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Port Jefferson Station/Terryville

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At podium, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announces $450,000 in federal funds to rid the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site of its remaining buildings. Photo by Raymond Janis

Public officials of all levels of government, business and civic leaders, and community members gathered Monday, Jan. 9, before a derelict building at the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station.

Once a dumping ground for toxic waste, policymakers are now plotting a course of action for this 126-acre property. After taking decades to rid the site of harmful contaminants, officials and community groups are working toward an ambitious proposal to convert the site into a multipurpose community hub, accommodating a solar farm, a railyard and open space for local residents.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the press conference to announce the injection of $450,000 in federal funds secured through the recent omnibus budget. This money will be used to help demolish the remaining buildings at the property. 

“We’re here today to showcase one of the final puzzle pieces needed to demo 14 dangerous buildings here,” Schumer said. “I am here today to say that the train that is on this journey is ready to leave the station.” 

The Senate majority leader added that these funds would advance three community goals. “One, a railroad-use project to help the LIRR with logistics; industrial redevelopment of a 5-megawatt solar farm,” and lastly, add 50 construction jobs to the local economy.

At podium, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D). Photo by Raymond Janis

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) described the considerable intergovernmental coordination and logistical obstacles to get to this stage.

“This project, as reflected by all of the people that have come together and all the levels of government, is critically important to the community,” he said.

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) discussed the long and arduous road to revitalizing the site and the decades that have passed as this community blight lay barren. 

“These buildings have been condemned for over 25 years,” he said. “This has been a Superfund site for almost 25 years. Finally, we will see these buildings come down.”

Former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) also attended the press event. During his time in Albany, he championed the site’s conversion for environmental and community purposes.

“We have a plan that will enhance our community and create new jobs,” he said. “This property stood out as a place in peril of a potentially bad decision,” adding, “Instead, we have a very thoughtful plan.”

Englebright, a geologist by trade, also touched upon the environmental impacts that redevelopment will offer through these plans. He said local harbors, groundwater and surface waters would benefit as this dark episode in local history concludes.

At podium, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R). Photo by Raymond Janis

“The harbor, which is the beginning of our town, has been poisoned by the solvents that were poured into the ground here,” the former assemblyman said. “That is a thing of the past because of the federal involvement with the Superfund cleanup.”

He added, “All the levels of government are working together here, which is a beautiful thing. It’s a model for what government should be able to do all the time.”

Jen Dzvonar, president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, also offered her perspective. She said public improvements such as these indirectly support and promote local businesses.

“Any improvement in Port Jefferson Station is major,” she said. “By getting the blight away from the area, we will increase businesses. A solar farm is coming. They’re creating 50 construction jobs. It just heightens Port Jefferson Station and the desire to come here.”

Representing the Village of Port Jefferson were Mayor Margot Garant and Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden. Both stressed the importance of this undertaking, conveying their support for neighboring Port Jefferson Station in its community aspirations.

Garant viewed the plans as an opportunity to improve the Port Jefferson Branch line of the Long Island Rail Road. “We’re really in support of this because of the MTA portion of it,” she said. “To clean up this site, to put it back to public use, to not have the county paying taxes on it, is good for everybody.”

For Snaden, the project will bolster the village’s neighbors, representing a vital regional investment. “I think it’s great,” she said. “It’s a cleanup of the site. It’s knocking down these falling buildings, adding to the betterment of the entire community and the region at large.”

Schumer said the next step would be to ensure that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development expedites these funds, ensuring the prompt demolition of the buildings and swift redevelopment of the site.



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Port Jefferson Station/Terryville residents fought successfully to defend their community against cracking, a harmful practice in political redistricting. Pictured above, several residents speaking up during an unofficial meeting of the Brookhaven Redistricting Committee at the Setauket Neighborhood House Friday, Aug. 5. Left to right: Ira Costell, Joan Nickeson, Francis Gibbons and Lou Antoniello. File photos by Raymond Janis
By Aidan Johnson

In an age and political culture defined by partisanship and polarization, the few examples of unity and solidarity give us hope. 

