier this year. 

LIU’s proposal, according to an LIU spokesperson, met both the wishes of Marion Carll’s Last Will and Testament along with the Commack School District’s standards for financial viability. The district stated the plan will include providing valuable educational programs to the children of the district. James said that the district expects to implement a shadowing program that will provide an opportunity for students to look at career options that they might not otherwise consider. Animals on the premises will include cows, goats and chickens. The district also expects to offer lessons on beekeeping to the students. 

The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has not been adequately maintained.  Carll’s will, granting the property to the district, stipulates maintaining the buildings as historical museums for educational purposes. Clark sounded the alarm this past summer, she said, when the property was being cleared without appropriate permits and as work commenced to replace the barn’s roof. The state Department of Education has since issued a stop work order.

The home on the Marion Carll Farm in its current condition.

In an interview on the Marion Carll Farm, James said that he expects to have all needed permits before the year’s end. LIU’s rent of $15,000, he said, will fund the stabilization of the house and barn and be used to properly catalog and preserve the contents of the building. After that, the district said it will remove the antiques within the farmhouse while restoration occurs.  

The house is not part of the lease with LIU, but the district is counting on the rental income to finance repairs. LIU, James said, has already spent $700,000 repairing the historical red barn and replacing its roof and clearing dead trees and overgrowth. The university will also cover expenses related to installing historically correct fencing, complete repairs to the barn and other buildings and lend labor to restore the historic home. Over the next 10 years, LIU is committed to spend $175,000, James said, and the district is committed to spend $350,000, which is the savings associated with LIU maintaining the entire property. 

Clark, who is a preservation specialist for leather clothing and furniture, estimates that the restoration project will cost $2.5 million plus another $1.5 million to restore the furnishings in the house. The preserve, she said, applied for nonprofit 501(c)(3) status last year, but the application is still pending. She said that she’s already spent thousands of her own money on the project, but expects to be able to secure the funds she needs through grants and said in a telephone interview that she is aligned with a successful grant writer with a “100 percent track record.” She could not provide the name. 

Clark’s plan was one of several options that the district considered earlier this year. The district ultimately chose the Long Island University lease, largely because of its long-term economic viability.  

Long Island University’s College of Veterinary Medicine spokesperson Mary  Studdert stated in an email that it has received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education (AVMA-COE) enabling LIU to immediately begin accepting applications for the fall 2020 semester. At full enrollment, the veterinary school will serve 400 students, with 100 in each graduating class and will be the first College of Veterinary Medicine in the New York Metropolitan area.

The conflict with Clark arises just years after the district was sued by the Carll heirs to revert ownership back to the Carll heirs because of the district’s failure to fulfill the will’s obligations. The district ultimately won the 2012 case in summary judgment on statute of limitation grounds, stating that the heirs were 12 years too late. Restrictions on the district’s obligations were lifted to clear title, according to board member Jarret Behar. James said that the district could now legally sell the site, if it wanted to, but said the board is committed to its preservation and use as a historical museum with educational purposes. 

The house, according to the district, is structurally sound, but part of the building is still taking on rain. The main structure is covered with a rubber membrane to control leaks, but James said in an email that more leaks formed in different places and need to be fixed. The stop work order, he said, is now yet another hurdle that interferes with the district’s efforts to properly maintain the site.

One of many structures on the 9-acre Marion Carll Farm.

Clark said that she can reveal no details about her conversations with the attorney general’s office but said that she is hopeful. 

The Carll family was one of Huntington’s earliest settlers and Marion Carll was Commack’s first teacher. She died in 1968 and willed the site to the district. The site was occupied by a Carll family member until 1993, as stipulated in the will. The district leased part of the site to BOCES from 1990 to 2000 and sought to sell the farm to developers for $750,000 in 2010, but the public referendum failed. 

Over the years, different school boards have had different ideas on how to use the property. James, who grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, said that the board is committed to doing what’s best for the district. 

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Dr. Philip Schrank, a Three Village district physician and chief medical officer for concussion management, spoke at the most recent board of education meeting about starting school later in the morning. Photo by Andrea Paldy

By Andrea Paldy

The recent Three Village school board meeting included a presentation of the district’s report card and the continued discussion of school start time, a topic initiated by a parent group.

