Superintendent Jessica Schmettan. File photo by Kyle Barr
Port Jefferson Middle School and Earl L. Vandermeulen High School had to go fully remote this week, after parents begged the district to allow their children back in four days a week.
Up until recently, the district had students come to the high school and middle school twice a week. Parents, concerned about how the lack of in-person learning would have on their children, began asking why the district would not add more days.
Jae Hartzell, a parent in the district, said she was one of a dozen who voiced their concerns.
“We really worked, and fought, and emailed, and studied, and provided stats, and really researched to make sure we were fighting for the right and safe thing to do,” she said.
And their wishes were granted at the latest board of education meeting on Jan. 8, when the board agreed on a vote to let middle and high schoolers back in four days a week.
But just two days later, on Sunday, Jan. 10, the district sent out a notification that the four days will not happen, and instead, those two groups would have to go remote.
The notice said that as of that day, there were 26 staff members, including teachers and teaching assistants, who are subject to quarantine due to COVID-19, for a variety of reasons related to their own health, in-school and out of school exposures, and positive family members.
It continued that after careful examination of the school’s schedules and their available substitute coverage, they determined they do not have the staff to cover the middle and high schools this week. That being said, grades 6-12 will go remote Jan. 12 through Jan. 15, with no change to the Monday, Jan. 11 schedule as this is an asynchronous remote day in the district’s hybrid schedule.
The notice did not affect the elementary school, which will still be open for in-person learning, and staff coverage for the district’s 8:1:1 special education students have not been affected, as the in-person class schedules for these students remains the same.
“As a parent, you see your child go from super happy and over the moon to be able to go back to school, and then flattened a bit with that disappointment,” Hartzell said. “We all have to understand this is very complex and complicated and we don’t have the information, but it’s disheartening.”
Port Jefferson School District Superintendent Jessica Schmettan said the district understands this is difficult news to hear after the highly anticipated return to four days per week of in-person instruction.
“This determination is only for the remainder of this week and we expect to begin this next phase of our reopening plan on Tuesday, Jan. 19 – as long as circumstances permit – when we look forward to having all of our students back in our classrooms,” she said.
In the effort to save lives and find another safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, Stony Brook Medicine is participating in a Phase 3 clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of a Novavax investigational vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Stony Brook is the only Long Island site participating in this clinical trial, and one of two in New York State to be selected for the trial.
The study began on Dec. 27 and is led locally by principal investigator Benjamin J. Luft, MD, Edmund D. Pellegrino Professor of Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and Adult Infectious Diseases Expert; and Sub-Investigator Sharon Nachman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Research at the Renaissance School of Medicine. The randomized, blinded placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial will assess the immunity and safety of the Novavax vaccine candidate, as well as its ability to reduce disease in those who contract the virus.
Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) COVID-19 Prevention Network, the study will recruit up to 30,000 participants at multiple sites across the U.S. and Mexico. Stony Brook is expected to enroll 500 participants, with the vaccine distributed mainly through Stony Brook Medicine’s Advanced Specialty Care in Commack, because of its ease of access and on-site phlebotomy and pharmacy.
Stony Brook was chosen as a trial center, in part, because of the institution’s outstanding expertise in infectious disease research – including vaccinology – and for the ability to perform clinical trials in subjects with complex medical conditions. The study will leverage Stony Brook’s extensive relationships with the first responder and essential worker communities to offer the vaccine trial to those at particularly high risk. Additionally, Stony Brook aims to bring the vaccine trial to underrepresented populations who are also at higher risk for infection.
The clinical trial is a pivotal phase-three study, following phase one and two trials, in which volunteers produced strikingly high levels of antibodies. The results from the phase one study were published in the September issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. There are many benefits to participating in the study:
Level of antibody production. Based on Novavax’s phase two study, patients who received the investigational vaccine have reached protective levels of antibody production lasting for as long as they have been followed in the clinical trial.
