Boats cover Northport Harbor during last year’s event.Photo from Bob Slingo
Centerport Yacht Club will be hosting the second annual Let’s Take a Veteran Sailing event on Saturday, July 30. The event was created by SailAhead, a nonprofit organization that works to support and heal wounded veterans.
Sailboats will come from near and far to join the fleet of 45 boats. With the support of American Legion Greenlawn Post 1244, 140 registered veterans, mostly from Long Island, will attend this event. The purposes of the event is to spread post-traumatic stress disorder awareness throughout the community, as well as spread awareness of the SailAhead program so that more wounded veterans can be helped.
The sailing event will last four hours and the flotilla will sail on the Long Island Sound.
Police assisted a Commack man on Sunday afternoon after he could not get back onto his boat and was struggling in the water in the Long Island Sound, a mile and a half north of Eaton’s Neck Point.
At about 4:30 p.m. on July 12, police said Russell Giannotti and his wife Kim Giannotti anchored their boat to fish when their fishing line became tangled in the boat’s propeller. Giannotti, 63, went overboard to clear the tangled line. When he attempted get back on the boat, his boarding ladder broke and he became stranded in the water. His wife threw him a life jacket and a rope but he was unable to put the life jacket on while in the water — although he was able to hold on to it for flotation. The Commack resident ended up becoming entangled in the rescue rope and started to struggle in the water.
A passing boater observed Giannotti in distress and called 911. The boater was unable to assist due to choppy sea conditions, but was able to give the victim’s location to police dispatchers. Two Marine Bureau vessels, a Suffolk County Police helicopter, the U.S. Coast Guard and Huntington Harbormaster Marine 3 responded to the search area.
Marine Bureau Section Officers Christopher DeFeo and Anthony Sangimino responded in Marine Bravo and were the first rescuers on scene. They were directed to the victim’s location via Marine VHF radio by the nearby boater, and once they positioned their boat close to Russell, they threw him a life ring, and pulled him aboard the Marine Bravo. On board, the officers treated him for exposure and transported him to the Soundview Boat Ramp in Northport, where they were met by rescue personnel from the Northport Fire Department. Giannotti refused medical attention for exposure and minor abrasions.
Huntington Harbormaster Marine 3 took the victim’s boat in tow. The victim was eventually reunited with his boat and his wife, and both were able to return to Huntington Harbor, on their boat, without assistance.
The Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team took a group photo after beating Northport for the first time in school history. Photo from Carrie Bodo
By Desirée Keegan
On her wall in her office, Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse coach Carrie Bodo has an old photo of one of her Hofstra University teams posing for a group photo, with her lying on the turf field.
Her girls asked her several times about the significance of it. Bodo said her Pride team had never beaten the University of Delaware, and that photo was taken after the first time the team had done it. She has wanted to replace that photo for a long time now. Her Bulls team had also never beaten Northport, so she told the girls that if they did this season, she’d swap out one winning photo for another.
The Bulls made a goal, and achieved it, outscoring Northport 11-7 on April 29, and Bodo took a photo lying down on the turf field with the girls behind her. The girls also had a goal to win the school’s first ever Suffolk County title. Although the team fell one goal shy, dropping the county title game to West Islip, 9-8, in the school’s first appearance in the finals, the team had a postseason success that made all the hard work of a 15-2 season all the more worth it.
Members of the Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team rally around head coach Carrie Bodo after she earned the Suffolk County Coach of the Year award. Photo from Smithtown school district
The Suffolk County Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association named Bodo the Suffolk County Division I Coach of the Year. She was also named Smithtown Central School District’s Coach of the Year. Although earning the recognition, she was more excited for her team than herself.
“They wanted it for me more than anything,” she said. “For me, anything I get is truly because of them. It was nice because they were so excited for it.”
Before coming to Smithtown in 2006, Bodo was the head women’s lacrosse coach at Hofstra University for 14 years, and was also the field hockey coach for almost half of her time there. She had played lacrosse since she was in seventh grade, and even played for Hofstra, before becoming a graduate assistant on the team and taking over the helm when she was just 24 years old. When the time came to choose which sport would be her focus, the decision was easy.
