CLOSE
Community

by -
0 553
Cliff Eberhardt (above) and Lucy Kaplansky will headline this year's Huntington Folk Festival.
Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky (above) will headline this year’s Huntington Folk Festival. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

The 17th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 22, at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Avenue, in Huntington from 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a dinner break from 6 to 7:15 p.m. The free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 58th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. An evening concert featuring internationally touring singer-songwriters Lucy Kaplansky and Cliff Eberhardt will be preceded by a series of amplified song swaps and an open mic during the afternoon.

Hailed as “the songwriter laureate of modern city folk,” (The Boston Globe), Lucy Kaplansky is a NYC-based contemporary folk singer-songwriter with a luminous voice whose recordings have frequently topped the folk and Americana radio charts. Among the most respected and covered touring songwriters on the folk scene, Massachusetts-based Cliff Eberhardt, like Kaplansky, cut his musical teeth playing NYC clubs centered around Greenwich Village during the folk/songwriter renaissance of the 1980s. When not doing their own thing, Kaplansky and Eberhardt have been part of an On a Winter’s Night tour that also features John Gorka and Patty Larkin.

Prior to the evening concert on the park’s Chapin Rainbow Stage, Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com (an online publication for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities), conducts an on-stage conversational interview with the evening’s featured artists at 7:15 p.m.

Kornreld will also emcee a series of amplified song swaps from 1:30-4 p.m. near a canopy tent on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage and from 4-6 p.m. on-stage. These will be preceded by an hour-long open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Toby Tobias, who co-hosts the NorthShore Original Open Mic (NOOM) that is co-presented by FMSH and the Cinema Arts Centre in the Cinema’s Sky Room on three Wednesday nights each month, while FMSH’s monthly Hard Luck Café concert series takes place on the third Wednesday.

Artists slated to showcase their talents during the afternoon include Josie Bello, Suzanne Ernst, Roger Street Friedman, Rorie Kelly, Ray Lambiase, Bill Lauter, Mara Levine, The Levins, Annie Mark, Stuart Markus, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, Louise Mosrie, Mark Newman, James O’Malley, Nico Padden, Carolann Solebello, Hank Stone, Christine Sweeney, and Toby Tobias.

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or they can walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington and presented by the Huntington Arts Council. Additional support is provided by Presenting Sponsor Canon U.S.A., with partial funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.

Huntington Folk Festival Schedule

12:30 — Open Mic (hosted by Toby Tobias)

 1:30  —  Huntington’s Own: Josie Bello, Suzanne Ernst, Ray Lambiase

 2:00  — LI Guys: James O’Malley,  Hank Stone, Bob Westcott

 2:30  — LI Gals: Rorie Kelly, Nico Padden, Christine Sweeney

 3:00  — Huntington’s Own II: Bill Lauter, Annie Mark, Mark Newman

 4:00  — A Pair of Duos: The Levins and Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale

 4:30  — Let’s Hear It for the Guys:  Roger Street Friedman and Toby Tobias

 5:00  — Classic Folk Covers: Mara Levine and Stuart Markus

 5:30  — Women of Note: Louise Mosrie  Coombe  and Carolann Solebello

 6:00  — Dinner Break

 7:15  — A Conversation with Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky

 8:00  — Evening Concert with Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky

For more information, visit www.fmsh.org.

by -
0 938
An assistance dog leads a man who is blind. Photo from Wikimedia Commons
By Emma Gutmann

For 77 years, the Guide Dog Foundation, at 371 Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown, has used small classes, individualized instruction and generosity to turn the $50,000 expense of breeding, raising, training and placing an assistance dog into a purely joyful human right for those who are blind or experience low vision or other disabilities. 

At no cost to the individual, the GDF provides a welcoming, reputable community and matches each student with the perfect canine companion. Volunteering is the gear that keeps the operation going. 

In a phone interview, Puppy Program Manager Lorin Bruzzese said that while every helping hand is valuable, puppy raisers are the heart of the operation. Raisers are responsible for housing, training and caring for a foundation puppy from eight weeks to 16 months old. While the pups may be hard to let go, Bruzzese considered puppy raising a gratifying and enriching opportunity.