Two-to-one randomization. The clinical trial is a two-to-one randomization of an investigational vaccine compared to placebo (most vaccine studies are one to one). This means that for every two people who receive the vaccine candidate, one will receive a placebo — increasing a participant’s chances of receiving the vaccine candidate.
Follow-up and monitoring. Each participant will be monitored for a two-year period. This will allow for a long-term safety assessment of all participants in the clinical trial.
Participants must be enrolled over a six- to eight-week period. They must be over age 18 and have not previously tested positive for COVID-19. At least twenty-five percent of participants must be 65 years of age or older. Those who are more likely to have an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to community exposure, such as working in jobs that requires public interaction, are encouraged to participate.
Participants must be in reasonably good health, including those who have preexisting conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, that are stable. The investigational vaccine is not live, so participants cannot become ill with COVID-19 as a result of receiving the vaccine candidate. Enrollees are encouraged to have gotten their flu vaccine prior to enrolling in the study. All vaccines, including the flu vaccine, must be received at least four days prior to, or seven days after, receiving any study-related injections.
For more details about the clinical trial and Novavax, see this link.
Scammers are using a variety of methods tied to COVID-19 economic impact payments to target consumers
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is alerting consumers on Jan. 6 about scammers taking advantage of COVID-19 economic stimulus payments. With another round of economic stimulus payments approved by Congress, scammers will be sending phishing emails, texts and phone calls and using social media to try to steal economic impact payments and your personal information. Consumers are reminded that it’s important to stay vigilant and aware of unsolicited communications asking for your personal or private information.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers have been hard at work trying to steal money from unsuspecting New Yorkers,” said Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. “With this latest round of stimulus funding on its way, I urge all New Yorkers to be extra diligent and follow simple steps to keep your money and personal identity safe.”
New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Michael Schmidt said, “We all must remain especially vigilant against scam artists trying to steal this latest round of stimulus funding from New Yorkers. We’re sharing valuable information so you can learn how to spot red flags and where to find reliable information so you won’t be caught off guard by con artists.”
New York State Office of Information Technology Services Chief Information Officer Angelo “Tony” Riddick said, “New Yorkers are being challenged like never before by a global pandemic, and to make matters worse, we’ve seen unscrupulous individuals use technology in a desperate and dishonest attempt to scam them out of their own money. Fortunately, New Yorkers can protect themselves against these COVID-related scams if they are armed with the right information. Always be wary of unsolicited phone calls, texts, emails, links or attachments, even if the sender appears to be known. And, never send your personal information via email or text.”
What You Need to Know about Economic Impact Payments
On December 27, 2020, the federal government passed a pandemic relief package. An important component of individual relief, Economic Impact Payments, will be issued to New Yorkers from the IRS.
You don’t need to take any action to automatically receive your stimulus payment if you:
filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and are eligible; or
received one of these benefits (unless claiming a qualifying child under age 17):
– Social Security retirement benefits and survivor benefits
– Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and survivor benefits
– Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits
– Railroad Retirement and survivor benefits
– Veterans Administration compensation (disability, death benefits etc.) or retirement benefits
While most people will receive their payment automatically, if you otherwise have not filed taxes recently, you may need to submit a simple Federal tax return to get your check. For more information on the Economic Impact Payments, New Yorkers should visit the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance at Economic Impact Payment information: what you need to know or the IRS at Economic Impact Payments.
Below are tips to help keep your economic impact payment and personal information safe from scammers:
Rely on trusted sites for information. Visitlegitimate, government websites—for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19. Visit the IRS website directly for the latest information on the economic impact payments. Remember, the government will never call to ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number.
Delete emails asking you for personal information to receive an economic stimulus check. Government agencies are not sending unsolicited emails seeking your private information in order to send you money.
Don’t provide personal or banking information. Scammers may ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up your economic impact payment.
Do not agree to sign over your economic impact payment check. Scammers may ask you to sign over your stimulus payment check to them.
