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Times of Huntington-Northport

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Photo from Town of Smithtown

Residents are Advised to Apply Here; Deadline is October 7

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine announced today that new grant funding is available for homeowners who sustained damages from record flooding in Suffolk County on August 18-19. The program, which will be administered by the Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc. designated by the New York Homes and Community Renewal agency, seeks to offer emergency home repair assistance and reimbursement to impacted homeowners.

“Suffolk County experienced a catastrophic storm that impacted thousands of residents who are still recovering,” said Romaine. “As we continue to assess damage and work to provide our communities with relief, I thank our partners in New York State who will provide eligible homeowners with much needed financial assistance.”

Grant funding is available to eligible residents on a first come, first serve basis. Funds allocated under the program will be limited to emergency housing repairs necessary to make the home safe, sanitary and habitable. The program is intended to assist eligible homeowners whose damages were not covered by insurance or other disaster recovery funds. Non-urgent repairs are not eligible.

Under the program guidelines, homeowners must be income eligible, defined as an annual household income equal to or less than 150% of County Area Median Income based on household size.  Homeowners may not qualify for full grant award, and in no event will the total grant award to any single applicant exceed $50,000. Homeowners associations are not eligible.

The deadline to apply is October 7, 2024. Residents are advised to apply here.

Residents with questions or who need additional information are advised to contact the Flood Relief Program at [email protected] or call 631-435-4710.

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Applauding Cedar Beach environmental sentiments

I applaud the sentiments of “Trying to enjoy peace at Cedar Beach” in Letters to the Editor, Sept. 5. 

I can’t count how many times I’ve been at the beautiful beaches and parks in our area — as well as parking lots — and felt similar feelings of bewilderment and anger when I see people sitting in their idling cars, often with the windows down. Why run the engine, especially on a beautiful day? It’s a waste of gas and money, and pollutes the air while creating unnecessary noise. 

Perhaps our local leaders can put forth legislation that would fine those who idle their engines beyond the 3-minute limit acceptable by New York State law? Maybe some people don’t grasp the detrimental effects on the environment — not to mention the waste of their own money — but perhaps enforcing legislation and fines would provide a wake-up call. Let’s all enjoy fresh air and nature in peace and quiet, and be considerate of others.

Adriana Lubarsky

East Setauket

Keeping LIRR on track

Port Jefferson commuters should be concerned that the LIRR still needs to reach a state of good repair for existing fleet, stations, elevators, escalators, signals, interlockings, track, power, yards and shops. It also includes more and more stations reaching compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. All maintenance programs for all operating assets also need to be fully funded and completed on time to ensure riders safe uninterrupted reliable service. Since its creation in 1964, the Urban Mass Transit Administration (known since 1991 as the Federal Transit Administration) has provided billions to pay for many of these capital improvements.

The LIRR share of annual FTA grants to the MTA averages 15%. In 2024, this should represent $270 million of $1.8 billion in federal grant funding. The state Department of Transportation provides Statewide Mass Transportation Operating Assistance on an annual basis to the MTA and LIRR. Let us give thanks to both Washington and Albany for continued financial support for our very own LIRR — the nation’s largest commuter railroad.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Voices of service: the true cost of new nonprofit oversight

Last month, Suffolk County Legislators Trish Bergin (R-East Islip) and Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) sponsored I.R. 1687, a bill that would amend the Suffolk County Code to provide the county more oversight into the internal fiscal operations of nonprofit entities seeking county subsidies and limiting the salaries of nonprofit executives.

I have worked in nonprofit leadership since 2011. Leading a nonprofit is often impossibly difficult. Over half of respondents in a recent survey from the Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that they struggle with a work-life balance. Nearly two-thirds of the nonprofit leaders in the Chronicle’s survey say the country’s polarization — over politics, race and culture — is making their work more difficult.

A third of survey participants say they are likely to leave their current organization in the next two years. Twenty-two percent say they are likely to leave the nonprofit world altogether. Other than retirement, top reasons include salary, the challenge of finding resources and the demands of the job.

