Many people have been asking the clergy in Rockville Centre how best to respond to the devastation and need in Haiti after the recent earthquake. Many have given to their religious relief programs or to a charity with which they are familiar. We encourage all to keep those organizations in mind for continuing their work in Haiti. However, if you are not sure where to send your contributions in what is admittedly a very complicated and unsure situation, we encourage you to consider a contribution to Partners in Health. more

If there was such a thing as a mercy rule in high school basketball, last Friday’s Conference AA-I game between Valley Stream Central and Carey wouldn’t have lasted the full four quarters. more

The Central High School District’s administrators are recommending few capital projects to the Board of Education for inclusion in the 2010-11 budget, primarily because of the unknown status of state aid. The proposed projects total $206,000 in repairs at its four schools. more

Assemblyman Bob Barra held his annual Toys for Tots drive to bring a some Christmas cheer to local children. more

Central High School’s two gymnasiums were filled with holiday items as the PTSA hosted its annual craft fair last Saturday. There were 92 vendors — local and from across Long Island — featuring a variety of items, much handmade. more

One of the primary objectives for the Central High School District is to prepare its students for college. more

On Dec. 13, Central Synagogue held its annual Chanuplex event, in celebration of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. Families came to enjoy a range of holiday-related activities that were … more

The Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education voted 7-2 at its Dec. 8 meeting to extend Superintendent Dr. Marc Bernstein’s contract for another year, keeping the district leader through June 30, 2011. more

Craig Papach, Kennedy High School's athletic coordinator and a 19-year phys. ed. teacher, had long heard the stories of poverty and loneliness, and he wanted to help. So, on Thanksgiving morning, he and his family piled into their car and made the trek from their suburban home in a quiet Wantagh neighborhood to a tiny church on Beach 94th Street in Queens. They went to lend their hands and, equally important, their ears to a day-long effort to aid the homeless. Papach was one of 10 Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District teachers who joined roughly 100 volunteers from Rock and Wrap It Up, a Five Towns-based nonprofit group founded by Syd Mandelbaum, to feed hundreds of impoverished street denizens, some of whom had not eaten for days. more

During Hanukkah we tell a story of heroism. During difficult times such stories and, of course, heroes themselves inspire us with hope that we can persist. When the hero wins the day and the cause of goodness triumphs, we feel renewed and invigorated. We root for the underdog and feel gratified at his or her success. When the underdog wins, we know that we can win too. more