Be wary of bogus checks. Scammers may mail you a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then tell the taxpayer to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.
Do not cash unsolicited checks. Scammers use this tactic to get your bank account information, and you will incur fees when the check is found to be insufficient.
Be aware that scammers are also able to replicate a government agency’s name and phone number on caller ID. It’s important to remember that the IRS will never ask you for your personal information or threaten your benefits by phone call, email, text or social media.
Hang up on illegal robocallers. If you receive a call about economic impact payment scams, hang up. Don’t press any numbers. The recording might say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list, but it might lead to more robocalls, instead.
Notify the IRS if you are contacted by a potential scammer. If you receive an unsolicited email, text or social media attempt that appears to be from the IRS or an organization associated with the IRS, like the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, notify the IRS at [email protected].
Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations. Review the Federal Trade Commission’s page on Charity Scams for more information.
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection serves to educate, assist and empower the State’s consumers. For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or visit the DCP website at www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection. The Division can also be reached via Twitter at @NYSConsumer or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.
-Information provided by the New York State Division of Consumer Protection
Radio Central Amateur Radio Club vice-president Richie Fisher and St. Charles Hospital Director of Public and Community Relations Marilyn Fabbricante look on as radio club president Neil Heft presents a $1,000 donation to Lisa Mulvey, Executive Director of the St. Charles Hospital Foundation. (photo credit: Frank Mazovec)
In a show of appreciation for its service to the community during the COVID19 pandemic, the Radio Central Amateur Radio Club (RCARC) recently presented a $1,000 donation to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.
“We are grateful for the tireless hours put in by not only St. Charles doctors and nurses, but also by all of the medical support staff, facility personnel, security officers and the multitude of people needed to keep the hospital running smoothly,” said Radio Central’s president, Neil Heft. He explained that the group “wanted to do something more than just putting up a thank you sign, so we took up a collection from our forty members who live in the community.”
In a brief ceremony on October 16th, Heft accompanied by RCARC vice-president Richie Fisher and board member Frank Mazovec presented the donation to Lisa Mulvey, Executive Director of the St. Charles Hospital Foundation, and Marilyn Fabbricante, St. Charles Hospital’s Director of Public and Community Relations.
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The Radio Central Amateur Radio Club (RCARC) was formed in 1977 by a group of Amateur Radio operators to commemorate the enormous contributions to communications made by RCA’s Radio Central transmitting facility established in Rocky Point, NY. In 1921 as the world’s largest, most powerful transmitting facility, sending messages to land stations and ships at sea around the globe. More information on RCARC can be found at: www.rcarc.org. Information about Amateur Radio can be found at: www.arrl.org
An inside look at Smithtown school libraries. Photo from district
School libraries are looking a little different nowadays.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smithtown Central School District had to revamp its library protocols, said Vincenza Graham, director of world languages, ESL & library media services. Like many districts across Long Island, new initiatives have changed how students take out books, read and learn.
“Pandemic or not, libraries are used to constant change,” Catherine Masrour, a librarian at High School West, said. “For years, libraries have been evolving as a result of the rise in access to digital information and the constant and ever-changing world of technological innovations.”
Masrour said that as librarians, they are constantly looking at their students’ needs, trying to provide them with the best resources to be successful — including in a virtual world.
Students distanced by barriers at Smithtown High School West. Photo from Smithtown School District
“I felt so proud last week when one of my students contacted me to share the news of her college acceptance,” she said. “She thanked me for helping her with her college essay last spring via several Google Meets, and then again, this fall just before she submitted her final application. Hearing the excitement in this student’s voice gave me one more reason to say that I love what I am doing.”
Smithtown elementary schools began virtual programs and fully remote options to students and had to revamp book circulation to keep the library safe for students and staff.