I can’t think of any other industry that is on the edge of losing almost 25% of their leadership workforce.

A healthy relationship between nonprofits and their local, state and federal governments brings stronger programming and services to residents. Without the nonprofit sector, the government does not have the infrastructure or systems in place to provide the care we need.

My colleagues and friends who have devoted their life to this work are not money-hungry hoarders. But if our industry is going to recruit competitive talent to lead, we must be able to offer competitive salaries.

Perhaps our county legislators and others like them should rethink opportunities to increase their giving and partnerships so we can actually solve the problems facing nonprofit organizations, rather than attacking the people responsible for working to solve them.

Cindy Morris

Stony Brook

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

I hadn’t been to Los Angeles in over 30 years. On our trip last week, I traveled with my wife, worked remotely, visited with our nephew, and purchased tickets to attend my first home Dodgers game.

During a visit that only lasted a few days, my wife and I stayed on Eastern Standard Time, which meant we were awake between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. local time and were at work by 7 a.m..

My wife walked across a street to her office and I sat at a desk on the 17th floor of a hotel, laptop in front of me with my cell phone at the ready.

At around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, I felt as if the desk in front of me were shaking.

At first, I figured it had to be some neurological quirk. After all, the older I get, the more inexplicable my sometimes random body signals are to me.

When the desk shook a second time, I made an announcement to the empty room.

“That’s an earthquake!” I declared, as if naming it and knowing what it was gave me some small measure of control. I walked around in circles and wondered what I should grab, where I should go, and what I should do.

I knew my wife was in meetings that morning, but called her immediately anyway.

She picked up in that hushed tone she uses when she’s on a phone or a zoom call.

“What’s happening?” she whispered.

“Did you feel the earthquake?” I asked. “What are you doing about it over there?”

“Earthquake? What earthquake? No,” she said, as she quickly typed into her computer.

Sure enough, within seconds of the quake, she had found something online confirming the event.

“What do you want to do?” she asked. 

I was staring out the window, which probably isn’t the right place to go, and watched people casually walking along the sidewalk, cars navigating through crowded streets and birds flying between the buildings.

“I’m going to call the lobby,” I said. I told her I’d get back to her immediately if there was anything we should do.

“Hi,” I stammered, “is this the front desk?”

“Yes,” the woman said. “How can I help you?”

“I’m on the 17th floor and I just felt an earthquake,” I announced.

Silence. I suspect the woman in the lobby was thinking something along the lines of, “You’re not from around these parts, are you?”

“What should I do?” I asked.

“Oh,” she sighed. “Well, if you’re worried or if things are falling from the ceiling, you can take shelter.”

“Shelter? Where? What should I do?”

“You can go under your desk or wait in a door frame. We also have a communication system on every floor and we can let you know if you need to evacuate.”

“So, what do I do?” I asked again.

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” she sighed. “Can I help you with anything else?”

“No,” I said, hanging up the phone. I grabbed my wallet, put on my shoes, and made sure I had everything I might need. I stood in the middle of the room in earthquake sensing mode. I had become a human seismometer, with my arms out, my feet spread apart and my palms pointing down to sense any vibrations.

I kept checking online, where I read coverage of an earthquake that didn’t seem to have caused any damage.

My wife and I traded texts and decided to continue working.

Later that day, we discussed the quake with friends and strangers, triggering all kinds of stories about earlier quakes and the ones people felt at different times.

I’m sure people in New York don’t hear honking taxis, people in the southeastern United States barely register screeching cicadas, and people in Phoenix somehow adjust to the searing heat.

I don’t think I’ll ever be enough of a Californian or a would-be Californian not to worry about the Earth moving under my feet.

Oh, and I did get to the Dodgers game the night before. The stadium was magnificent, the sushi was remarkably good, and the fans were delighted by the other-worldly performance of Shohei Ohtani, who crushed a home run and stole a base. 

The explosive sounds of a thrilled crowd of close to 50,000, the excitement of people jumping out of their seats, and the celebratory flashing lights were far more familiar than the shaking desk I felt the next morning.

