Schools

Board of Education honors teams, coaches

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The Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education recognized more than one hundred athletes and coaches from the basketball, bowling, fencing and track teams for their performance during the winter sports season on April 14.

“We were very fortunate this month to have a number of faculty, coaches and student athletes recognized for their athletic performance,” said Superintendent Bill Heidenreich. “Congratulations to all of our student athletes. The Board of Education is so proud of you and is very proud and pleased to offer opportunities to all of our students, both in the classroom and on the playing field, so we can produce well-rounded students and citizens.”

The first to be honored were the head coach and members of the South High School boys basketball team, who took home the Long Island Championship earlier this year. Coach Matthew Johnsen was honored after being named Newsday’s Nassau County Coach of the Year, and junior Hall Elisias was congratulated after being named to the All-County team by the Nassau County Coaches Association.

“It was heaven for us at South,” said Maureen Henry, the school’s principal. “The pride that not just the basketball team, but the entire school got to experience the team’s run this year was incredible. To see so many students and parents who drove up to Glens Falls for the state championship, who packed Hofstra and Farmingdale during their games, it was great.”

Johnsen said he was humbled to be named the county’s top basketball coach. He gave credit to his players for their championship run.

“They worked really hard to get where they got to,” he said. “They deserve a lot of credit. To see those guys mature like I’ve seen them mature has just been a great process. It was a great run and I’m really just excited to have been a part of it.”

The team was also honored by the village Board of Trustees on April 13, when the board unveiled a large red sign that will announce the accomplishment to drivers on Sunrise Highway entering Valley Stream from Lynbrook.

South wasn’t the only school to get attention from the school board for its play on the hardwood. Also honored were Winston Jones and Mahlik McLeod, of the Central and North High School boys basketball teams, respectively, who were named to the boys All-County team, and Naomi Bolasingh, of Central, who was named to the girl’s All-County team.

Success on the track

The board also recognized the North High School boys and girls winter track teams, both of which took home Nassau County Class A Championships. Timothy Boyens and Michael Frazer, head coaches of the boys and girls track teams, respectively, also received Newsday’s Nassau County Coach of the Year awards.

“Tim and I really consider ourselves co-head coaches, with one big track program, so I was glad be both received the award, because you really can’t separate one from the other,” said Frazer. “It was a very humbling experience ... there is a tradition of success here at North — success on the track has become part of the culture here at North. We’re proud to carry on that tradition and culture and pass it to our upperclassman athletes, who teach it to our younger competitors.”

The Central High School boys 100 meter relay team, comprised of Geoffrey Canada, Jr., Blaine Fisher, Cory Parrish and Gensis Yates, were also honored for their Nassau County Championship.

Parrish was recognized for being placed on the All-County boys track team, along with teammate Felipe Custodio, North High School athletes Koby Altine, Jesse DiMeglio, Edem Ekpe, Stephan Jean-Charles, Zavier Jean-Charles, T.J. Magno, Isaiah Paige, Billy Paraszczuk, Jarred Times and Peter Wilk and South’s Michael Gordon were also named to the All-County team.

Angeli Andre, Florencia Desir, Shantavia Destinoble, Anna Fagbemi, Elaina Hobbs, Tyesha Irving, Luz Nin and Chelsea Polanco, all of North, were named to the All-County girls track team.

Maria Lucente, of North, and Alex Messina, of Central, were honored after being named to the All-County girls bowling team after taking the district-wide bowling team to the state championship. Fencers Sabrina Decopain, of South, and Samantha Lohier, of Central, were honored for being named to the All Long Island fencing team by Newsday.