This summer, the people of Port Jefferson Station and Terryville did just that, defending their community’s integrity within the Town of Brookhaven. In this year’s controversial redistricting process, the strength, persistence and overwhelming numbers of these citizens would win the day.

Reapportionment is a decennial procedure within the town, adjusting the lines of its six council districts to reflect changes in population over those 10 years. 

From the beginning, this year’s redistricting process was marked by chaos and confusion. “The hearings were poorly advertised, they were chaotic, they were confusing, they were marked by a lack of support information from the town, which resulted in maps that just appeared out of thin air,” said Port Jefferson Station resident Ira Costell at a public hearing in September.

Two draft maps appeared on the Brookhaven Redistricting Committee’s website by late July. These maps, having no input from the committee itself, proposed significant changes along the borders of Council Districts 1 and 2, with much of Terryville potentially cut away from Port Jefferson Station.

Culturally and historically, Port Jeff Station and Terryville are a united community. Their residents share a zip code, school district, library, chamber of commerce and civic association, among other shared community institutions. When the people of this area were alerted to the proposed changes to their political representation, they stormed into action.

The summer of resistance

Cracking is an unpopular practice in political redistricting. By dividing a community across multiple districts, a mapmaker can also blunt that community’s voting power. The intended effect of cracking is often a dilution of public resources and funds away from the cracked area. 

Throughout the redistricting process, Terryville resident Joan Nickeson gave a forceful critique of cracking. “It is unconscionable that you would crack our high school from the rest of its district, and crack neighbor from neighbor, and actually cleave members of the chamber of commerce from the chamber of commerce office,” she told the Town Board during an August public hearing.

In an Aug. 11 letter to the editor, “Reflections on Brookhaven redistricting process,” Terryville resident Francis Gibbons criticized attempts to crack the community as antithetical to the values of freedom and democracy.

“Manipulation of the redistricting process is a game played by both parties throughout the United States,” he wrote. “To me, it is a disgusting game. It flies in the face of everything so many have fought and died for.”

Paul Sagliocca, a Port Jeff Station resident, commented on the historical progress the area has made in recent years. As the community embarked on its local renaissance, he questioned why others would attempt to disrupt that development and forward movement. 

The area “is on the up — we do not need to be divided,” he said in an August hearing. “I would really wish that when it comes time to vote, that Port Jeff Station/Terryville stays in one solid community within District 1.”

Throughout several public hearings before the redistricting committee, local residents came out in numbers to express their displeasure about the proposed maps and how they could their hinder their representation. They often criticized the committee process itself.

Setauket-based George Hoffman, a Democratic appointee to the redistricting committee, suggested that his fellow committee members had good intentions. However, he was discouraged by the process overall. 

“I think the whole experience was disappointing,” he said in an interview. “I think we could have come up with what would be considered fair.”

Even among the committee members, the process was rife with confusion and discontentment. In one occurrence in early August, a scheduled public hearing at the Setauket Neighborhood House was canceled just hours before its start. 

“They decided to cancel this meeting without any concern for the people that were already coming. They only pulled it from their website at 4:30,” Hoffman explained during the unofficial meeting that took place later. Many spoke anyway during this unofficial meeting, eager to make their voices heard before a committee without a quorum and to the rest of the attendees.

Resolution

Despite the uncertainty throughout those pivotal summer months, the Town Board eventually heard the people and responded accordingly. On Thursday, Sept. 29, the board unanimously approved a map that keeps Port Jefferson Station/Terryville almost entirely unified within CD1.

Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), who represents the 1st District, expressed his appreciation for the effort and devotion of the residents throughout the process. 

“People are so busy these days that it seems like fewer and fewer people have time or attention for civic matters,” Kornreich said in a statement. “Seeing so many residents actively participating in what is usually a pretty dry government process was inspiring because even in today’s highly polarized political world, people from both parties united to advocate on behalf of their communities.” 

The councilmember added, “I have particular admiration for the folks from Port Jefferson Station and Terryville who have helped cultivate a very strong sense of community spirit over the last couple of years. There are so many exciting things happening in that area, and I am proud to continue to represent this thriving community.”

