Nicole Falco
Junior John LaBarbera, 16, was participating in a basketball clinic at the school on Monday when, at about 5:40 p.m., he suddenly. He was rushed to Franklin Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. by emergency room personnel. His father, John Sr., was at his side. The official cause of death hasn't been released.
"He was an all-around great kid," said Central Principal Joe Pompilio. "Everything that you want a high school student to be, he was."
It was only last week that a photo of LaBarbera was put up on the school's Strength and Honor Board in the main hallway to commend a good deed he had done. According to Pompilio, LaBarbera had found $90 and turned it over to the principal, in the hope that the money would be claimed by its rightful owner. Included with the photo is a paragraph that tells how that simple action reveals the respect and kindness LaBarbera had toward his classmates.
"He was a kid everyone wanted to emulate," said Amy Weinberg, LaBarbera's guidance counselor. "He was so well-liked. Students looked up to him as a role model. He was every mother's dream. He was kind, compassionate, gentle and very genuine."
At Central, LaBarbera played basketball and baseball. His good grades regularly earned him a place on the High Honor Roll, he was enrolled in multiple Advanced Placement courses and he had just started his second year in the Advanced Science Research program. He was also a musician, playing tenor saxophone in the school's jazz and marching bands. He was a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the Science Honor Society and Mathletes.
"All in all, he was a great kid," Pompilio said. "It's just hard to comprehend."
By Tuesday morning, the entire school knew about LaBarbera's death. Pompilio said he made an announcement over the P.A. system, offering the students words of comfort and encouraging them to be there for one another. "Everybody was just devastated," Pompilio said. "The kids were in shock - even the kids who didn't know him."
Guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists were also readily available to students. Guidance counselors followed LaBarbera's class schedule on Tuesday so that students could have immediate access to help. Pompilio said the school would continue to offer students help in coping with the tragedy for as long as necessary. All after-school activities were canceled on Tuesday.
On behalf of the entire high school district, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein said, "We mourn the loss of a wonderful young man, an excellent student and superb athlete. We extend our sympathy to John's family and friends."
Mike Soscia, band director at Wheeler Avenue School, who taught LaBarbera in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades, called his former student a "superstar." "He was a really well-rounded, great kid," Soscia said. "He was very dedicated, and he worked really hard."
LaBarbera, the oldest of four, kept in touch with Soscia. Soscia has seen him perform with Central's bands, and LaBarbera would often stop by and say hello when he would pick up one of his younger siblings from school.
The Valley Stream Hawks Baseball Club, of which LaBarbera had been a member, expressed its collective sorrow on its Web site. The tribute reads, in part, "This is a tremendous loss for an entire community as John was just an extraordinarily talented, brilliant, kind, caring, respectful young man -- someone all people could use as a role model ... because of the humble, unselfish way he conducted himself, each of his achievements brought tremendous joy to others. He leaves a winner -- on his own terms, having beaten the odds so many times in the past, doing the things he loved and lived for."
LaBarbera is survived by his parents, John and Sue, and siblings Cassandra, a ninth-grader at Memorial Junior High, Heather, a sixth-grader at Wheeler, and Michael, a third-grader at Wheeler.
A wake was scheduled for Wednesday at Lieber Funeral Home. LaBarbera's funeral Mass was set for Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Mary Church.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