“You know you’re involved in a beautiful dog’s life and their upbringing, but it’s not really letting go,” Bruzzese said. “It’s gaining so much when you’re able to see how they impact somebody really special.”

Variations of the puppy raiser role include breeder caretakers, who care for adult breeder dogs in between sessions, and litter hosts, who take in a litter of future guide puppies and their mother for six weeks.

For shorter-term commitments, one might become a puppy camper, taking pups for two to three weeks at a time when extra help is needed. Similarly, temporary home volunteers open their fenced-in, dog-safe homes to a puppy or adult dog for an agreed-upon timeframe.

There are also plenty of opportunities for those allergic to dogs, partial to cats or otherwise unable to host. Non-canine-related volunteering on the Smithtown campus consists of serving meals to students or clerical work.

Young volunteers looking for community service might arrange a toy drive or puppy shower with the help of accessible resources like GDF’s Amazon Wish List. They can also distribute flyers looking for puppy raisers around their neighborhoods to assist with outreach.

The volunteer services team continues to invent new and modify existing roles to meet the foundation’s needs. The Taxi Team has been expanded as the organization searches for volunteers willing to travel long distances to transport dogs, clients and volunteers along the East Coast. With the vehicle and travel expenses provided, the Taxi Team is only asked to donate their time.

For the community’s continued efforts, the GDF hosted an appreciation event on Saturday, June 10. 

“At Volunteer Recognition Day, we provide interaction with our staff, different events and ways to make keepsakes,” Bruzzese said. “We have the acknowledgment of each person’s role. They add ribbons to their name tags with all of the different ways that they’ve been involved in supporting our program. We also held a graduation ceremony for some of our guide dog clients.”

In an email, Allison Storck, director of marketing and public relations at GDF, said people of any age or skill set could find a volunteer role that suits them.

“The first step is to apply online on our website,” Storck said. “There is a web page with all the current opportunities listed, and by clicking on a button for the volunteer position, it will bring you to the appropriate application.”

She added, “Every volunteer attends an Introduction to Volunteering class and then the appropriate training class for the position.”

Even a simple donation through the foundation’s website will help improve the lives of puppies and their companions. The Allen E. & Patricia M. Murray Foundation will match all gifts up to $34,000 made on July 13 for Giving Bark Thursday.

To begin your journey, visit www.guidedog.org.

by -
0 565
Pictured above, Comsewogue High School nominees Angelo Guzman and Alyssa Deacy are flanked by Butch Dellecave Foundation president Mark Dellecave, left, and executive director Guy Dellecave. Photo by Artist Lake Media

Comsewogue High School seniors Angelo Guzman and Alyssa Deacy were recently honored at the 23rd annual Butch Dellecave Awards held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.

Named in memory of the legendary educator, official and coach Gaetano “Butch” Dellecave, the award is the product of a 23-year partnership between local school districts in Suffolk County and the award organizers: the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc., the Butch Dellecave Foundation and Newsday.

Athletic directors from all 66 Suffolk County school districts were asked to nominate one male and one female from their high school senior class. Nominees must be students who are not only at the top of their athletic game, but also score high in classroom performance and in their commitment to local community service.

by -
0 1122

Kornreich: 90% of customers ‘paying well more than double’ the rate for natural gas

Cartoon by Kyle Horne: @kylehorneart • kylehorneart.com

The Town of Brookhaven’s Community Choice Aggregation program has drawn opposition within the Town Board.

Brookhaven launched the CCA program in May, pitching the initiative as a way to stabilize energy rates on natural gas and help residents save money. 

Through a two-year partnership with Manhattan-based CCA administrator Good Energy, all natural gas customers were automatically opted into the CCA, receiving natural gas at the fixed rate of $0.695 per therm.  

The partnership allows residents to opt-out free of charge at any time, choosing the default energy supply from National Grid, which fluctuates monthly. This month, National Grid is offering natural gas at $0.278 per them, according to its website.

