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Troop 227

By Serena Carpino

On Saturday, June 14, the Setauket Fire Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the latest expansion of their 9/11 memorial, located at Station 3 on Nicolls Road. The memorial now includes the names of the first responders who passed away due to the health conditions caused by toxins at ground zero. This latest addition to the memorial was led by Girl Scout Sara Bally of Troop 227 as a part of her Gold Award project.

The ceremony was a special time for first responders, family members and other community members to remember and reflect on the heroic actions of the victims of 9/11. Speakers at the service also highlighted the importance of honoring the victims who died later due to their exposure to chemicals and harmful debris. 

At the beginning of the service, they remarked on the necessity of the memorial’s expansion to include these first responders. Setauket Fire Department Chief Charles Regulinski said, “We affirm what we have always known: that the sacrifices are no less significant, their courage no less profound. They are heroes in every sense of the word. This space, these names etched into stone, is not just a place to mourn. It’s a place to remember. A place to learn.”

Bally, whose stepfather, Paul DiBiase, has been a member of the department for 34 years, also commented on the necessity of the memorial. She noted, “This memorial is more than just a collection of names. It’s a permanent reminder of the bravery, sacrifice and enduring legacy of those who selflessly served our community.” Bally, who has been a member of the Girl Scouts for 13 years, first had the idea to expand the memorial when she and DiBiase ran the Tunnels to Towers 4k. 

“It’s crucial to me that these individuals, who continued to suffer and ultimately sacrificed their lives in the aftermath of that day, receive the recognition and honor they so rightly deserve alongside those lost on 9/11 itself,” she said. 

Thus, planning for the memorial’s expansion began. In addition to meeting with the fire department and local businesses, Bally and her team fundraised with a spaghetti dinner. As an aspiring art teacher, Bally was particular about the design, as she wanted the expansion to be symbolic and intentional. Ultimately, she decided to surround the existing memorial with pillars of stone. The names of all of the first responders from the tri-state area who lost their lives due to 9/11-related illnesses were to be etched into the pillars. These names were read aloud at the ceremony on Saturday. 

The near two-year-long process has since inspired several Boy Scouts from local troops to further contribute to the memorial. Plans have already been made to add benches, water features and turf to the space. 

Several local politicians were also present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Suffolk County Legislator Steve Engelbright (D-Setauket), Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R) and Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook). 

In his speech, Engelbright noted that county leaders had “hoped when [they] dedicated this memorial that the young people of this community would carry forward [and continue to ensure that] what happened on 9/11 would not be forgotten.” He also thanked the Scouts who contributed to the memorial for bringing everyone together. 

To conclude the ceremony, speakers again underscored the sacrifices of the first responders and the necessity of coming together in remembrance. “We will continue to honor [the fallen],” Regulinski said. “Not just in stone and ceremony, but with action, compassion and remembrance. May this standing memorial be a place of peace, pride and enduring respect for all those we’ve lost and all those who continue to carry their legacy.”

The expansion of the memorial was made possible with the help of several local organizations, including O Sole Mio Italian Restaurant, Olde Towne Gardens and the Three Village Dads. The list of benefactors is continuing to grow. 

Miler Place Girl Scout Troop 227 members make a presentation to the board of education about energy efficiency. Photo by Kevin Redding

Miller Place High School has the potential to save large sums of money and energy this year thanks to the environmental efforts of a group of middle school Girl Scouts.

Sixth- and seventh-grade members of Cadette Girl Scout Troop 227 urged the board of education during the Sept. 27 meeting to consider replacing the 120 fluorescent lights in the high school cafeteria with more energy-efficient LED lights. This installation could save the district approximately $1,044 in the cafeteria alone over the course of the 180-day school year, the Girl Scouts said.

“Switching to LED lights would allow the district to focus that money on education,” 11-year-old Lilah Lindemann said.

Analynn Bisiani, a sixth-grader, informed board members 180-degree LED lights release significantly less heat energy than tube-shaped, 360-degree fluorescent lights, making them safer.

“They do not contain dangerous chemicals and will project light only down instead of 360 degrees,” Analynn said. “A lot of energy is wasted when light is projected upwards.”

Girl Scout Lindsey Galligan speaks at the Miller Place board of education meeting about the importance of energy efficiency and the ways in which the Girl Scouts project could help the district. Photo by Kevin Redding

The troop’s presentation was based on an energy audit of the high school cafeteria the girls conducted in May with the help of a PSEG Long Island representative as part of their Girl Scout Journey project — a long-term initiative to find a solution to a local environmental problem.

One of the requirements for the project was to focus on conserving energy, so troop leaders and members decided to conduct an audit of a public building, specifically the high school cafeteria, where the group holds its meetings twice a month.

With the help of Scout mom Kim Soreil, a PSEG Long Island manager of customer operations, the girls studied different forms of energy, made circuit cards and calculated the energy savings of switching to LED lights by counting all 120 lights in the cafeteria. The girls figured out
approximately 17.5 cents per kilowatt hour could be saved, which, assuming a 14-hour school day with extracurricular activities, equates to $5.88 in savings per day and $1,044 a year.

“They picked up on everything very quickly and just took off with it,” Soreil said of the troop’s excitement about the project. The girls, including Soreil’s daughter Lauren, also learned about phantom energy and the benefits of unplugging electrical appliances even after they’ve been turned off.

“They were peering through windows to try and see if lights were left on in the offices in the back and trying to turn off the lights on the vending machines so the school could conserve
energy,” she said.

During the presentation, Girl Scout Sarah DiPersio offered the board another environmentally-based solution in the cafeteria.

“Although it is not an electrical energy savings, we also noticed there is a traditional water fountain in the cafeteria, instead of a bottle refill fountain,” Sarah said.

Troop co-leader Candace Lindemann, who guides the girls alongside Morgan Caufield, said while she was impressed by the research and work her Scouts took part in, she wasn’t too surprised.

“We can definitely learn to use energy more efficiently because that’s one of the only ways we’re going to be able to continue living well on Earth.”

— Lilah Lindemann

“We have a very environmentally concerned and diligent group of girls,” Lindemann said, noting their other environment-based initiatives include beach cleanups and water health studies. “I think growing up near the beach definitely encourages an interest in the health of the environment for them.”

Her daughter Lilah said she has been passionate about the environment for a long time and hopes to be an engineer one day.

“We can definitely learn to use energy more efficiently because that’s one of the only ways we’re going to be able to continue living well on Earth,” the 11-year-old said. “And helping the environment and the community is what the Girl Scouts are about.”

Girl Scout Lindsey Galligan said she hopes by saving money through this proposal, the school district could afford to provide more art programs.

At the end of the board of education meeting, Miller Place Superintendent Marianne Cartisano presented each Scout with a certificate and thanked them for their presentation.

“That was very comprehensive,” Cartisano said. “We’re very grateful you did this and we’ll certainly be taking your recommendations and findings into consideration.”

The school district is currently in the process of bringing more energy efficiency to its buildings by installing solar panels on top of its high school and Andrew Muller Primary School.

Members of Cadette Girl Scout Troop 227 that participated in the audit are Sara Bally, Analynn Bisiani, Molly Caufield, Sarah DiPersio, Mary Cait Duffy, Lindsey Galligan, Lilah Lindemann, Maris Lynch, Ceili McNicholas, Madelyn Miller, and Lauren Soreil.