The Mepham High School community kicked off its St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraising season with a farewell sendoff for a senior graduating early.

On Jan. 15, students and staff gathered in the school gymnasium as Dominick Brown voluntarily ‘braved the shave’ after fundraising more than $500 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Brown’s mother performed the first few strokes of the hair buzzer before handing it over to a member of the district’s Cosmetology program. Fellow friends and family members also shaved their heads in solidarity.

"It means a lot that the people that did shave their heads for me and it showed me their support and what they’re willing to do for me," Brown said.

Brown is eligible to graduate early from Mepham in January and has enlisted in the U.S. Marines. He soon heads to Parris Island, SC for basic training.

Organized by social studies teachers Kerry Dennis and Chris Patten, the annual Chop Your Locks for Charity event is usually held annually in March and has raised nearly $600,000 over the last 10-plus years. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds research and treatment for pediatric cancer. 

“Not only did he work extremely hard to graduate early – and that is uncommon, but now he’s off to serve,” Patten told the crowd. “As a social studies teacher, we always talk about activism and service to your community. This person is not only serving his community, but he is serving the nation."

 

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Date Added: 1/16/2025

Makayla Daube, a member of the Mepham High School girls’ basketball team, scored her 1,000th point during the Pirates’ Jan. 11 game. Daube had previously reached 1,000 rebounds as well. 

She is the first Mepham girls’ basketball player to have both 1,000 varsity points and 1,000 rebounds. 

At the Jan. 11 game, the Pirates defeated New Hyde Park, 68-54, earning them a big Conference AA win. Daube led the way with 26 points, noted coach Jim Mulvey. She had also set the single game record with 34 points earlier in the week versus Herricks. 

The Mepham senior, class of 2025 valedictorian and All County athlete has committed to play basketball at Rollins College in the fall. 

 

Date Added: 1/14/2025

The Calhoun On Tour Company presents Anthony Drewe and George Stiles’ Honk! 

The Calhoun High School On Tour Company is continuing its 2024-2025 season with its second production, Honk! Performances will be held in the Calhoun High School auditorium, located at 1786 State St, Merrick, NY 11566. Performances are at 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25. Direction by Sal Salerno, Musical Direction by James Crichton, and choreography by Robert Tunstall, tickets to Honk! can be reserved by phone at (516) 992-1377 or purchased at the door. 

Honk! is a musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Ugly Duckling. The story follows a duckling named Ugly who is othered for looking different from his siblings. Ugly embarks on a journey full of challenges, meeting a variety of unique characters and learning to embrace his uniqueness. Honk! celebrates themes of acceptance, self-discovery, and belonging, and is the perfect musical for the whole family. At both matinee performances, there will be special activities and prizes for elementary school students. 

The talented cast features Evan Leicht as Ugly, Addi Kelson as Ida, Nathaniel Botta as Cat, Justin Lapidus as Drake, Jack Messinger as Bullfrog, Nicole Markowitz as Queenie, Sophie Kovoros as Lowbutt, Aaron Kaplan as Turkey, Soul Brar as Penny, Brooke Thatcher as Dot, Nattie Martin as Maureen, Kenneth Howe as Greylag, Jackson Amiruddin as Father Swan, Isabella Verderosa as Grace, Zahara Parveez as Mother Swan, and Amiera Cavé as Henrietta. 

Tickets for Honk! are $10 for students and seniors and $12 for adults. They can be purchased at the door. To reserve tickets before the performance, call the box office at (516) 992-1377. This year’s season consists of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Honk!, and upcoming productions of Carnival!, and Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. 

 James Drake and Dr. Dale Parkinson founded the On Tour Company in 1973. Subsequent instructors included Mrs. Dianne Meistrell and Mr. John Fredrickson, notable among several others. Under the direction of Sal Salerno, the On Tour Company began performing in 1985, and is now one of the finest school drama programs on Long Island in New York State. It has existed at Calhoun for 50 years – with Salerno serving as the director for the last 38 years. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, James Crichton will serve as the Director of the On Tour Company. 

For the 10th year in a row, Santa’s sled was filled and bursting with toys, warm clothing, and goodies as the Nassau County Lions Club hosted its 10th annual Polar Express Children’s Holiday Party on Dec. 14 at the Brookside School.

The Lion’s motto, “We Serve”, has been the driving force behind the event since its inception. Lion’s members and their families from clubs throughout Long Island have been gathering gifts and donations for weeks under the leadership of Lion Past District Governor Nina Lanci, who helped create the event a decade ago.

When the event began 10 years ago, Lanci helped they could help at least 50 families. Since then, it has grown to serve thousands of children and families. Lanci emphasized that the event is a community effort, with volunteers, businesses and organizations all playing a role in making it happen.

Included in that are several toy drives spearheaded by schools in the the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. Additionally, clubs, such as the LEO Club from Mepham, volunteer at the December event. The newly launched DJ program in the district’s PREP Academy program provided musical entertainment.

“This event is a collaborative effort”, Lanci said. “We work with local county office, local businesses, as well as the school system. We’re a caring community and we know given the state of the economy, any of us could find ourselves in this same position during the holiday. If we can make the holidays brighter for those in need, and create a special memory for even one family, then we’ve served our community well.”

Date Added: 1/9/2025

Five seniors from Kennedy High School were named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars on Jan. 8.

This is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. 

They are among 300 students chosen nationwide for this distinction. Their projects are a culmination of three years of work as members of the school’s Advanced Science Research program. 

From Kennedy, Gabriella Elliott submitted the project, The Use of Diagnostic Coding Processes in the Analysis of Verbal Behaviors To Enhance Patient-Provider Connection, Mark Prainito submitted the project, Behavioral Responses of Mercenaria mercenaria and Crassostrea virginica Larvae to Ocean Acidification and Cochlodinium polykrikoides Toxicity: A Novel Evaluation of the Efficacy of Ulva spp. in Mitigating Stressors Threatening Bivalve Larvae in Long Island Waters, Joleen Shau submitted the project, The Effect of Defocus on Contrast Detection and Its Implications for Myopia Development and Prevention, Jayden Simon submitted the project, A Comprehensive Analysis of Novel Microorganisms Utilizing Metagenomics To Determine the Effects of Plastic Polymer Types on Microbial Communities and Mason Tso submitted the project, Decoding Nonverbal Social Interactions Through Eye Movements With Soft Magnetic Skin and 3D Printed Magnetometer Glasses.

Their advanced science research teachers are Barbi Frank and Ryan Gendels. Robert Soel serves as the school’s science/STEAM chairperson.

"Each of our winners is an exemplary science research student with impressive academic achievements and talent in STEM," added Soel. "They are critical thinkers, innovators, and truly creative young scientists.  Their unique research projects have made authentic contributions to the fields of behavioral science, medicine, ecology, evolutionary biology and biomedical engineering."

Fourteen students total from Kennedy submitted research projects, as well as several from the district’s other two high schools, Calhoun and Mepham. Since 2004, there have been 71 research scholars and semifinalists from the Kennedy the Advanced Science Research program.

The scholars completed three years of independent research in their respective school’s Advanced Science Research Program. Each of the 300 Regeneron Scholars is awarded $2,000 for themselves and $2,000 to support science and research at their respective schools.

"Congratulations to the 300 scholars in this year's Regeneron Science Talent Search," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News.  "With a record-breaking number of applications, these exceptional young scientists and engineers represent the best in the nation. We are thrilled to celebrate their ingenuity, hard work, and passion for STEM."

From that select pool of scholars, 40 student finalists will be selected on Jan. 23 and are invited to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists and compete for awards, including the top award of $250,000.