Now the promise of cheaper gas has met with scrutiny from Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), who is urging customers to opt out of the program.

“The [National Grid] price has been going down every single month and, of course, the CCA rate continues to hold steady for two years,” Kornreich told TBR News Media. “You’re paying well more than double [the rate] at this point if you’re still opted in.”

National Grid’s “recent supply rates” have been $0.32 per therm or less since the CCA’s launch in May, according to a chart on the town’s website. Meanwhile, 90% of Brookhaven’s natural gas customers remain opted in, according to Doug Donaldson, media representative for Good Energy.

Despite the higher costs, Donaldson maintained that CCA offers a discount when assessed over a 12-month interval.

“The customer would have to study each month’s rate and know the billing cycle, and then change according to the rates to be able to get the lowest rates,” he said in a phone interview.

“But if they stick within the CCA program, they’ll know that over a 12-month period they’ll get a historically lower rate.”

The town’s CCA landing page — brookhavencommunityenergy.com — enables residents to opt in or out of the program. The page mentions “competitive pricing” as one of the program’s goals. 

“Brookhaven Community Energy aims to produce savings for customers compared to basic utility rates,” the webpage reads.

Kornreich indicates that his proposed rate-switching method — opting into the cheapest energy supplier for a given month — better accords with the program’s stated aims.

“I think the way to really create savings is to opt out of [the CCA] for now and to opt in when it makes sense to do so,” he said.

Donaldson noted that natural gas rates tend to be lower in the summer and higher in the winter. For this reason, he suggested there is a certain degree of accountability on ratepayers to monitor their energy bills and choose accordingly.

“The program offers a very easy way through the website to opt in or out,” he said. “It offers that flexibility, but it is on the customer to keep track of the rates.”

Asked whether he would advise customers to opt out during these summer months, during which the National Grid price is lower, Donaldson referred to the CCA as a “no worry” option for ratepayers.

“I sort of think it’s like a no-worry situation if you stay in it,” the Good Energy media representative said. “When the winter months come, you don’t have to worry whether you’ve switched over or about getting a super-large energy bill.”

“I think the convenience of it is worth the price difference, easily,” he added.

Given the gradual changes in National Grid’s supply rates month to month, Kornreich said customers would likely be switching just a few times a year.

“This is not something that you need to be opting in and out of every month,” the councilmember said. The price “doesn’t change that fast.”

While the National Grid rate remains lower than that of Good Energy, Deputy Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Manorville) concurred with Kornreich’s assessment of the situation.

“We encourage residents to check the price and opt in and out to their maximum benefit … to get the best rates that they can,” he said. “That’s the beauty of the program, that you can opt in and out. And I’m working with Jonathan to make sure that we get that message out.”

Kornreich stressed the matter of choice in consuming utility power, maintaining that residents must stay educated on the cost differences between National Grid and Good Energy and choose the lower rate.

“Ninety percent of people are currently paying more than they need to,” he said. “The question is: Do they not care and maybe have confidence that over the long run [CCA] will work for them? Or do they simply not know?”

He concluded, “I don’t know what that mix is, but we have to make sure that our consumers and residents are informed.”

by -
0 550
Photo by Capturing Life as it happens from Pixabay

In recent years, much has been said of the state of division in the United States. But as the nation celebrates its 247th birthday, Americans should remember the many struggles they have overcome.

After the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln believed the Confederate South would never peaceably re-enter the Union. The country was engaged in the defining conflict of its history and the deadliest war its citizens had ever fought. 

Yet Lincoln helped the nation carry on, ensuring that Americans would reunite under one flag. In a speech to Congress on July 4, 1861, he asserted the cause of the Union as that of the American Revolution. The Civil War, Lincoln affirmed, would prove to the world the viability of self-rule.

“It is now for [Americans] to demonstrate to the world that those who can fairly carry an election can also suppress a rebellion,” Lincoln said, “that ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors of bullets, and that when ballots have fairly and constitutionally decided there can be no successful appeal back to bullets.”