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Grace Kelly in a promotional photo for 'Rear Window' by Paramount Pictures. Wikimedia

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

While England had its favorite Princess Diana, we in America had a princess of our own for years. Many now were born after her death in 1982, but for those of us who remember her, she had terrific charisma. She was Princess of Monaco, her name was Grace Kelly and she came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Last Saturday marked the anniversary of her death, also like Diana, in a horrible automobile accident on the steep slopes of the French Riviera. She was 52.

Hers was a true fairy tale story until the end.

Unlike many stars of stage and screen, Grace Kelly did not come from a hardscrabble background but was born into a wealthy Irish Catholic family, the third of four children. By all accounts, hers was a handsome household, and she was sent to good schools. Starting her career as an actress at 18, she began with helpful connections. Her uncle was a Pulitzer Prize winner in California and certainly smoothed her way with important introductions.

One well known story about her that came to symbolize her demeanor and rapid rise to success was her early interview with a director. She appeared well dressed and wearing a hat and white gloves. As her mother explained many times in subsequent years to the press, that was what a well brought up young lady wore to an appointment mid-century. Along with her blonde, blue eyed good looks, she carried a finishing school poise wherever she went. That certainly impressed many in Hollywood.

She also impressed the movie world by refusing to sign a long term contract with any of the studios, thus assuring her independence. Initially she found work as a commercial photographer’s model, but then she started getting small parts in movies and quickly moved up. Within a remarkably short, five-year period, she starred in movies with some of Hollywood’s most famous, and virile, leading men, including Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Louis Jordan, Stewart Granger and even did a famous duet with Bing Crosby in the movie, “High Society.” She also won an Academy Award for her role in “Country Girl,” in which she had a non-glamorous lead.

Grace Kelly was, by popular accounts, Director Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite actress and his lead in two of his movies. When she was sent to film “To Catch a Thief” on the French Riviera, she was introduced to Prince Rainier III of Monaco, who at the age of 32 was considered one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors. Monaco was known to Americans as a luxurious tourist resort famous for its Monte Carlo Casino. It was, and still is, a small sovereign principality on the Mediterranean, alongside France and close to Italy, ruled by the Grimaldi family since 1297 but only so long as the family produces an heir.

At the time of her marriage in 1956, Kelly was 26, and to the sorrow of many, retired from her acting career. While she was regarded, since she was an American and an actress, with some coolness at first by the Monegasques, they certainly took her into their hearts when she produced the Grimaldi’s first of their three children in 1957. That insured their tax-free status and Monaco’s continuation.

Not unlike Princess Diana, whom she met shortly after Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, she worked hard on behalf of charities, especially for children. And according to an interview with her son, Albert, in 2014, Kelly was a “hands-on” mom, keeping their home as normal as possible in the midst of glamorous European life. Kelly even insisted on turkey amid Thanksgiving celebrations, neither one of which was common for Europeans.

I met Grace Kelly when I was an early teenager and infatuated with movies. It was an  evening on a Sunday, and I was peering into a shop window on Madison Avenue in the upper 70s in New York City. I don’t remember what I was looking at, but I became aware that there was someone next to me also glancing into the closed shop. I turned to face the woman, who then turned toward me. I knew that face.

“Are you Grace Kelly?”  I asked, thrilled. She had sea blue eyes and fabulous skin, which was so impressive to me in my early acne years.

“Yes,” she said smiling. “I am.” I noted that she had perfect white teeth.

After a moment, during which I froze, she continued smiling and walked uptown, past me.

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Pixabay photo

By John L. Turner

John Turner

As summer melds into autumn, the changes in temperature and daylight length are hardly, if at all, noticeable to us. But not so with the trees of Long Island’s forests. They are attuned to incremental changes in environmental conditions and have begun to prepare for the impending winter although it is still several months away.