Utilizing statistics from the 2019 state standardized tests, Regents exams and Ward Melville’s graduating class, Kevin Scanlon, assistant superintendent for educational services, was able to give the board a detailed snapshot of the district.

Enrollment continued to decline in 2018-19, dropping from 6,131 in the previous year to 5,812. However, Scanlon said, with prekindergarten enrollment, numbers stabilized this fall.

Three Village students excelled on the Regents exams with pass rates between 91  and 95 percent on English and social studies exams, and with 67 to 84 percent of students receiving mastery level scores in the various humanities. Math results included a 92 percent pass rate for algebra, 95 percent pass rate for geometry and 99 percent pass rate for algebra 2. Between 46 and 50 percent of students received scores of mastery, Scanlon reported.

The district’s students led the state in scores for physics and chemistry with 94 and 96 percent pass rates, respectively, he said. Ninety-three percent of students passed the earth science exam and 94 percent passed the living environment Regents. Mastery scores ranged from 46 to 68 percent.

Of the 544 students in last spring’s graduating class, 311 were Advanced Placement scholars, the largest number in 20 years, the assistant superintendent said. Additionally, the senior class, which had 100 fewer students than the previous year, had a 97 percent graduation rate and 95 percent college acceptance rate for both four-year and two-year colleges.

The New York State assessments for students in grades 3 through 8 showed that the district’s opt-out rate dropped from 65 to 64 percent for the English Language Arts tests and from 67 to 65 percent for math.

Scanlon said that Three Village student rates of passing far exceeded those of Nassau, Suffolk and New York State for each grade in the subjects tested. District students outperformed students in nearby districts — Commack, Half Hollow Hills, Harborfields, Hauppauge, Northport, Port Jefferson and Smithtown— on the ELA and ranked first in all grades except for grades 3 and 4, where they ranked second.

The math scores followed a similar pattern in which district students ranked first in all grades, except for third grade, where they ranked second, and eighth grade, where they ranked fifth. Scanlon said the latter was because a majority of the district’s eighth-graders take the algebra Regents exam instead of the math assessment.

As a final metric, the district’s independent auditor, Thomas Smith of the EFPR Group, said that the school district is “way below the debt limit set by the state” and is “very financially healthy.”

It’s about time

With passage of a California law prohibiting public high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. and middle schools before 8 a.m., Three Village parents thanked the district’s administrators for taking time to consider their request but continued to lobby for similar change.

Joining the ranks of speakers on behalf of later school start times were Dr. Philip Schrank, a Three Village district physician and chief medical officer for concussion management, and David McKinnon, a professor of neurobiology at Stony Brook University. Both gave biological reasons for the need for change.

“Eight years ago, I stood in front of this tremendous board, and you guys had the courage and the vision to be the first district in Suffolk County to implement a concussion management program,” Schrank said. “You made our kids safer and healthier. I would ask you to have the same courage and vision to be leaders on this issue, which dramatically affects all of the kids in this district.”

Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich, who met with the leaders of Its About Time: Three Village Parents for a Later School Start Time to discuss the issue, said the district is exploring the impacts and costs of a time shift. The findings will be presented to the board in December.

Dignity for All Students Act

Triggered by an incident at Arrowhead Elementary School, three parents attended last week’s meeting to discuss the Dignity for All Students Act, also known as DASA, particularly pertaining to early grades.

Heather Cohen, Shari Glazer and Cindy Morris asked that elementary school principals and teachers have age-appropriate resources for students and their families. They also want a protocol for DASA forms for students or parents to complete to allow “hate crimes” to be tracked and monitored over time. The parents also requested that when an incident occurred at school that all parents be notified.

During an interview, Pedisich said there’s “a definite protocol for DASA” and the handling of complaints. Additionally, she said, each school has DASA coordinators — the principal and a social worker — and district procedures are outlined on its website.

The superintendent said that though the specific case had been closed at the school level, it had now been reopened at the district level because of additional concerns brought to the administration.

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Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine with Pam Green, executive director of Kent Animal Shelter and her dog, Frodo. Photo courtesy of Kent Animal Shelter

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) awarded a proclamation to Kent Animal Shelter on Oct. 15 citing its 50 years of dedicated work for the betterment of animal welfare. 