“This system has required the students to truly look beyond the cover of a story, and many have shared that they wouldn’t have taken out some of the books they truly enjoyed if they hadn’t utilized this system,” said Ellie Eichenlaub, a librarian at Dogwood Elementary School and Smithtown West High School. “While this school year has brought some unique challenges, it is nice to reflect on some of the good that it has brought to our students.”
And when staff was back at school in September, Michelle Robinson, a librarian at Tackan Elementary School, said her students wanted to pick up right where they left off in March.
“My fourth-graders were asking if we were going to continue working with author Robin Newman as we did in third grade, and my fifth-graders were asking if we were going to work on our Summer Olympics sport research project that we began at the end of February of fourth grade,” she said. “It made me realize how much they had missed our library as well.”
Keely Schuppert, a librarian at St. James Elementary School, said librarians at her level are in a unique situation of being able to watch their students grow as readers each year from kindergarten through fifth grade.
“It’s the greatest feeling to be able to provide a student with a book they’ve really been wanting to read,” she said. “With masks being a necessity, we have all become very skilled at reading our students’ eyes. It’s the beautiful glimmer in a child’s eyes that reminds me why I love what I do each and every day.”
Middle schoolers have been able to take out e-books through a new digital platform and are gaining access to print resources by placing holds on books via the library catalog, according to director Graham.
“After our revamped library orientation for sixth-graders, one student asked if we had any manga [Japanese publications],” said Sheila Tobin Cavooris, a librarian at Great Hollow Middle School. “She was so excited when I showed her our graphic format collection, and her enthusiasm was echoed by a number of other students who shared her interest.”
Accompsett Middle School librarian Donna DeLuca said that while sixth-grade orientation was a bit challenging this year, she wanted to keep things as close to normal as possible.
“At AMS, we had our usual scavenger hunt throughout the library to learn about the different sections and resources available,” she said. “In each section, students recorded themselves talking about what they learned. Even though we followed mask, social distancing and ‘no touch’ guidelines, students were so happy to be up and about and not sitting in front of a screen.”
The human touch is still all important. “When I run after-hours office hours through Google Meet, sometimes from 8 to 9 at night, the kids are appreciative to see a friendly face, happy to be able to ask questions and relieved to know the library safety net is still there,” Smithtown High School East librarian Jean Marie Kliphuis said. “I’ve always told them that our job is to support their work, and whether we are digital or in person, that hasn’t changed.”
Jennifer Sinz (middle) with two volunteers at her rescue before it closed. Photo from Sinz
By Chris Cumella
While pet services have managed to thrive during times of needed companionship, others have seen heavier tribulation due to the coronavirus crisis.
Reflecting on their beginning back in 2017, Jennifer Sinz, owner of AllAboutPets, a nonprofit animal rescue organization, and Kitten Kadoodle Coffee Café, prepares to close a chapter of her legacy.
“We had to close our affiliated cat café a few months ago at the beginning of November,” Sinz said. “I thought we could continue with the rescue, but my landlord changed his mind about lease prices and kept raising them.”
She and the organizations had to decide whether to stay or not before their landlord’s deadline in November — Sinz chose the latter.
Kitten Kadoodle and AllAboutPets subsist on volunteers only — there is no staff working for pay, but rather only for the animals’ affection and the reassurance of finding safety and homes for their furry friends.
The café offers an ambiance of several different cats roaming around the premises. The customers are encouraged to interact with them, as they enjoy lunches, coffee and other other flavored shakes such as cookies n’ cream, peanut butter, coffee, caramel, mint chocolate chip and classics, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
COVID-19’s expansive reach has dwindled the number of volunteers attending both services from dozens to only one or two a day, according to Sinz.
In preparation for closing, Sinz said AllAboutPets has managed to find homes for most of their animals. The bunnies, ducks and chickens have been adopted out, in addition to all the dogs in the fall. All that remains are a few of the kittens that Sinz said she plans to take if they cannot get them adopted.
Until next year, Sinz will return to foster-home-based sheltering and past and current volunteers of the organization.