The first and most conspicuous sign of this preparation is the color change in the countless leaves adorning the almost countless trees. During the summer leaves are filled with chlorophyll pigment necessary for plants to photosynthesize. As summer wears on, trees begin to break down chlorophyll pigments, reabsorbing the vital nitrogen and as a result other pigments are revealed. The color of the leaf depends on which pigments appear — anthocyanin produces red colored leaves, xanthophyll creates yellow, and carotene results in orange and gold. A fall season with cool nights and warm sunny days produces the most intense colors. 

There are a dozen or so tree species along the North Shore providing the riot of color a that a spectacular autumn burst can bring. Two wetland trees are especially colorful, indeed brilliant — red maple and black tupelo. Their leaves turn an intense orange-red, so colorful it appears if they are illuminated from an internal light source.  Tupelo starts turning early — beginning in mid-August. 

Add to this the butter yellow of the hickories, the lemon-yellow of sassafras, the bright red of scarlet oak (easy to understand how it got its name when you see it in autumn splendor), the similarly colored red oak, the solid tan of beech, the duller orange of black oak, and the solid gold of black birch, and it’s clear that Long Island’s forests can paint an eye-pleasing show!       

Fortunately, there are many parks and preserves along the county’s North Shore where you can see leaf change. Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown can be a go-to locale given the amount of red maple and tupelo growing in and along the park’s numerous wetlands. The same goes for the adjacent Blydenburgh County Park. Cordwood Landing County Park in Miller Place, a gem situated on the shore of Long Island Sound, produces a nice palette of color that includes two rarer orange-leaved trees — Hornbeam and Hop Hornbeam.  

A walk along the Long Island Greenbelt Trail in Arthur Kunz County Park on the west side of the Nissequogue River, accessed from Landing Avenue in Smithtown, can be good for leaf peeping with an added bonus of beautiful views of the river and its marshland, the grasses of which turn an attractive russet color in the fall. 

Makamah County Nature Preserve in Fort Salonga is similar — colorful woodland scenes with peeks out to the adjacent marshland. A less well-known county park, fine for leaf peeping, is Rassapeague County Park located in the Village of Nissequogue along Long Beach Road. 

A little further afield, the 100,000 acre Pine Barrens Preserve of central and eastern Suffolk County offers many places to view the leaf change and is especially beautiful in certain areas as the bright red and orange of the red maples and black tupelos blend with the tans, browns and burgundy of various oaks. Adding to the palette here are the medium green colors of Pitch Pine and in some places the darker greens of Atlantic White Cedar. 

Good places in the Pine Barrens to see the leaf change are the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Cranberry Bog County Nature Preserve accessed by County Route 63 in Riverhead, and The Nature Conservancy’s Calverton Pond Preserve in Manorville.

A resident of Setauket, author John L. Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Harvest Times supplement on Sept. 12.

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LIMGC rehearsing at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Courtesy Danny Schrafel

By Lauren Feldman

The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus held its first rehearsal for the 2024 holiday season on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in East Northport. 

The chorus aims to entertain audiences with high-quality choral performances, while affirming the contributions of Long Island’s LGBT+ community. Programs include challenging contemporary music, and performances of an ambitious, traditional repertoire alongside music from various world cultures. 

The chorus affirms, by example and through song, the worth and dignity of a cross-section of the diverse population that is reflective of Long Island and the nation as a whole.

LIMGC rehearsing at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Photo courtesy of Danny Schrafel

Christian Cederstrom, chorus treasurer and member of the baritone section, joined the group around eight or nine years ago. “This group is so special because it really is the culmination of a brotherhood coming together to create something beautiful. The people are here for that shared mission,” he said. 

“You never know what someone’s life is like,” he added. “Being able to retreat into a safe space, especially a queer safe space, makes it all the more lifesaving. It’s a means of survival for some people, and even having that one or two hours a week where they can just be is so important. The climate out in the world is so dog eat dog, but here it’s about creation and beauty.”

Michael Conley, a tenor 1 and founding member of the LIGMC over 17 years ago, said the chorus holds a lot of value as an LGBT+ space on Long Island. “We’re in the shadow of New York City. And yes, we have Fire Island, we have the village, but Long Island is a conservative place. So it’s nice to have these spaces where we can come together. And then by practicing and having something really special, we’re able to go out and share it with others.”