And the nation endured.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson nervously watched as European powers marched toward World War I — the “powder keg” ignited after the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. 

“Nobody outside of America believed when it was uttered that we could make good our independence,” Wilson told a beleaguered nation. “Now nobody anywhere would dare to doubt that we are independent and can maintain our independence.” 

After his re-election in 1916, Wilson declared war against Germany in April 1917 to make the “world safe for democracy.” As it had during the Civil War, the nation again endured.

In early July 1945, the United States was nearing the end of World War II. With Nazi Germany defeated, America was one month away from dropping the atomic bomb against the Japanese. On July 4 of that year, President Harry S. Truman tied the war effort to the cause of American freedom. 

“This year, the men and women of our armed forces, and many civilians as well, are celebrating the anniversary of American independence in other countries throughout the world,” he said. “Citizens of these other lands will understand what we celebrate and why, for freedom is dear to the hearts of all men everywhere.”

The war would end the following month, and the nation endured once more.

President John F. Kennedy presided over the federal government at a volatile moment. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 and only months away from the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Kennedy reminded his fellow citizens of the cause of independence on July 4, 1962.

“For that Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs,” Kennedy noted. “Its authors were highly conscious of its worldwide implications.”

Despite the tumult of the 1960s, the nation still endured.

Near the end of the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan was determined to ensure American victory over the Soviet Union in this global conflict. With tensions mounting between these two superpowers, Reagan reminded citizens of the resolve of America’s founders.

“Their courage created a nation built on a universal claim to human dignity — on the proposition that every man, woman and child had a right to a future of freedom,” Reagan said in his July 4, 1986 speech, likening the cause of independence to the triumph over communism.

The U.S. won the Cold War, and the nation endured.

Today, as Americans enjoy outdoor barbecues and spend time with loved ones, they should remember that the legacy of independence still flourishes. In the face of brewing tensions abroad, Americans must remember that we have experienced such challenges before and will do so again.

And the nation will endure.

Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College.

by -
0 585
Above, Jeff Schnee, president of Three Village Historical Society, tells visitors what the barn and education center will be like. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

Amid raising funds to raise a barn, Three Village Historical Society is also looking to raise friends. 

Above, Jeff Schnee, president of Three Village Historical Society, tells visitors what the barn and education center will be like. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

A so-called FRIENDraiser on Wednesday evening, June 28, was intended to provide a construction progress update and inform neighbors about the planned $1.3 million Dominick-Crawford Barn Education and History Center on North Country Road in East Setauket.

“People may drive by and not know what’s going on behind that fence,” said Kimberly Phyfe, the society’s development coordinator. 

Rain soaked the site right up until the event started, but still about 100 visitors came out to join hard-hat tours of the construction site, listen to live music, buy pierogies and, of course, make donations — to the tune of about $3,000. 

“We love this community and what we’re building here, so to see everybody come out and support us despite the downpours of rain is so heartening,” said Phyfe.

The barn, named for George and Sarah Dominick, who built the barn circa 1847, and William and Janet Crawford, its last private owners, will serve as a home for artifacts and exhibits, as well as an ADA-compliant event and education center on the ground floor that will be able to fit up to 183 people at a time. 

That’s a far cry from the society’s museum next door to the construction site, where 15 people at a time can tour exhibits about the area’s history — the Revolutionary War Culper Spy Ring and the multiethnic Chicken Hill community centered around first a piano factory and later a rubber factory.

During a hard-hat tour of the construction site, society president Jeffrey Schnee told visitors the larger space will dramatically improve logistics for the society’s history programs for students from Three Village Central School District, other school districts and BOCES programs.

“The schools always want to send more than one school bus,” Schnee said, adding that groups of students would have to wait outside while 15 classmates toured the museum. “That leaves an awkward situation.”

Children play historic games at the barn ‘friendraiser.’ Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

Instead, up to four buses of students can gather in the center’s main room, according to Schnee, where there will be a timber frame reconstruction of the historic barn with wood recovered from its original site in the Village of Old Field.