While the local residents prevailed in the end, the outcome was not universally triumphant. Throughout the process, many felt that the movement of the mostly white population of Ridge into Council District 4 could silence the voices of the ethnically diverse communities of Gordon Heights, Coram and North Bellport. Correcting this apparent injustice will be the responsibility of the entire township during the 2032 redistricting process. 

But the people of Port Jeff Station and Terryville should be proud of their redistricting success this year. Through their hard work over those confusing summer months, their community stands together — united and one. 

Their dedication and passion, courage to lift their voices to power, and commitment to lock arms and stand together were inspiring and could serve as a model for other communities.

For protecting their community and refusing to “crack” under pressure, TBR News Media recognizes the citizens who fought for a fair redistricting of Port Jefferson Station/Terryville as People of the Year 2022.

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Community members participated in a menorah lighting at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station Sunday, Dec. 18. Photo by Paul Perrone

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce annual menorah lighting ceremony took place Sunday, Dec. 18, at sundown in the hamlet’s Train Car Park.

Rabbi Aaron Benson of North Shore Jewish Center officiated the ceremony, offering a prayer to mark the first night of Hanukkah. The event was well attended by community members and many from the North Shore Jewish Center. 

Among those joining the festivities were PJSTCC vice president Paul Perrone, the chamber’s community liaison Joan Nickeson and Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).

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Photo courtesy Andrew Harris

Comsewogue High School alum Jair Lopez, Class of 2022, became a United States Marine on Dec. 2, and returned to Comsewogue High School on Wednesday, Dec. 7. 

Lopez was welcomed by a crowd of students, teachers and staff. “There was so much love and respect displayed by all of our Comsewogue Warriors for him,” said Jennifer Quinn, superintendent of schools. 

Lopez recently graduated in June. When he spoke, he thanked his teachers for not giving up on him and keeping him pointed in the right direction.

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The PJSTCA executive board during its December monthly meeting. Photo by Raymond Janis

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association met Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Comsewogue Public Library for its monthly meeting.

PJSTCA vice president Sal Pitti delivered the report on public safety. Given a noticeable uptick in phone scams and malicious email attachments, Pitti stressed the importance of staying on high alert for these threats.

“The bottom line is that if you don’t know the other person on the other end of the phone, don’t send them money,” he said. “If you get an email from somebody you don’t know — and I don’t care how official the email looks — don’t click the link. That’s their way into your computer system.”

Noting the ongoing fallout of the September ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government, he added, “It can happen to anybody.”

The civic’s corresponding secretary Charlie McAteer announced the renaming of the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway trail in honor of outgoing New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket).

“Steve Englebright was the person who initially, in 2001, got the $2 million-plus for the initial project, which opened in 2009,” he said. “I think that given all of the things he has done in the community, that is a nice plus.”

Student representative Max of Comsewogue School District reported that the high school would host its Holiday Spirit Week with various themes next week.

CPL assistant library director Andrea Malchiodi reminded the members that donations are being accepted for Toys for Tots. “December 17 is the last day for that,” she said. “Food is always welcome for our food pantry. The Tree of Warmth will be collecting hats, gloves, mittens and scarves until January 31.”

During last month’s meeting, members vigorously discussed the planned retirement community to be developed at the intersection of Terryville and Old Town roads. [See story, “PJS/Terryville civic hosts November meeting.”]

McAteer reported on a recent meeting between civic leaders, members of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich’s (D-Stony Brook) office and the developer of the site.

The developer is “talking about putting in a very small, just over 2,100-square-foot clubhouse, an outdoor swimming pool, a pickleball court and two bocce ball courts,” McAteer said. “The [residential units] will all be two stories high.”

Summarizing his thoughts on the exchanges, he added that the developer’s team “seemed to be amenable to our small, minor suggestions. I thought it went well.”

Multiple civic members expressed their interest in contributing to the proposed community garden on the John F. Kennedy middle school property. Pitti said he hopes to begin planning for the garden in March after fleshing out some details of insuring the facility.

