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Jennifer Donatelli

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Mount Sinai High School. File photo

By Jennifer Donatelli

Mount Sinai Board of Education held its first meeting of the new school year Wednesday, Sept. 18. Superintendent Christine Criscione began the public session by announcing the arts scholars, updating and aligning the district’s activities for the Dignity for All Students Act and its obligations for the schools, as well as introducing the first student member on the board. The BOE approved the first draft of the Student Harassment and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy Handbook, which will be distributed this year. 

This year, the Long Island Scholar-Artist Award presented by the Long Island Arts Alliance was given to Mackenzie Kling for her theater performance. Matthew Manzo, Carrie Wang and Erika Lo received all-state honors and are among an elite group of musicians who received a score of 100 on NYSSMA. In addition, Orlando DiDesidero, along with Kling and Manzo were also named to the All-County Vocal Jazz Ensemble All-State Honors and will participate in November alongside 15 other students who were also nominated. Newsday will feature each scholar in its “monthly profiles” section. The students will also be eligible for early scholarship consideration by Long Island Arts Alliance higher education partners. 

Christina Romeo, high school assistant principal, updated everyone about the benefits of DASA in the district and explained how it creates a learning environment free of discrimination and harassment for all students. She went on to explain that it also mandates the reporting of all incidents of harassment, bullying, cyberbullying and discrimination based on a person’s race, color, weight, nationality, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. 

The district is currently developing guidelines for school training programs to discourage discrimination and harassment, raise awareness and sensitivity to potential issues related to those topics, and enable employees to prevent and respond to incidents of discrimination and harassment. 

Romeo also mentioned that individual schools within each district are responsible for designating and training one staff member as the dignity act coordinator who is trained to address incidents of harassment, bullying and discrimination. The district must also provide training for all employees to increase awareness and sensitivity to the existence and effects of harassment, bullying and discrimination and develop a school strategy to prevent it. Romeo said, “We need a consistent practice across all three buildings and we need to come together as a district to make the policy work.”  

The newest board member, Mount Sinai High School junior Audrey Han, represents all students within the district. She spoke about Spirit Week as well as the Homecoming Dance and football game against Miller Place. The school is rolling out a program called Mustang Manners, which is a character education system that encourages students, teachers and staff to live by certain values of respect, accountability and behavior in a fun way. 

The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 16.

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The Sheryl Steinberg Collins Playground at Heckscher Park. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli

By Jennifer Donatelli

Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth (R) had the official ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 9 for the Sheryl Steinberg Collins Playground at Heckscher Park. The new playground is a completely redesigned, state-of-the-art, all-inclusive playground. It is the most utilized in over 150 of the town’s park system, welcoming 1,000 visitors a week.

Over the past three years, the town committed tens of millions of dollars in upgrading its parks, including over $2 million for the Heckscher Park playground improvements. It is said to be the first of its kind on Long Island and features an inclusive, continuous play environment for children of all ages and abilities.

“It is with great joy that we open this updated playground for all children to participate together regardless of their challenges in life. With the assistance of our Supervisor Ed Smyth, Deputy Supervisor John McCarron, Parks Director Todd Jamison and all other department heads, we continue to achieve a world more filling for everyone, including the disabled,” said president of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities, Marianne Iannaccone.

The playground was designed and manufactured by Landscape Structures, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of commercial playground equipment. The company creates innovative playground equipment for schools, parks, childcare centers, religious institutions and more to help develop healthier kids, families and communities. Their mission is to enhance children’s lives by fostering and creating inspiring play experiences while honoring the environment. Landscape Structures shared the town’s vision and commitment to providing inclusive playgrounds that welcome children and families of all abilities.

 The inclusive play environment’s continuous play mission brings more play value to a smaller space, more social interactions and further children’s skill development.

 According to Jeff Charles, spokesperson for Landscape Structures, “For decades, our company has paid attention not only to how children play together, but who can play together. The playground is a place where kids of all abilities should be able to interact and play side by side.”

Another critical area of the playground was the installation of a quality safety play surface. Unity Surfacing in Hicksville created rectangle play tiles replacing the ailing pour-in-place that once surfaced the playground. The play tiles sit flush with Heckscher’s expanded stamped concrete walkways that now wind through the playground and the surrounding area. This flush reveal allows all the playground areas to be entirely Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, thus allowing wheelchair access anywhere along the playground’s perimeters.

“Over the past two years, my team has been chipping away at restoring many of the over 50 active and 90 passive parks throughout the town. This year, we have several parks that we are breathing new life into — many of which are long overdue, including Al Walker Memorial Park, Crab Meadow Beach Playground, Whitman Park and Otsego Park, with more to come,” said Smyth.

“But, the key project was to overhaul the town’s crown jewel — Heckscher Park. We unveiled an amazing, all-inclusive, continuous play playground, safety surface, walkways, arches and signage,” he added.

Smyth called it “a wonderful outcome for the entire town to enjoy. If you take a minute to check it out, you’ll agree, we succeeded.”