Long recognized for being a small shelter doing monumental work, the Kent Animal Shelter has operated since its incorporation in 1969 as an organization dedicated to helping homeless animals. Since its beginning in its humble space along the scenic Peconic River in Calverton, the shelter has given refuge to over 35,000 homeless animals. 

A humane bedrock in East End communities, it gradually extended its reach throughout Long Island and the tri-state area and now rescues and rehabilitates abandoned, abused and homeless animals throughout the U.S. and neighboring countries especially during crisis situations. 

Programs include rescue, adoption, low-cost spay/neuter and humane education. To date, over 50,000 animals have been spayed or neutered to help control animal overpopulation. Over the years, plans to expand the shelter have been blocked by town and government regulatory agencies due to zoning and restrictions within the Pine Barrens. 

“Our efforts will not be thwarted, and the shelter fully intends to rebuild its facility on its current footprint. We are grateful to Ed Romaine and the Town of Brookhaven for recognizing and always supporting the vital efforts of the shelter to make a difference in the lives of companion animals,” said Pam Green, executive director at Kent. 

Kent Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) organization, no-kill that operates solely on the generosity of individuals and foundations. For more information, call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.

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The Northport Chamber of Commerce hosts a day of fun at Northport Village Park on Nov. 3 (rescheduled from Oct. 27) featuring hayrides, music, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, costume contest and refreshments. File photo by Victoria Espinoza

Dear Readers,

Happy Halloween! We’ve rounded up some of the best Halloween events on the North Shore for families with young children. From a Halloween Festival at the picturesque Stony Brook Village Center, to a spooktacular costume parade down Lake Avenue in St. James, to trick-or-treating inside the Smith Haven Mall and a variety of trunk-or-treats, there are plenty of choices this season.

Haunted Garden

Sachem Public Library, 150 Holbrook Road, Holbrook presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Oct. 25 to 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The legend lives on as the Headless Horseman rises each night in the library’s Haunted Garden! Come for a scare and a snack and hold onto your head! Weather permitting. Free. Call 588-5024.

Family Fun Day

The Long Island Museum, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook hosts a Family Fun Day on Oct. 27 from noon to 4 p.m. Come in costume and enjoy pumpkin painting, trick or treating, crafts and a special family performance by the magic of Amore. Free. Call 751-0066.

Halloween Festival

Heritage Trust invites the community to its annual Halloween Festival at the Heritage Center, 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road, Mount Sinai on Oct. 26. The event will run in two sessions, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Have fun with pumpkin picking and decorating, unlimited game playing, fun raffles, prizes and much more. Registration is $10 and required for all participants (no walk-ins, parents and guardians are not required to register). Each registrant will receive a snack and beverage along with a goodie bag and pumpkin to decorate and take home. Don’t forget to wear your costumes! Call 509-0882 or visit www.msheritagetrust.org.

Haunted Hatchery

Calling all ghosts and goblins! Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor invites the community to join them for a not so scary Haunted Hatchery on Oct. 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. Receive a treat as you trick or treat. Wear a costume and have fun! Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors and children ages 3 to 12. Call 516-692-6768.

Boo Bash Family Fun Day

Smith Haven Mall, Moriches Road, Lake Grove will host a Boo Bash Family Fun Day in Center Court on Oct. 26 from noon to 3 p.m. Come in costume and enjoy an afternoon filled with crafts, activities, goodies, giveaways,  spooktacular fun and surprises with Vampirina. Call 724-8066.

Halloween Festival at SCCC

Join Suffolk County Community College, 533 College Road, Selden for its 33rs annual Halloween Festival on Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Babylon Student Center. Enjoy entertainment, carnival booths, crafts and lots more. Free. Call 451-4376.

Halloween at Wardenclyffe

New! Join the Tesla Center at Wardenclyffe, Shoreham for a supercharged Halloween celebration on Oct. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. Featuring the wonders of Nikola Tesla, the master of technology and wizard of electricity. Enjoy a Monster Mash robotics competition, a Halloween Tech Parade, storytelling, activities, entertainment, food, vendors and more. Tickets are $15 adults, $13 seniors/students, $5 ages 5 to 12, free for ages 4 and under. To purchase, visit https://teslasciencecenter.org.