She reflected a sense of resilience and hope in knowing that many rescues had to close their doors due to COVID. Still, they would not add themselves to the statistic yet.
Aside from finding chickens and roosters that were abandoned along the sides of roads during May and June, Sinz’s proudest moment was taking in five mother cats that were dumped in the same block. She brought all five cats and their litter back to the shelter at the same time.
“We never gave up with rescuing,” she said. “When so many other people struggled, we took them in.”
Customer Natalie Fronatic said it’s hard to pick a single fond memory of the rescue and of the café.
“Every moment I have spent at the cafe getting to know all the cats and the owners of the cafe have been wonderful and amazing,” she said. “Jennifer loves all the animals in her care, and she tries so hard to get them all their forever homes. She has done so much for them.”
April Zabinsky, a customer and volunteer, said so many animals were able to find incredible homes in the short time the cafe was open.
“Its closing will certainly leave a void in the community and in my life,” she said.
How libraries look during COVID times. Photo from Comsewogue School District
Nine months into the coronavirus pandemic and schools are still adjusting. The school library, a place of solace for elementary schoolers and high school seniors alike, has had to adhere to the new and ever-changing COVID-19 protocols.
Local districts, however, have embraced the changes and have implemented new services that they never would have started if it wasn’t for the crisis.
A silver lining, school librarians across the North Shore explained how the changes have impacted them, their schools and their students.
Alice Wolcott, librarian at Elwood-John Glenn High School, said that COVID changed the landscape of public education, meaning they had to reimagine their space.
“This year we transitioned the book loan program to a digital platform, which will continue to support students’ pleasure and academic reading while still observing COVID restrictions,” she said. “Students can browse the collection online via Follett Destiny [a library management system], and if they find a title they’d like to borrow, they can request that book through our book request form.”
To adhere to COVID rules, the books are delivered in a Ziploc bag to first period teachers.
Since some students are not physically in their first period classes, the district also increased their digital library as a main focus.
Shoreham-Wading River High School librarian Kristine Hanson and Albert G. Prodell Middle School librarian Ann-Marie Kalin created an initiative to meet the need for printed books while reimagining the online presence in concert with OPALS, the open-source library system.
They created a book delivery service at their schools called BookDash, which allows students to electronically submit requests with their student ID. Then, physical books are either delivered to students at Prodell or picked up at the high school library doors at the end of the school day. The initiative is promoted through English classes, and a multitude of book recommendations are available via the OPALS pages, blogs and links.
“Kids are reliant on what’s in the catalog, books that never went out before are going out like wild,” Kalin said. “For the time being we’re making the best of it all.”
With the BookDash initiative, Kalin said students are excited to get their hands on actual books.
“So many kids are so tired of being on the screen and are desperate for that interaction with each other,” she said. “I’m seeing readers I never saw before, and there are so many requests for books. It’s very successful.”
Along with Shoreham-Wading River, other districts across Long Island are using an e-book platform called Sora, including Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point.
Monica DiGiovanni teaches Sora to third graders in Rocky Point. Photo from RPSD.
Librarian Monica DiGiovanni has been visiting classrooms, having students log into their Chromebooks. She is teaching them how to check out library books with the new service, which enables students to borrow a book and read it right on their devices. Another program, Destiny Discover, enables students to find a physical book in the library and have it delivered directly to them since their libraries are currently not open.
DiGiovanni said that their school libraries have become break rooms for teachers and classroom spaces to accommodate kids in a socially distanced way.
“The library has become an interactive thing,” she said. “Students are definitely utilizing it.”
Although Rocky Point school libraries had to reshape themselves and close the doors to students, Elwood school district was able to open the doors at the high school last week. Wolcott said that right now 15 students are allowed in the library at a time, with designated seating and other stipulations in place.
“The students are really responsive and they’re following all the protocols,” she said. “It’s great to have them back.”
She even sees students, who were not her typical regulars, interacting with the library catalog more than they did before.