Near the end of the meeting, member Paul Sagliocca inquired whether the civic association could collectively apply greater pressure on the Town of Brookhaven Highway Department to repave Terryville Road.

“I want to see if we come up with a subset of this meeting and prioritize the road because we’re missing out,” he said.

Responding to Sagliocca’s request, Pitti suggested the highway prioritization process within the town is steeped in politics and bureaucracy. While Terryville Road has been on the department’s list for roughly a half-decade, Pitti added that it will be up to the department when the roadway gets repaved. 

The town’s Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) could not be reached for comment by press time.

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Photos courtesy Steve Englebright's office
Left to right: Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce president Jen Dzvonar, Santa Claus, New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), Mrs. Claus, and PJSTCC community liaison Joan Nickeson.

Dozens of community members, performers, business leaders and public officials gathered at the Train Car Park in Port Jefferson Station Dec. 8, continuing a lasting holiday custom.

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce has hosted this event for decades, perennially reuniting the various facets of the community amid festive cheer. Guests were greeted with hot chocolate under a tent, with some chamber members tabling inside.

The stars of the event, Santa and Mrs. Claus, arrived in a stylish fire rescue vehicle supplied by the Terryville Fire Department. Along with them was chamber president Jen Dzvonar, New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook).

Santa and Mrs. Claus spent quality time with the children, sitting for photographs and taking requests for Christmas. Vocalists from the School of Rock performed Christmas carols and Hanukkah songs. Dancers from the Port Jefferson Station-based Backstage Studio of Dance jived to the musical beats of several tunes.

“We try to rally the entire community for a great community event,” Dzvonar said. She responded to the sizable turnout and talented performers by saying, “I think it’s so heartwarming. It’s like a true holiday festival, celebratory and inviting.”

The laughter and fun of the evening were just another positive development in a string of forward momentum for the community this year. Kornreich described the spectacle as exemplifying the area’s distinctiveness and charm.

“By my reckoning, I think this is reason number 74 for why Port Jeff Station is one of the best places to live in Suffolk County,” he said. “This town is changing so quickly, and there are just so many fun things going on here all the time,” adding, “I’m just really happy to be here with everyone from the community on yet another happy occasion in our new park.”

Englebright outlined some of the historical contexts behind this event. The assemblyman regarded the gradual development of the area and the Train Car Park as the product of decades of joint efforts between community groups, governmental entities and engaged residents.

“To see all of the young people here, and Santa and Mrs. Claus … it is showing us all the direction that this holiday is meant to be in,” the assemblyman said. “It’s very heartening to see the very talented kids, the dancers and the fire department. The whole community is here, and it’s just amazing.”

Gwenn Capodieci is the executive director of the Backstage dance studio. She said her dance groups have performed during this event for the past three years and frequently coordinate with PJSTCC. For her, the evening is a unique opportunity for the dancers to perform before their peers and community members.

“After all, this is a performing art,” she said. “Performing is a big part of it, so to get an opportunity to show that is really great.” 

Nicole Terlizzo, artistic director and teacher at the dance studio, said the performances were the product of two months of preparation, with the rehearsals ranging from jazz techniques to hip-hop, tap, ballet and others.

“The girls practiced really hard and really came together,” Terlizzo said. “They have a lot of fun doing it, and it’s a fun way to get them out of the studio and in front of the community.”

Paul Perrone, vice president of PJSTCC, summed up why the chamber continues this tradition annually: “It gives people an opportunity to get out of their house and enjoy the community park,” he said. “It helps people feel that Comsewogue — Port Jefferson Station/Terryville — has something to offer everybody.”

Joan Nickeson, the chamber’s community liaison, offered her take as well, citing the tree lighting event as an annual tradition that highlights the area’s continued growth and support.

“It’s an annual Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce tradition, and we’re so fortunate to have a great Santa, support from our electeds, residents and the business community,” she said.