Practices are led this year by Jeanette Cooper, artistic director and accompanist of the LIGMC. Cooper will also lead the chorus through its concert series, as she has for the past few years. She is looking forward to an exciting season, the first half of which is themed after the joy of singing and the second half around Christmas. 

She is glad to return for another series after a break following the chorus’ summer series. Of all her hats to culminate a season, Cooper said she enjoys working directly with the members of the chorus most. “My favorite part of them is them. Because they are a group of wonderful men. No matter who joins us, they seem to fit right in. They are a delight, they are the reason I come back every week.”

The partnership with St. Paul’s has been ongoing for four years, and members of both the church and chorus have celebrated its success. Cederstrom said, “I’ve been very thankful to be housed by different churches in the community who have been really affirming to the queer community. St. Paul’s of East Northport has been very supportive of our mission here, and I’m very thankful that we are able to have a safe queer space to create music.”

Cederstrom’s father, Bob Cederstrom, has served as an associate pastor at St. Paul’s for 18 years. He said it has been a blessing to house the chorus over the last few years. “This is a very generous congregation, who opened their doors and welcomed [the chorus], and they’ve been here now for four years. They’re a blessing to have here. And we’re blessed to have them.”

For the elder Cederstrom, welcoming the Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus is simply following his faith. “Jesus welcomed everybody. He didn’t say ‘but’ or ‘if’ or ‘maybe.’ Everybody is welcome. … This is a wonderful, inviting congregation here.”

The group will continue practicing weekly at St. Paul’s. Rehearsals will lead up to the Sunday, Oct. 27, afternoon fall cabaret and concerts in December.

Interested singers can follow LIGMC on Instagram and Facebook or email LIGMC’s board of directors at [email protected]  for more information. 

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Smithtown East Vs. Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
All Suffolk County player, Olivia Bozzo, weaves her way through traffic for Smithtown East. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Emma Zodda, of Smithtown East, looks for an open teammate against Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kaleigh Howard secures a crossing attempt by Smithtown East, on Sept. 7th. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Finnley Wickard tries to dribble past Emma Zodda of Smithtown East. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steven Zaitz

Eleven months ago, a loose ball trickled between Smithtown East superstar striker, Olivia Bozzo, and Northport goalkeeper Kaleigh Howard. At the time both teams were fighting for Suffolk County playoff position.

In an attempt to smother the ball before the hard-charging Bozzo could gain control and fire, Howard raced out her box aggressively, and dove on top of it like it was a pin-pulled hand grenade. As Howard lay on the ground Bozzo, one of the top scorers in Suffolk County in 2023, tried to pull up, but rolled into the vulnerable goalkeeper.

The home Northport fans cheered Howard’s aggressive play, which prevented a Bozzo goal, but they did not realize that Bozzo’s cleat had ripped open the skin on Howard’s scalp, causing the sophomore to gush blood. She was rushed to the emergency room where she had several sutures stapled into her head.

After the game resumed, Bozzo, then a junior, scored two goals, and the Red Bulls won 3-0.

Shocking to all, Howard was back in the nets a week later.

Shocking to none, was the sight of Howard and her numberless, aqua blue jersey standing between the pipes, when the early-morning game started in St. James, this past Saturday. 

From the looks of it, she hasn’t changed her style one bit, as Howard made 10 saves against Smithtown East, in Northport’s 1-0 victory. The Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 2-1 and 1-0 in League 4 play. Smithtown East drops to 0-2 and 0-1 in the league on the young season.

Howard, or KK, as she is known around Suffolk County athletic circles, was marauding in and out of her penalty area, cutting off attacks before they started, directing her defense and controlling the game. Throughout the game, she implored her troops to keep up their intensity.

“I want to win every game, but yeah, I wanted this one a little more,” said Howard, a junior and two-year starter.