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By Jennifer Donatelli

Harborfields Board of Education convened on Wednesday, Aug. 21, to prepare for the new school year.

Rory Manning

Superintendent Rory Manning opened with an executive session, covering ongoing projects and future goals for the district.

This summer, improvements included redone walkways around Harborfields High School, enhanced drainage, interior painting and a refurbished elevator at Oldfield Middle School.

One major goal for the upcoming year is the implementation of the Excellence Through Innovation program. The district is working on a five-year strategic plan to shift toward experiential learning and support the social-emotional wellness of all students and community members. 

In line with the mission of “Each Child. Each Day. One Harborfields Family,” the district is investing in curriculum enhancements. This includes technology science research, robotics, coding in all schools, a new elementary math program and civic awareness, with a focus on program sustainability. Manning said, “I truly feel blessed to work with a board committed to the vision and mission of the district, and you’ll see that reflected in the board goals.”

Manning noted that the district is in its third year of the program, and is featuring a new universal screener, a revised K-2 science program, project-based learning initiative and AP seminars. Additionally, the district hopes to bolster career awareness through summer internship options, and offer expanded club and athletic opportunities.

A key goal this year is to develop and distribute an anti-bias curriculum handbook and establish an anti-bias advisory committee. The district will set new goals to explore and identify K-12 programming that encourages students to apply critical thinking, reading and writing skills to interdisciplinary research projects, supporting their success in high school and beyond. The current STEAM programming — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — will be analyzed to ensure it meets student needs.

In addition, the new 2024 Capital Bond will fund security and facility enhancements. As well, the district will assess the costs associated with the Child Victims Act for future programming. The aim is to increase state aid and grant funding to support these improvements.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18.

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Winners of the sea glass creative writing contest. Photo courtesy the Whaling Museum and Education Center
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli

By Jennifer Donatelli

One of the great things about living on an island is the never-ending access to seashells, driftwood and sea glass.

To showcase authentic sea glass and delve deeper into the history and origin surrounding the beauty of beach glass, The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor held its annual Sea Glass Festival Sunday, July 21.

The event is the only one of its kind in the region and is the museum’s largest community event, welcoming over 1,100 attendees this year.

This popular family-friendly event celebrates the history, artistry and allure of sea glass, with talks by authentic sea glass experts, live music, vendors, kids crafts and food trucks.

“We are thrilled to bring Long Island’s exclusive Sea Glass Festival to our community for the third year in a row,” said Nomi Dayan, executive director of the Whaling Museum.

“Sea glass, along with the historic glass bottles in our collection, are unique portals into Long Island’s stories. The festival gives both children and adults the opportunity to appreciate and learn about the glass gems created by the ocean that surrounds us,” Dayan said.

Howard Crawford, president of the Long Island Antique Bottle Association, was there displaying his sea bottle collection and giving bottle appraisals on the spot. He said his dad used to take him dumpster diving when he was a kid.

“One day we found some glass and I began digging for bottles. I found beverage bottles in Cold Spring Harbor with an anchor on it and that was it for me. I was hooked,” Crawford said.

Dayan said that the “staff curated an exciting lineup of both returning and new presenters, who will provide valuable insights and inspiration to our attendees.”

“Our presenters’ expertise and passion for sea glass and beachcombing will help educate the public on topics such as identifying sea glass, the history of local sea glass and the creative applications of sea glass,” she added. 

In addition to the indoor talks and lectures, attendees also had the chance to participate in a sea glass scavenger hunt in the museum’s gallery and down Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor, as well as enjoying making a shadow box with sea glass.

George William Fisher, an author of multiple books on Long Island’s bottles and medicine companies, spoke about the origins of sea glass.

The big attraction was Tumbled by the Sea, a mobile beachcombing exhibit where guests could take self-guided tours of beach-found treasures ranging from authentic sea glass, sea pottery, artifacts and marine debris.

In partnership with TBR News Media, this year’s festival introduced a sea glass writing contest for Long Island youth.

Students from grades 3-12 were asked to imagine a story behind a piece of sea glass at the museum and what story the pictured object told.

Entries were judged by their originality and creativity. The winners are listed by grades, and the winning essays can be found on the museum’s website:

Grades 3-5:

First Place: Ada Costello, Cutchogue

Second Place: Ella Vitrano, Floral Park

Third Place: Laila Mendonca, Bay Shore

Grades 6-8:

First Place: Zachary Hart Musselwhite, Syosset

Second Place: Janis Fok, Great Neck

Third Place: Amelia Sullivan, Bay Shore

Grades 9-12:

First Place: Rowan Goldrich, Bay Shore

Second Place: Atticus Muuss, Bay Shore

Third Place: Emily Ruggiere, Brightwaters

The Whaling Museum & Education Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the whaling history of Long Island. The museum engages the community in exploring the diversity of our whaling heritage and its impacts to enrich and inform our lives. The museum is located at 301 Main St. in Cold Spring Harbor. For more information on the museum or to find out about upcoming events, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org and follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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