“The sport is such a part of me,” she said. “The big joke is I’ve never had a spring break since seventh grade. It goes to show how much I love it. I love everything about the game. I love playing it, I love watching the girls, and being with the girls, seeing them achieve, seeing them go to college.”
Although leaving the sport briefly when she had children — two boys — she began teaching and was soon asked to take over the West team when the school split. Her athletes are happy she agreed to take over the program.
“When it comes to the game, she is smart and always gives us so much motivation to win. One thing that I love most about her is that she loves to have fun and she has a big heart. Even when we lost, she would tell us to keep our heads up and always have a positive outlook.”
— Kayla Kosubinsky
“I have to say I’ve never had such a good relationship with one of my coaches, both on and off the field,” said Kayla Kosubinsky, who has played under Bodo since eighth grade, but knew her from back when she would attend the booster club camp that her coach runs every year. “Bodo has impacted Smithtown lacrosse just like she did when she coached Hofstra. When it comes to the game, she is smart and always gives us so much motivation to win. One thing that I love most about her is that she loves to have fun and she has a big heart. Even when we lost, she would tell us to keep our heads up and always have a positive outlook.”
This sort of parent-daughter relationship she’s created with her girls is crucial to Bodo and her players, and is an integral part in the team’s success.
“We have this joke that I’m their mom,” Bodo said, laughing. “They always call me mom, and I call them my family. I love that part of it more. Just hearing about their boyfriends, and the prom and that kind of stuff. It’s that girl atmosphere I don’t get in my personal life. That’s what makes us closer as a group.”
Although it took some years to get the Bulls to the level they’re at now after the school split, nine of the 12 starters from last year’s squad committed to play lacrosse. The younger kids in the area are seeing the older ones’ success, and want to emulate that, something Bodo hears at camp over the summer.
For players like senior Mackenzie Heldberg, who committed to play at Johns Hopkins University, leaving a coach like Bodo is bittersweet, but she will always be appreciative of what her longtime coach has done for her.
“I couldn’t ask for a better coach — she has taught me so much about not only lacrosse, but life, and has helped me develop into the player I am today,” said Heldberg, who played for Bodo for five years, but knew her for eight because her older sister also played for the Bulls. “As our coach, she always pushed us to our fullest potential and I dedicate our success this year to her, for she was the glue to our team. Having Bodo get this recognition is so heartwarming and amazing because she deserves it. This team has improved tremendously since I’ve been a part of it and the common denominator of it all is Bodo. She led us with pride and fearlessness to a county game and I couldn’t be happier I’ve gotten to play under someone as amazing as her.”
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
The Northport High School Class of 2016 graduated from the high school on Saturday, June 25. The bleachers were filled to capacity as U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) congratulated the students and offered some advice.
Principal Daniel Danbusky, as well as other Northport High School staff members and members of the Northport-East Northport school board handed out diplomas and cheered on the students. ValedictorianIan Buitenkant and SalutatorianEmily Labruna gave poignant speeches, and the Northport High School Choir sang “Fields of Gold.”
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Northport graduates toss their caps in the sky. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Members of the senior class speak during the commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Valedictorian Ian Buitenkant speaks during the ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
Northport seniors walk to the football field at the beginning of the ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport students smile as the ceremony begins. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
The Northport Choir performs during the graduation ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Salutatorian Emily Labruna speaks during the ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks during the ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
One graduate receives his diploma from Northport school board Trustee Lori McCue.
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport students attend the 2016 commencement ceremony. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Olivia Gregorius, right, and Emma Lutz, left, are hoping to raise awarness for female empowerment on their bike journey across the country. Photo from Gregorius
A Northport native is biking across the United States to raise money and awareness for an organization that builds schools in Africa.
Olivia Gregorius, a 2011 Northport High School graduate, kicked off her cross-country adventure in Vancouver about three weeks ago and said she is determined to finish at the Mexican border by July.
“I feel good so far,” she said in a phone interview. ”My body hurts horribly, but I feel good.”
Gregorius is a volunteer with the organization Africa Schoolhouse, a nonprofit that brings education, medical care, job training and clean water to rural villages in northern Tanzania. Her journey was designed to raise money for the newest ASH project: an all-female boarding school. Gregorius said she hopes to promote female youth empowerment while on the journey.