Under chalky gray skies, Northport’s Finnley Wickard, a sophomore who is, also, a highly-decorated long-distance track star, scored the game’s only goal, and second of the season, in the sixth minute after corralling the rebound of a Charlotte Radigan free kick. Smithtown East keeper Sophia McCord made a lunging save, but batted the ball to senior captain Sammy DeNisco, who made a crisp pass to Wickard in the middle, who tapped it in.

“I was really excited when that ball went in,” said Wickard. “This was a really big game for our team, and we wanted to start off our [intraleague]season with a win, so it was great to get that early goal.”

Smithtown East, who played eventual state champion, Ward Melville, in the Suffolk County finals last year, has dropped its first two games. The first, a non-league match against Smithtown West on Sept. 5, and this game — both by a score of 1-0. Bulls Coach, Julie Hereth, who stepped away from coaching for two seasons, after having a daughter, is encouraged, despite her team’s slow start.

“I’m proud of our team,” said Hereth. “We obviously would have loved a different result, and Northport is a great team. Both teams battled hard, and we need to keep working hard, having fun and, then, find ways to finish our opportunities.

As for Bozzo, the two-time All-Suffolk performer is working her way back from two, off-season surgeries — the second of which was just two months ago — played approximately half of this game. She wasn’t thinking about any bad blood between the two teams, and is focused on her team and her recovery.

“I’m eager to play, but also a bit cautious, not wanting to push myself too hard, too soon,” said the senior and third-year captain, Bozzo. “It feels great to be back as I’m reclaiming a part of me that I had lost during the recovery, and I woudn’t want to do anything else but be back out on the field with my best friends.”

But, Bozzo made little headway against Northport on Saturday. With the defender by committee group of Radigan, Lily Nye, Ella Cancro, and Hallie Gilmartin, who was playing in place of injured star fullback Morgan Shirley, the frustration to score for Bozzo and Smithtown East simmered to a gradual crescendo throughout the match. The frustration spilled over into what became a contentious battle of both soccer and trash talk, as East became more and more desperate to equalize, and Northport determined to keep them out.

And, it was Howard who had the last say in every instance.

In the 33rd minute, the junior who also excels in lacrosse, slid out on one knee to stop senior striker Lindsay Delgado on a semi-breakaway, getting her two oversized goalkeeper gloves to stop six’s run. With nine minutes left in the game, Bulls sophomore forward, Juliana Ganderillas, gained control in Northport’s end, and moved towards Howard’s net.  With Radigan chasing Ganderillas, the keeper, again, charged out and batted the ball away, to preserve the skinny lead.  East was awarded a corner kick, and after a very uncordial jostling for position by both teams, the crosser was headed out of danger by Wickard.

“There was a lot of talk on both sides, especially in the second half,” said Howard, who notched her second consecutive shutout. “But I’m not going to change my style and I’m not afraid of someone running at me.  I play very aggressively when the situation calls for it, and try to not let anyone get behind me.”

To do that, Howard will do what she always does and play how she always plays—by charging forward.

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Board of Education meetings are typically held at William J. Brosnan School. Photo credit GoogleMaps

By Lauren Feldman

At the Sept. 5 Northport-East Northport Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dave Moyer and his team presented on Professional Learning Communities, an educational plan that has been under consideration by the board in recent months.

The presentation goals included introducing foundational Professional Learning Community principles, providing examples of teacher collaboration, discussing the role of eduCLIMBER in supporting PLCs, and sharing district plans for year one implementation.

“PLCs are not a program, they’re not an initiative, they’re a culture,” Moyer said.

Moyer began by discussing John Hattie, who performed a study to help determine the most crucial aspects of schooling that affect learning. Hattie identified the top factor as what he called Collective Teacher Efficacy, or a collective belief of teachers in their ability to positively affect students. This is the concept on which PLC is based.

The PCL Method focuses on the surrounding areas which impact student growth. Courtesy Northport Board of Ed

PLC promotes that the purpose of schooling is to unite teachers in student education, not just rely on the efforts of a single teacher. “When teachers share their best strategies with one another, students win,” according to a PLC video that Moyer played for the board. “By sharing strategies, resources and data, teachers create more opportunities for their students to reach grade level and subject proficiency. PLCs give you the opportunity to improve your teaching practice with a team that shares your vision.”