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Above, presenters during Career Day at Terryville Road Elementary School. Photo courtesy Meaghan Reilly
By Meaghan Reilly

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

Students at Comsewogue’s Terryville Road Elementary School had the opportunity to consider this critical question and get some firsthand experience during Career Day on Thursday, Nov. 17. 

Unable to host its generous presenters throughout the pandemic, the school’s biggest event of the year was reinstituted successfully once again.

“We were so happy to welcome our community members to present to the students at Terryville,” said principal Annemarie Sciove. “The students were excited and eager to learn from each professional. It was a memorable experience.”

Above, a Suffolk County police officer poses with students during the event. Photo courtesy Meaghan Reilly

A total of 26 professional presenters met in the school media center for brief refreshments before being escorted to their classrooms by two student ambassadors from each class. 

The halls were full of excited students and enthusiastic Terryville faculty. All students were invited to dress for the occasion. Some students chose to dress for their intended future careers, while others donned their finest attire. 

Each presenter was greeted with a welcome poster before setting up materials and presentations related to their profession. 

Throughout the event, students had a chance to pose questions and try their hands at some of the skills of various trades. To name a few, in landscaper Barry Rose’s demonstration, fifth grade students had the chance to plant seeds. Fourth graders got to try on FDNY bunker gear during their time with fire chief Tom Reilly. 

Inflatable dragons got sent home with third graders who participated in an interactive story time from children’s librarian Debbie Bush of the Comsewogue Public Library. Some students even got to have real casts put on their fingers by Dr. Hayley Queller, internal medicine and sports medicine specialist based in East Setauket.

Presenters consisted of Terryville parents, community members and friends of the Comsewogue School District. There were regulars and newcomers alike. While setting up in the morning, Suffolk County police officer Rob Coffman shared that he’d been presenting at Terryville’s Career Day for nearly 15 years. 

Meanwhile, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) expressed his appreciation at being invited for the first time. Other presenters included geology researchers from Stony Brook University, a service dog provider, an MTA traffic controller, dance and martial arts instructors, an ocean researcher, a veterinarian, nurses, actors and local entrepreneurs. 

Also attending were a psychologist, a respiratory therapist, a professional lacrosse player and a health teacher from Comsewogue High School. 

It was a wonderful day, and students are already looking forward to celebrating this tradition again next year.

Meaghan Reilly is the library media specialist at Terryville Road Elementary School.

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Students from Comsewogue High School’s Triple C Club during the sale. Photo courtesy Andrew Harris
By Camila Perez Solis

For the past two weeks, students from Comsewogue High School’s Triple C Club brainstormed ways they could raise awareness of healthy alternatives to typical snacks and baked goods. 

Healthy foods on display during the Strong Bake Sale at CHS. Photo courtesy Andrew Harris

They decided to hold the Strong Bake Sale, with healthier options like a banana power bar. All sales were conducted from the high school’s rotunda, with profits supporting student scholarships and positive activities around the school and Greater Comsewogue community. 

“It is important to educate students at our school on how they can eat healthier and offer them alternatives,” said Andrew Harris, club adviser.

The organizers of the sale sought to raise awareness that what we eat as foods can be both nourishing and delicious. Oftentimes, people avoid eating healthy because they worry these options won’t taste as good. 

Sofia Castro, one of the star bakers in this sale, offered a different perspective. “The double chocolate protein muffins were truly a big hit,” she said. “They provide a good source of protein, but are still so tasty.” 

Along with Alexa Kallmeyer, Castro also made pumpkin and banana muffins. “It is relaxing for us to bake, so we didn’t mind spending the weekend doing it,” she said.

‘Life is all about choices, and it’s important for people to have options that are better for our health.’ 

­— Michael Mosca

Michael Mosca, CHS principal, gave us his opinion on this initiative. “I love the idea of the bake sale,” he said. “There is definitely a common misconception that healthy foods do not taste good, but there are so many delicious foods that can make for great snacks.” The principal added, “Life is all about choices, and it’s important for people to have options that are better for our health.” 