“Now it’s nice they’re browsing the shelves,” Wolcott said. “They’re picking books they would not have chosen otherwise.”
Donna Fife, library media specialist at Elwood Middle School, said that early on, the district was keeping library services running smoothly, while her younger students are opting to read more.
“I am seeing names I never saw before requesting books more frequently,” she said. “I know how I feel at the end of the day — I would have a hard time playing video games after screen learning.”
Fife said she thinks students are looking for something tangible now that some are looking at a computer all day long.
“They’re requesting to hold a physical copy instead of looking at another screen,” she said.
Nicole Taormina, librarian at Boyle Road Elementary School in the Comsewogue school district, said that new regulars have blossomed throughout the pandemic.
“They really love browsing online,” she said. “It’s a different experience — they are really excited now because they use their Chromebooks and have their own accounts.”
Taormina said that while the changes have been different, she’s looking forward to some normalcy in 2021, and is grateful for what 2020 helped her with.
“I’ve been able to tweak things,” she said. “And the students have been able to learn things that they may have not been able to learn before.”
Also in Comsewogue, Deniz Yildirim, a librarian at Terryville Road Elementary School, said that teaching her library classes has been different compared to years past.
“It’s been a huge change,” she said. “We can’t hand out worksheets anymore, and we do a lot online to cut down on contamination. No other class can come in other than what’s assigned in this room.”
When Yildirim visits classrooms at her school now, she will deliver books that children ask her for.
“It breaks my heart that they can’t browse,” she said. “But we’re making it work.”
And she said that all school libraries have made progress in 2020 than the past 10 years.
“Publishers, authors and librarians are working very hard to make sure kids are reading,” she said. “It’s the least we can do for them during these trying times.”
Taylor Kinsley, a librarian at Minnesauke Elementary School in the Three Village school district, said their schools have been allowing browsing within the libraries.
She said students have to use hand sanitizer before and after touching the books to be sure they have clean hands, and they reorganized the setup of the library, featuring no reading carpets on the floor.
“Elementary students are always excited to have the freedom to pick the books they want,” she said.
The district sanitizes the used books and quarantines them for about a week before putting them back on the shelves.
“I think normalcy is really important for them,” Kinsley added, referring to her students. “We’re being supercautious so why take that away from them?”
One of my favorite days occurred this week. It is the winter solstice, usually considered to be Dec. 21 or 22. Why do I like that day, you might wonder? Some people think of it negatively as the shortest day of the year. In New York, the night was 14 hours and 45 minutes, shorter than in Minnesota at 15 hours and 50 minutes but longer than Miami at 13 hours and 28 minutes. For me it marks the turning point of the seasons, when each subsequent day then begins to have more light. Darkness will be lifting over the next six months, gradually but definitively. And for COVID-19, the pandemic of the century, it is a perfect metaphor. The vaccine is arriving at winter solstice with the promise that the disease, like the days, will lighten.
The vaccine is the match that will eventually banish the darkness. People all over the world, since the beginning of recorded history, have lit fires to ward off the night. It is not a coincidence that the birth of Jesus is celebrated at this time. Houses and trees are brightly decorated with all manner of lights. Hanukkah candles burn brightly at this same time, and in an 8-day sequence, as if prophesying the gradual lighting up of the days. Diwali is a five-day festival of Hindus, Sikhs and others, pushing back the night and celebrating the coming of more light.
So will the vaccine, perfectly timed, gradually vanquish the pandemic over the same next few months.
Just as a point of information, I looked up the meaning of winter solstice and found the definition as the time during the earth’s orbit around the sun at which the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator. So the other part of the shortest day is the winter season that we have to get through with its long days before we can enjoy more brightness and warmth. And we will also have to endure more illness and death from the novel coronavirus before we can recapture the world as we have known it. We will have to hold on, using our various strategies for survival, until what has been described as the unending “snow days” of lockdown yield to recovery.