“This mission to help females so far away who deserve an equal and safe education space is something we believe is very important,” she said. “I truly believe that the way we teach and treat young females is key to shaping a more progressive and healthy society both locally and abroad.”
She also said it is important to acknowledge the privileges she’s been afforded that other women aren’t as lucky to receive.
“We, as young women who have had the distinct privilege of a college education, want to give back to the many girls around the world who struggle to access basic education,” she said. “We want to empower ourselves as young women going on a self-supported trip of 2,000 miles with the ultimate goal of supporting as many other young women as possible to believe themselves capable and worthy of any achievement.”
Africa Schoolhouse began in Ntulya, Tanzania, in 2006, when village elders approached founder Aimée Bessire with the idea of building a school and medical clinic. ASH successfully built the school and medical clinic, and now the organization is shifting its focus on getting women a safe and efficient education.
Gregorius said only 1 percent of Tanzanian girls complete secondary school for reasons including families who privilege the education of sons over daughters, girls being married off at young ages and unsafe journeys to school due to incomplete or unfinished roads, or the risk of assault while traveling long spans of distance on their own.
This wasn’t the first time Gregorius worked on projects associated with female empowerment. During her first year at Bates College in Maine, she helped develop a college-access mentoring program for Lewiston, Maine, middle school females. She also worked at an overnight teen empowerment camp in 2013, where she developed classes pertaining to girls’ youth empowerment, outdoor education, wellness and the arts.
Gregorius is traveling with Emma Lutz, a fellow Bates graduate, and so far the team has already raise more than $3,000. To make a contribution or learn more, visit https://www.crowdrise.com/emma-and-livs-bike-tour-from-canada-to-mexico.
The high school football fields may be replaced with turf and capital improvements. File photo
The Northport board of education voted to move forward with improvements to science, athletic, and structural parts of the district Thursday night.
Superintendent Robert Banzer said the major goals of the capital improvements were to replace aging infrastructure and provide students and the community with more useful physical education and athletic facilities.
Infrastructure improvements included replacing bathrooms, windows, and ceilings in classrooms from kindergarten through high school. At the presentation last Thursday night, Banzer went through several photos showing cracked countertops, and antiquated lavatories.
“Some of our buildings are very old and we need to take a cold, hard look at them,” he said.
Tony Resca, a member of the capital projects committee, said the district needed to create state-of-the-art science labs, which would “foster inquiry-based scientific experimentation” and “strengthen overall STEM learning outcomes.”
Changes would include new desks designed to form into lab stations as well as new fume hoods and cabinetry for lab chemicals.
“These lab benches and work desks … are modular, they are moveable and flexible and they can be moved at a moment’s notice to accommodate a wide variety of science-related activities,” Resca said.
Talks for improving the athletic facilities at Northport have been underway for more than a year and projects included better irrigation systems for athletic fields, a new stadium at the high school with a turf field, a new track, a concession stand, outdoor bathrooms, and a replacement of tennis courts.
Paul Klimuszko, director of physical education, athletics and health, and a member of the committee, talked about the importance of replacing certain fields at Northport and improving irrigation at others.
“Whether it rains during the game or days before, this is what the field typically ends up looking like during a game,” Klimuszko said as he pointed to a photo of the high school football team playing in a field covered in mud. He also said that field was heavily used, which diminished its quality and made it less accessible to the greater Northport community.
“Even when the team is out for half-time, the marching band is putting on a half-time show, so that field never gets a break,” he said.
Under Banzer’s suggestion, the district will now seek prices and plans from an architect to achieve the plans listed in capital projects that were voted for in the May budget.
Marisa Vitali, creator of “Grace,” speaks after the screening of the film. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Community members from all around the Huntington area packed into the John W. Engeman Theater on Tuesday night for a premiere screening of “Grace,” a short film about heroin recovery.
Marisa Vitali, the film’s creator and a Northport native, based the film on her own struggles with drug addiction and rehabilitation.
“I would have never been able to do this without all of you,” Vitali said after receiving a round of applause once the film ended. She shot the motion picture in Northport, primarily at Tim’s Shipwreck Diner, and used members of the community as extras in the film.