These baked goods were all homemade, using healthier ingredients such as sweet potatoes, almond flour, unsweetened applesauce and dates. Of course each treat also included lots of love from the bottom of the Triple C volunteer bakers hearts. 

Comsewogue is proud to report that the sale satisfied two objectives by raising over $200, and building awareness and momentum for healthier eating choices in the district. Next month, the club will continue its work, offering fresh organic fruits to students, with plans for another bake sale sometime soon.

Camila Perez Solis is a foreign-exchange student from Ecuador and a junior at Comsewogue High School.

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Above, Celebrated local artist Louise Brett, left, and Theresa Emery, right, are pictured on the bridge that crosses over the LIRR tracks at Sheep Pasture Road, February 1948. Note the sign for McDonald turkeys. Photo courtesy Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

McDonald Farms, once the largest turkey breeding farm in New York state, was located south of Sheep Pasture Road and the LIRR tracks in Port Jefferson Station.

Established in 1939 by the William P. McDonald Construction Company, the farm was tucked away in the woods nearby McDonald’s sand mine on Sheep Pasture Road.

In 1944, Ledkote Products Company, the corporate predecessor of now-shuttered Lawrence Aviation, purchased McDonald Farms and continued raising turkeys on the property.

Retaining the name McDonald Farms, the business flourished after World War II, creating a demand for poultrymen who were offered $30 per week and lodging as compensation.

In 1947, the farm had 5,000 breeders and raised over 20,000 Broad Breasted Bronze and White Holland turkeys, advertised as the “undisputed monarchs of the entire turkey kingdom.” 

Above a Thanksgiving postcard. Photo courtesy Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

The business boasted everything necessary to ready birds for the market, including incubators, nurseries, floor brooders, houses for the hens and toms, ranges planted in clover and dressing rooms.

A leader in the poultry trade, McDonald Farms hosted the regional Northeastern Turkey Growers Convention in July 1947. The two-day event featured a tour of the farm, a banquet at Teddy’s Hotel and Restaurant at the intersection of Main and East Broadway in Port Jefferson, and agricultural programs at Port Jefferson High School.

McDonald Farms generously donated turkeys to needy individuals and charitable organizations, not only on Thanksgiving but throughout the year. 

The business also welcomed field trips from students in all age groups, reaching youngsters in the lower grades as well as upperclassmen in John E. Berney’s vocational agriculture class at the high school.

A roaring fire destroyed a four-story feed hopper at McDonald Farms in April 1955, but fortunately no fatalities or serious injuries resulted from the blaze.

Beginning in 1959, Lawrence Aviation began manufacturing titanium sheeting at what was formerly the McDonald Farms property, marking the site’s transformation from agricultural to industrial use.

Kenneth Brady has served as the Port Jefferson Village historian and president of the Port Jefferson Conservancy, as well as on the boards of the Suffolk County Historical Society, Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Port Jefferson Historical Society. He is a longtime resident of the village.

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By Elaine Holmes

Comsewogue High School congratulates sophomore Elliot Jaklitsch on being named a Macy’s Great American Marching Band member.  

Honoring America’s finest high school musicians, color guard members and dancers, this marching band comprises select students from across the country.

Above, Elliot Jaklitsch, sophomore at Comsewogue High School. Photo courtesy Elaine Holmes

Jaklitsch will be one of 185 musicians chosen to perform for this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. This prestigious band will be positioned among the gigantic helium balloons, impressive floats and the nation’s top marching bands.  

“I am so excited to have this amazing opportunity,” Jaklitsch said. “I am looking forward to meeting musicians from all over the United States and marching in one of the best parades.”  

Stepping off from Central Park, the band will be cheered on by an estimated 3 million spectators lining the parade route. Arriving at Macy’s Herald Square, the band will perform for celebrity hosts, a grandstand audience and the usual millions of TV viewers watching the  broadcast live from home. 

“Elliot is an incredible young lady, and we are very proud of her accomplishment,” said Michael Mosca, Comsewogue High School principal.

To watch the Macy’s audition video with Jaklitsch playing the mellophone, see above video.

Elaine Holmes is the orchestra director at Comsewogue High School.

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