Winter can be thought of as a time of intense cold, of scarcity, of starkness and even of death of the earth. But the earth has not died. It is merely resting, and all who live on it are forced to slow down until light and warmth bring growth. For us humans, it can be when we nest with our families, play games, watch movies, tell stories about our ancestors and fill the house with the smells of stick-to-the-rib cooking. Unfortunately, we have been doing just that, unwillingly, for the past 10 months. But the warmth and the light inside the home are especially welcome now that the wind is howling and the snow is sticking.
When we were in Alaska some years ago, many of the residents we met said that winter was their favorite season, when members of the community come together indoors to socialize and look after each other as the elements rage in the darkness outdoors.
This winter, we will be coming together via zoom and the other miracles of modern technology. As the earth lies fallow, we can just rest. Or we can evaluate our lives and priorities, learn things that, like planted seeds, will flower in the warmth and light of the spring. We can certainly straighten out our closets and desk drawers, if we haven’t already. All the while, we can follow the guidelines of the scientists and physicians and keep ourselves safe for the spring.
This is my last column of the year. The next issue, of 12/31, will be entirely filled with stories about those heroic and tireless residents who kept life going in 2020 and richly deserve to be honored as People of the Year.
We here at TBR News Media wish you and your loved ones holidays that are happy and safe.
In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases on Long Island, Stony Brook University Hospital has reopened its “forward triage” site at the Ambulatory Care Pavilion.
Patients who arrive at the emergency room between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. are asked to stay in their cars, where a member of the staff will determine the correct emergency care setting. Hospital staff will then direct patients to go to the main Emergency Department or to the coronavirus triage location. The site aims to limit patients with suspected COVID-19 from co-mingling with people coming to the hospital for other medical services.
After seeing nearly 2,600 patients, Stony Brook Medicine closed its “forward triage” site back in May after a decline in patient visits. The site staffed with board-certified emergency medicine physicians and emergency medicine nurses was open from March 9 to May 4.
The state drive-through testing site located in Stony Brook University’s South P Lot off Stony Brook Road remains open. Residents looking to get tested must make appointments in advance by phone at 888-364-3065 or online at www.coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-testing. Walk-ins are not accepted and will not be seen. The site is open seven days a week. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Little ballerinas wear their masks and stay in their special boxes to maintain social distancing at Chance to Dance in Setauket. Photo by Julianne Mosher
They all decided to think outside the box when it comes to socially distanced dancing.
When dance studios across Long Island had to close their doors at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic back in March, owners were concerned about what that meant for their studios.
Ballerinas at Backstage Studio of Dance in Port Jefferson Station balance in their boxes. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Gwenn Capodieci, executive director at Backstage Studio of Dance in Port Jefferson Station, said in her 35 years at the studio, this year was unlike any other.
“This was probably one of the hardest times of my life,” she said. “It was so very stressful trying to get the PPP loans, any other grants, working with our landlords, worrying about not being at the studio — I’m in the risky age group and I want to continue doing what I love.”
But within a week after the shutdown, she said, Backstage posted 65 classes to Zoom.
“Teaching on zoom was difficult,” she said. “In the beginning the kids were excited, but then it wore off. Part of dancing is they’re your family, you want to see them in class.”
Capodieci said her studio surveyed parents on holding a recital — a rite of passage for many ballerinas where they adorn sparkly tutu’s and dance for their families on the big stage after months of rehearsals. They decided to cancel it this year.
But in mid-July they were allowed to reopen in person, changing shape, and adhering to the new state’s guidelines for teaching. Inside her studio taped to the floor are different grids, a socially distanced box for each dancer to twirl and tap in, while wearing their newest accessory — a mask.
Ballerinas at the barre stay six feet away from each other during warmups. Photo by Julianne Mosher
“We’ve perfected the cleaning routine,” she said. “We clean the floors in between every class, wipe down the barres and have taken every chair, cubby and bench that’s in the studio away.”
“I want to be safe,” she added. “I don’t want to get anyone sick, and I don’t want to close my business.”