Moyer explained that, crucially, PLC is teacher collaboration based on measurable evidence. “There are things we do in school that we think affect student learning, but in actuality don’t impact student learning,” he said. “Collaboration is critical, and the practice has to demonstrate results.”

PLC collaboration seeks to answer four questions: What is it we want our students to learn? How will we know if each student has learned it? How will we respond when some students do not learn it? How can we extend and enrich learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency?

The superintendent’s team also talked about work the district has done over the summer to begin to implement PLCs in Northport schools. One action is the implementation of a new way to track data, called eduCLIMBER.

This system is designed to provide district data alongside nondistrict data to better inform schools of the status of its students. On a student level, eduCLIMBER can help chart academics, but also attendance, behavioral incidents and interventions. On a district level, the tool can be used to track student, parent and staff surveys, school climate and culture and budget. 

Teachers can then use this data to better inform specific goals in the PLC process.

Moyer also discussed plans for implementing PLC this academic year. During a recent administrator retreat, attendees reviewed concepts from “Cultures Built to Last: Systemic PLCs at Work,” a book by Richard DuFour and Michael Fullan.

The first Monday of every month would include teacher collaboration time: meetings designed to complement and strengthen the work of PLCs, where faculty can discuss what is and is not working in their classrooms.

Principals will also have to assess the specific needs of their schools and provide the district with a focus area for their PLC plan. This will help the district understand what each school is aiming to improve for the academic year.

Members of the board posed some follow-up questions. When asked for data on what other schools have implemented PLCs, the superintendent and his team were unable to provide that information, though Moyer said there are lots of reasons a school may not implement PLCs, including insufficient data systems, or districts being otherwise unable to report on their students.

The superintendent emphasized that PLCs take a long time to implement. In high schools, they may take up to 10 years to flesh out. However, he sees this system as a positive way forward for Northport schools.

The board thanked the superintendent for his presentation, and many members valued the vision of PLC for the district. Northport schools will move forward with PLC implementation, and track student and school progress as the year continues.

The next BOE meeting is scheduled for Sept. 18.

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The new sign marking St. John’s historic cemetery. Photo by Lauren Feldman

By Lauren Feldman

St. John’s Episcopal Church of Huntington unveiled the new sign fronting its cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 8. The unveiling was accompanied by a lecture on the complex history of both St. John’s and the cemetery grounds, provided by local historians and preservationists.

Locals will note that the cemetery, located across from Huntington Hospital, is more than a stone’s throw from the church’s current location on the corner of Main Street and Prospect Street. 

They may also find it odd that the church located next to these grounds is not, in fact, St. John’s, but the Bethel AME Church, which represents an entirely different congregation.

Joel Snodgrass discusses preservation and restoration plans for the cemetery. Photo by Lauren Feldman

Historians Toby Kissam and Robert Hughes were on-site to explain the strange location of the cemetery grounds. 

The church building today is the third one in the congregation’s history, erected at the beginning of the 20th century on land donated by Cornelia Prime. The first services were held in the new church on Pentecost, 1907. A new parish hall was built, and the church was consecrated in 1917.

The cemetery itself marks the grounds of the original church site. In the 1740s, the Rev. Samuel Seabury Sr. of St. George’s paid a visit to Huntington, where he found a small group of like-minded people. By the following year, enough settlers in the area were invested in forming their own parish. 

A small church building was erected a little north of the Village Green, located along Park Avenue on the north side of Route 25A. 

Throughout the Revolutionary War, Kissam said, there were no permanent ministers at the church, as Long Island was a region of divided loyalties. While there were many Tories loyal to the king, Huntington was a town of patriot sympathizers and no minister associated with the official church dared settle in the area. 

Following the war, the church struggled to reorganize, and after five decades the original building was in a state of extreme disrepair. 

By the 1860s, the vestry was debating whether to rebuild on the existing grounds or move elsewhere. The location of the church was perceived as inconvenient for most people to attend, consequently lowering attendance and enfeebling the church. But in spite of these disadvantages, the church was rebuilt on the original site.