Subjects for future exhibits at the center include veterans of Three Village, women of Three Village and archaeology of historic sites around the area. There is also an oral history booth planned, where visitors can search by keyword and listen to available oral records.

“We’ll be able to bring more tourism to the area, and we’ll be able to explain more about the history of the area,” said Schnee.

The historical society is still looking to raise about $650,000 for the center and is planning to provide opportunities for community involvement in coming months, according to Phyfe. She said they are also looking into additional grants — the society previously received a $350,000 grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and a $300,000 grant secured by former state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket).

For more information about the barn education center, visit tvhs.org/buildthebarn.

by -
0 449
Jacqueline Castaldo

Stony Brook University Director of Business in Finance & Administration (F&A) Jacqueline Castaldo has been awarded the State University of New York  (SUNY) Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.  

Castaldo’s responsibilities include oversight of the finances and budget within several University areas including Budget, Financial Planning & Analysis; Enterprise Risk Management; Facilities & Services; Finance; Human Resource Services; Marketing & Communications and Government & Community Relations. She also collaborates on financial matters for the Division of Information Technology. 

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are System-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. Individuals nominated for these awards must meet all prescribed eligibility criteria and must be individuals of achievement, committed to the State University and its students, respected by the campus community and worthy of emulation by colleagues and students on the home campus and across SUNY. 

“I congratulate Jackie on this well-deserved achievement,” said Jed Shivers, Senior Vice President, F&A. “Her responsibilities have grown significantly since joining the university and she has definitely demonstrated excellence in her efforts.  We have worked on a number of projects together and I have been impressed with her dedication to detail and ensuring that financial statements are accurate as well as actionable.”

Castaldo joined Stony Brook University seven years ago in the Office of Procurement as a Business Analyst Lead. After working in Procurement for almost two years, the Bayport resident transitioned into a new role in F&A, serving as a Senior Financial Analyst where she was responsible for data analytics within the University, developing key metrics to enhance business processes and expanding upon University initiatives. In 2021, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Finance, a post she held for approximately one year before being appointed to Director of Business Operations for F&A. 

by -
0 930
Gordon Wood, professor emeritus of history at Brown University. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirke from Wikimedia Commons

This week marks the 247th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since this formative moment in American history, much has changed, with an uncertainty of the country’s long-term future.

Gordon Wood, professor emeritus of history at Brown University and 1993 Pulitzer Prize recipient for his book, “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” remains optimistic that America’s future is bright. 

In an exclusive phone interview, he detailed why the American Revolution is relevant today, dismissing apocalyptic predictions. 

Revolutionary relevance

Wood contends that despite prolonged separation from the American Revolution, this cause remains highly relevant today.

“It is the most important event in our history, bar none,” he said. “It not only legally created the United States, but it infused into our culture everything we believe.”

Wood maintains that America is “not a nation in the usual sense of the term.” By this, he means Americans are not bound by any common ancestry. Instead, the United States represents a particular set of ideas to which Americans subscribe.

“Someone once said that to be an American is not to be somebody but to believe in something,” Wood noted. “And what do we believe in? We believe in those things that came out of the Revolution: equality, liberty and so on.”

“There’s no other adhesive to hold us together, so I think we need to emphasize that,” he said.

American stability

Within contemporary national discourse, some have expressed fears that America is a declining democracy. Even the nonprofit think tank Freedom House, which measures the strength of democracy in countries around the world, has scored the United States incrementally lower in recent years.

Wood characterized some recent historical developments as “destabilizing,” though he maintained these concerns are often overblown.

“We’re still the greatest power the world has ever known,” the Brown professor emeritus said. “I think that we’re very stable, and I certainly think we’re at the height of our powers.”

Assessing the current geopolitical landscape, Wood acknowledged China is a rising global power. However, he maintained that America’s long-term outlook remains promising.

“I don’t see any evidence that China is going to replace us,” he said. “I think it would be unfortunate if we got into a war with China over this fear of being displaced, but it’s just not in the cards.”