Capodieci said the added costs of Zoom and the cleaning supplies took a toll, especially with enrollment down.
“Enrollment was 60-something percent of what we normally have,” she said. “I’m hoping that next year is a good year for us.”
Down the road, also in Port Jefferson Station, Port Jefferson Dance Academy was celebrating its 25th year in business when the virus struck.
“We did not do Zoom classes, instead I started a private Facebook page and my teachers would upload videos so students can do classes, warmups, barre work and across the floor whenever they chose to so they wouldn’t have to miss out on a Zoom meeting time or class,” Director Tara Lennstrom said. “Financially it was rough because I wasn’t making a profit off of that. The hope was when we opened up again, we could just resume where we left off.”
The outdoor stage at Port Jefferson Dance Academy. Photo from PJ Dance Academy
When they opened back up during Phase 4, they picked up on rehearsals for their recital. Normally the dancers perform at the Staller Center at Stony Brook University but were unable to due to COVID. She decided to hold an outdoor recital, instead.
“I rented a giant dance floor with a DJ to play the music and people didn’t feel like they were behind the shopping center,” she said. “It was one of the most difficult recitals I’ve ever had to put together, but it was probably one of the best.”
Now in its 26th year, her classes look a little different. “We have 10 students per class, and I have a rather large studio, so that gives us ample space to dance,” she said. “People seem to be happy that there is something for their kids to do that’s fun and creative.”
Decked in their leotards and masks, Lennstrom said her students are not even phased by the new guidelines anymore.
“The resilience these kids have just shows you how they were able to adapt and how flexible they are,” she said.
Gabrielle Cambria, special productions manager at Chorus Line Dance Studio in Smithtown and Miller Place, said opening back up under the new guidelines was a no-brainer.
Ballerinas must stay within their boxes at Chorus Line Dance Studio in Smithtown. Photo by Julianne Mosher
“We all know that physical health isn’t the only health you need,” she said. “Everyone’s been really lucky and safe at our studio, and we’ve been dancing ever since.”
Chorus Line also implemented a large TV screen into their classrooms so students can Zoom in from home.
“Our in-class group is cut in half, so they go back and forth each week,” Cambria added.
Chance to Dance in Setauket did the same thing and opened up a Google Classroom account back in April.
“Anybody can take virtual class if they want to,” Jennifer Kranenberg, studio owner said. “If they’re not comfortable yet coming to class, they can still do something.”
Kranenberg said the virtual option was one positive that came out of COVID, because it allows students to makeup a class from home, or if they’re feeling slightly under the weather, they can still dance online.
Young members of Chance to Dance studio in Setauket are also being recorded and livestreamed for other members not present. Photo by Julianne Mosher
At the start of the pandemic, Kranenberg said she knew how important the social aspect was for her students, so she added bonus weekly fun calendar of events including show and tells, Netflix movie nights, tea parties and family game nights online so her kids could still communicate virtually. She also featured her graduating seniors on social media, along with a surprise graduation car parade and a small, socially distanced prom.
“I gave a huge piece of myself to make sure that the kids were having fun, staying engaged and getting to be with each other, having interactions with their dance friends,” she said. “It goes a long way.”
And, like the other studios, she faced similar challenges. She had to cut one of her three rooms to maintain a cap on students. “Enrollment is definitely low,” she said. “I wish it was higher than it was, but it’s not awful. I feel hopeful, but I’m scared. I feel like it’s a tight margin financially to, swing it and to get by.”
Miss Gwenn and her students at Backstage Studio of Dance in Port Jeff Station. Photo by Julianne Mosher
being in different locations with different students and classes, all four owners can agree that being back with their students was worth the hardship they faced the last nine months.
Capodieci said that her first day back in the studio she cried when she saw her students.
“I love teaching dance,” she said. “I love my kids. I want to be with them, and if wearing the mask allows us to dance then we have to wear a mask.”
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