During the unveiling, Vitali said she realized that she has been clean for 14 years, four months and four days, to the day.
“I am so grateful,” she said. “I am so grateful I didn’t wake up dope sick today and I am so grateful I didn’t have to use. Everything else is just a blessing on top of that.”
She then spoke to the people in the room who may be currently going through the same challenge or have a loved one who is.
“I’m sure there are people here who are struggling, who don’t know where to go … but I want to let you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We do recover.”
The event was hosted in partnership with the Northport-East Northport Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Profits from tickets, food and raffle tickets sold at the event went toward the Youth Directions and Alternatives, a nonprofit organization serving communities throughout Huntington by developing services and sobriety programs for youth in the communities.
According to Anthony Fernandino, chair of the task force, the event had raised $7,500 before raffle ticket proceeds were counted.
Fernandino has been working with Vitali for almost four years trying to get the event together and was ecstatic to see it all come together.
“It feels great,” he said before the screening. “We sold out and exceeded our expectations. I’m excited because we have a house full of people that we will be able to educate and bring awareness to this issue.”
Northport Mayor George Doll, who Vitali said was a vital part of making the film, was proud to be a part of the event.
“This is a fantastic thing,” he said. “We have people coming here all the time to do films, but hers was special.”
Northport Police Chief Bill Ricca agreed that it was a unique and important approach to combat addiction.
“From a law enforcement standpoint, we can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,” he said. “We need the community’s help, we need treatment, prevention, and education.”
After the film, there was a question and answer portion in which audience members asked Vitali about how she first got into drugs, got clean and continues to live a healthy life. Barry Zaks, director of Huntington Drug & Alcohol Counseling Center, also answered questions on how and when parents should start having conversations about drugs with their kids.
Beth Atkinson takes a shot for a future project. Photo from Beth Atkinson
Beth Atkinson takes a shot for a future project. Photo from Beth Atkinson
By Victoria Espinoza
Northport resident Beth Atkinson reignited her love for creating art thanks to some help from a Northport gallery and since then has constantly found inspiration in the village she calls home.
Currently a permanent member of The Firefly Artists, a gallery in the heart of Northport, Atkinson said she has found ideas and support within her community.
Atkinson grew up on the North Shore and moved to the area after she married her husband Brian, a Northport native himself. An art teacher at Hicksville High School for the past 30 years, Atkinson said she went through a period when she lost herself as an artist because she was so focused on supporting her students’ artwork.
“Sometimes [art teachers] let our students’ needs take over our needs,” she said in a phone interview.
Once she got a home for her work at Firefly, she said it was just the push she needed to refocus.
“It’s kept me on it,” she said. “I’m always trying to change my wall. I now set aside time almost every night to carve blocks or work on a collage. Firefly is my year-long motivation.”
Atkinson creates in a variety of genres and media, including jewelry, paintings and sculptures. The Harvard Club of Long Island recently named Atkinson a Distinguished Teacher of 2016, and she was given honorable mention at the Art League of Long Island Member Exhibition in 2015.
A piece of Atkinson’s work inspired by the sunset at Eaton’s Neck. Photo from Beth Atkinson
The Northport resident said all the other artists at Firefly mesh well and present a wide range of talents.
Atkinson has taken her newfound energy and paid it forward with an adult summer program she co-chairs at Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks, through the New York State Arts Teacher Association. That camp has a Long Island connection, as it was a former home of the prominent Vanderbilt family.
“It started out to help art educators renew themselves and come up with new ideas for the classroom,” she said. “It also helps art teachers find the artists they were before they were a teacher. You’d be surprised how many art teachers stop making their own art once they start teaching.”
As for the inspiration Atkinson finds in Northport, she said it’s endless.
“When you take the time to stop and look around you … the other day I had to drive to Eaton’s Neck and all of the sudden I see the most incredible sunset over the harbor,” she said. “We live in a great area for inspiration.”
And it is supportive of artists: “I think we’ve got a great opportunity in Northport — Main Street alone has several galleries. There are more art exhibitions on Long Island than you can possibly go to.”
Art runs in the family for much of the Atkinson clan, aside from a daughter Katie who is dancing to her own tune. Her daughter Lauren teaches art in Maryland, and her son Alex is currently taking photography classes at Northport High School. She said she and her son have traveled together to different spots in the area to take photos and find inspiration.