He added that fears of American decline have been pervasive throughout the nation’s history, with concerns about China just the latest iteration of this long historical pattern.

“We have a lot of apocalyptic thinking that goes on, and that’s not new,” Wood said. “We’ve always done that. There are always people saying that we’re going to fall apart.”

Triumph of the future

Wood suggested Americans have an unusual relationship with their national history. “I don’t think we have ever been a historically minded people compared to other nations,” he said. “I think it was President James Polk [1845-49] who said the United States is the only country in the world that has its history in the future.”

Since the Revolution, Americans have always been a “future-oriented people,” according to Wood. Yet the ideas articulated by the Founding Fathers have been passed down to subsequent generations of Americans, and those values are still practiced today.

Americans “know about ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ and ‘all men are created equal,’” Wood said. “Those are phrases that are very potent and available to most people, but I don’t think there’s much real interest in history as such among Americans.”

But, he added, “I’m not sure that that’s a bad thing. We’re future-oriented. We think the future is going to be better than the present.”

Wood concluded by saying that America’s faith in the future has long attracted new immigrants. Despite the numerous complications throughout its history, America still draws in people from all around the world. 

Wood indicated that this attraction demonstrates how the American Dream lives to this day.

“Immigrants still want to come here because they can get a better life here than they can where they came from,” he said. “It’s an optimistic view.”

by -
0 669

Thank you, TBR

After reading the story in the June 22 edition informing the community about the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown, I would like to share as a volunteer — both as a puppy raiser and presently breeder-caretaker — the joys and fulfillment over the years of seeing first-hand people helped by assistance and service dogs.

The Guide Dog Foundation truly helps people “live life without boundaries.” After seeing its flier stating so in a local supermarket, all staff members in various departments helped me through my different roles of training and preparing these special dogs in lives of service. As a volunteer, I have always been treated with courtesy and appreciation in visits, contacts and calls.

Thank you TBR News Media for publishing in detail the mission I am myself living each day, which is close to my heart.

Anna Fisco-Aubree

Ridge

Port Jeff needed change

One must sympathize with Mr. William Snaden’s “broken heart” considering his wife’s loss to Mayor Lauren Sheprow’s remarkable win through a write-in ballot [Letter, “My heart is breaking for Port Jeff,” The Port Times Record, June 29]. 

Mr. Snaden cannot bring himself to understand his wife’s loss in terms of her apparent efforts on behalf of the Village of Port Jefferson. What he fails to recognize is that the people of Port Jefferson needed a change from the same old approach to problems that were pursued by the Garant-Snaden administration. 

Let us face the future with fresh ideas and with the guidance of Mayor Lauren Sheprow. I anticipate that the Village of Port Jefferson will rally in supporting Lauren and her new administration.

Herb Herman

Port Jefferson

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation.

Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

by -
0 648

A message from Roberta Gerold, superintendent of schools at Middle Country Central School District

File photo

This update is not what we had hoped it would be. With a very heavy heart, I must inform you that Robert Bush, the student who collapsed Monday at Newfield High School, passed away earlier today, Friday, July 7. We are heartbroken for Robert’s family and friends and all who were fortunate to have been touched by his boundless enthusiasm and love of life.

Tonight, at Stony Brook University Hospital, an honor walk will take place in recognition of the family’s decision to donate Robert’s organs to help provide life-saving miracles for others in need. All those in the community wishing to attend are asked to arrive at the hospital by 10 p.m. (fourth floor). Information regarding the arrangements of future services and memorials will be provided shortly.

On Monday, counselors will be available at Newfield High School for any student, district staff member or member of our school district community who feels the need to talk through their feelings during this difficult time. Counselors will be available from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. 

In closing, I would like to express once again, on behalf of the Middle Country Central School District Board of Education and the entire Middle Country Central School District community, our heartfelt condolences to his family. We ask that you keep Robert and his family in your prayers.

Prev1...1,000337338339...1,067Next Page 338 of 1,067
TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©