Then in 1905 a fire destroyed the church’s building, and the church was rebuilt at its new (current) location, with the land provided by Prime. 

And so it came to be that the church and its cemetery were separated across town. With the new sign in place, as well as inviting members of both the congregation and the village, the clergy of St. John’s hopes to continue to raise awareness for the ongoing efforts of the church to restore these sacred grounds.

Architectural conserver Joel Snodgrass walked visitors through the plans for preserving and restoring the grounds at St. John’s. The process will include bringing in professional landscapers to clear out the severe overgrowth of the grounds, as well as repairing and replacing some of the damaged ancient stones. 

The unveiling of the cemetery sign comes at a pivotal time for the parish, which will be celebrating its 280th anniversary in 2025. Plans are underway to host and fundraise for a series of events in celebration of the longevity of the congregation. This information will soon be available on the parish’s website. 

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Eric Roberts

By Julianne Mosher

Academy Award nominated actor Eric Roberts’ first memoir is being released this month and he is kicking off his book tour on Long Island. 

Part of the famous Roberts family (including his sister Julia and daughter Emma), the 68-year-old actor is publishing his first memoir, Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far next week. To celebrate, he has chosen the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington as his first stop on the tour. 

“This is the first appearance that he’s making as the book is being released so we’re really honored and delighted he would choose us,” said Jud Newborn, Emmy Award-winning producer of special programs at the Centre. “It’s wonderful to be appreciated.” 

On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. the evening will start with a screening of the 1985 film Runaway Train followed by a discussion with the actor, audience Q&A, gala book signing and reception featuring food and live jazz music by New York Times-acclaimed guitarist Mike Soloway. 

The film, which stars Roberts, Jon Voight, and Rebecca DeMornay, tells the story of two convicts who escape a prison in snowy Alaska, battling the desolate landscape until they board an empty train — only to discover that the engineer has had a heart attack as the train accelerates out of control.

Roberts was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the film and it is rarely screened in a live setting, Newborn said. 

“Eric Roberts is actually one of the most prolific actors in the world,” he added. “I was dumbfounded when I read that he was in more than 700 films.”

Roberts grew up in Georgia, spending most of his teens away from his mother and sisters and instead stayed with his controlling father, a grifter jealous of his early success. At age 17, he moved to New York to pursue acting, where he worked and partied with future legends like Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis and Robin Williams.

His big break came when he was cast in “King of the Gypsies,” becoming one of the hottest stars of the era. While his younger sister, Julia, has held a career based on her “squeaky clean, girl next door” persona, Roberts has had a life and career filled with ups and downs including arrests, drug addiction and a near-death car accident. 

Newborn, who will be moderating the discussion, said that people are drawn to these events because the Centre brings in guests who can speak to the concerns and interests of people — and have been since it was opened in 1973.

“It’s going to be a lovely evening and another special Cinema Arts Centre event which we’re famous for,” he said. “We bring in such astounding artists, it’s really mind boggling.”

Roberts’ memoir is said to show a candid look inside his life discussing the ups and downs of his career, his stormy relationship with Julia and how he confronted his demons with the help of his wife, Eliza. Written with New York Times bestselling author Sam Kashner, this memoir plans to have people talking.

“I think our guests are going to be surprised,” Newborn said. “I’ve always found Eric Roberts to be compelling and unconventional in a way that is so intriguing … He has appeared in every kind of medium you can imagine; film, TV, music videos, voice over work and he’s a character actor.”

Tickets for the event are $52 for the public and $42 for members. It includes the film screening, a copy of the memoir that will be signed by Roberts in person, and the reception. To order, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org or click here.

Other celebrity guests scheduled for appearances at the Cinema Arts Centre this fall include director Barry Sonnenfeld on Oct. 8, actor George Takei on Oct. 15; Moon Unit Zappa (daughter of Frank Zappa) on Oct. 27; and actor Tim Matheson on Nov. 12. For further information, call 631-423-7610.

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