Haunted Wail-ing Booseum

The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor hosts its biggest event, Haunted Wail-ing Booseum, on Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with spooky (and not so scary) games, creepy crafts and lots of fun activities. See live critters in Dr. Gellerman’s Spooky Zoo and make your way through the mysterious museum maze! Admission is $15 child, $6 adults. Call 367-3418.

Halloween Hayride

he Northport Chamber of Commerce hosts a day of fun at Northport Village Park, 1 Bayview Ave., Northport on Nov. 3 (rescheduled from Oct. 27) from noon to 4 p.m. featuring hayrides, music, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, costume contest and refreshments. Call 754-3905 or visit www.northportny.com.  

Port Jeff Village Harvest Fest

Port Jefferson Village presents its 10th annual Harvest Fest throughout the village on Oct. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. Attractions will include a Chowder Crawl, costumed dog parade, Scarecrow Alley, marshmallow roasting, haunted walking tour, farmers market, festive harvest crafts, live music and woodcarving.Call 473-4724 or visit www.portjeff.com.

Spooktacular Parade

The Community Association of Greater St. James will present a Spooktacular Parade on Oct. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. Little ghosts and goblins should gather at Lake and Woodlawn avenues in St. James by noon for a contest, prizes and fun!

Trick or Treat at the Heckscher

The Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington offers free museum admission for children in costume and their families from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Make an art activity at the Create Your Own Activity Station, pose with spooktacular props at the Selfie Station, make a magical digital action painting and explore the museum’s exhibits. Call 351-3250.

Safe Trick-or-Treating

Join the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove for a spooktacular, safe trick-or-treating environment for all of your little ghouls and goblins on Halloween Day, Oct. 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at participating retailers. **Participating stores will have an orange pumpkin displayed in their window. Call 724-8066.

Halloween Festival

The Ward Melville Heritage Organization hosts its annual Halloween Festival at the Stony Brook Village Center, 111 Main St., Stony Brook on Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. Trick or treat in the shops and restaurants, take part in a costume parade, and enjoy games galore. Free. Call 751-2244.

Halloween Costume Parade

The Town of Huntington will present its annual children’s Halloween Costume Parade starting at Gerard Street in Huntington Village on Oct. 31 from 4 to 5 p.m. Children of all ages (and their parents or guardians) are welcome to dress in costume and walk in the parade. Parade route will move east down Gerard Street and south down Wall Street, ending where Wall Street meets Main Street. Village merchants will pass out candy to trick or treater’s. For info, call 351-3112.

Trunk-or-Treat events

Kids Clubhouse of Suffolk at Cornerstone Bible Church, 324 Jayne Blvd., Port Jefferson Station invites you to wear your costume and join them as they go from trunk to trunk for a fun, safe, family event on Oct. 31 from 3 to 5 p.m. Enjoy music, games and peanut-free treats. Call 675-1615.

Lake Ronkonkoma United Methodist Church, 792 Hawkins Ave., Lake Grove welcomes all families to celebrate Halloween at its 3rd annual Trunk-or-Treat on Oct. 26 from noon to 2 p.m. Children will trick or treat for candy and other goodies in the church’s parking lot where cars will be decorated with festive themes. Complimentary refreshments will be served. Call 588-5856.

Join the Commack United Methodist Church, 486 Townline Road, Commack for a Trunk-N-Treat event on Oct. 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. Rain date is Oct. 27. Questions? Call 499-7310.

Three Village Church, 322 Route 25A in East Setauket, hosts a Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. with trick or treating at decorated car trunks, a bounce house, crafts, games and more! Call 941-3670.

*All number in 631 area code unless noted.

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The Staller Center for the Arts presents Ensemble Español in Flamenco Passion for Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 26. Photo by Dean Paul

A MOSAIC OF WORLD CULTURES

Come see Spanish culture come alive at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. with Ensemble Español, the premier Spanish dance company in the United States. With 40 dancers, singers and musicians, Ensemble Español fills Staller Center’s Main Stage with a magnificent mosaic of world cultures – Latin, North and South America, Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Tickets are $48. To order, call 632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.

 Photo by Dean Paul

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