An employee from Ridgewood Pork Store serves a customer at the Northport Farmers’ Market on Saturday, June 6. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
The Northport Farmers Market’s 2016 season is set to start this Saturday, June 4, from 8 a.m. to noon, and run till mid-November at the Cow Harbor parking lot off Main Street in the village.
The market is open rain or shine.
Fresh strawberries are on display at the Northport Farmers’ Market last year. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Northport's Jake McCarthy fires the ball to first base for the out. Photo by Bill Landon
Northport’s Nick Palmerini hurls a pitch from the mound. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Another strong pitching performance by Northport’s Nick Palmerini, leading to a 6-3 win Tuesday, helped the baseball team force a decisive game three for the Suffolk County Class AA title.
The Tigers got off to a rocky start, going down two runs in the opening inning, but battled their way back with a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of junior outfielder Frankie Stola to plate senior shortstop Joe Stockman to trail by one. Northport missed an opportunity to tie the game, and stranded two runners to end the inning.
“We were really aggressive early in the count,” Stockman said after the win. “We struck out a lot in our last game, so we tried not to get too deep into the count, and we got some base hits when it really counted. Tomorrow we just have to come ready to play and we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing, getting bats on the ball.”
With runners on first and second, the Tigers went back to work in the bottom half of the second inning. This time, Stockman did the damage at the plate when he ripped the ball through the gap to bring senior pitcher and first baseman Dan Heller home to tie the game. With junior pitcher and shortstop Alex Reuter on third, junior second baseman George Sutherland stepped into the batter’s box. With two outs and a full count, Sutherland jumped on a fastball, drilling it to right field to score Reuter to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Stola smoked an infield hit to the shortstop and wound up on first on a throwing error as Stockman crossed the plate to keep the rally alive.
Northport’s Jake McCarthy fires the ball to first base for the out. Photo by Bill Landon
Junior third baseman Jake McCarthy’s bat spoke next. He drilled the ball deep into the outfield to bring Stola home safely for a 5-2 lead.
“I think we had more confidence after seeing a guy like [Ray] Weber throw [in Saturday’s loss] that prepared us for this game,” McCarthy said. “We were ready for some good pitching, and the home crowd really does affect the game. It really gets us pumped up.”
With one out, West Islip threatened in the top of the inning with a sacrifice fly to right field that put two runners in scoring position, but Palmerini did what he’s done all season and fanned the final batter.
Northport’s margin began to shrink in the top of the fourth when the Lions, with two outs and a runner on second base, drove the ball home to make it a two-run game.
The tension built as West Islip loaded the bases. If the pitching ace was nervous though, he didn’t show it. Palmerini painted the corners and pitched his way out of the jam, as the Lions went down swinging.
“I’ve got a good team behind me so I had to relax and throw strikes,” Palmerini said. “They’re a tough team and the change in our lineup made us wake up, so we changed our game a little bit. For tomorrows’ game, we have to mentally stay focused.”
Tigers player Dan Heller makes a grab at first base. Photo by Bill LandonGeorge Sutherland takes a cut for Northport. Photo by Bill Landon
McCarthy’s bat added an insurance run with a shot to dead center field that cleared the fence and then some, to give the game it’s final 6-3 score.
“It was a straight fastball first pitch, and I was expecting that,” McCarthy said.
West Islip stranded two runners in the top of the fifth, went three up and three down in sixth and although the Lions didn’t go down quietly in the final inning, Palmerini, nearing his maximum pitch count, struck out the last two batters for a complete game where he allowed just six hits and one walk while striking out 11.
“We tweaked the lineup today … because our leadoff guy’s been struggling a bit,” Northport head coach John De Martini said. “We were down 2-0 immediately, so we put the ball in play and they made some miscues, but we got some gutty pitching. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
Northport was scheduled to travel to West Islip for the decisive game three on Wednesday.
The Northport baseball team is all smiles after its game-two win over West Islip in the Suffolk County championship series. Photo by Bill LandonDan Heller catches a pop-up for Northport for the out. Photo by Bill LandonNorthport’s Frankie Stola gets under a fly out. Photo by Bill Landon
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