Meeting for the first time since residents soundly passed a $127 million budget for next year, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District School Board could breathe easy Wednesday night as they recognized students and retiring educators.
As the board was about to honor the Kennedy High boys volleyball and Calhoun High girls badminton teams for winning county titles this spring came word that the Calhoun baseball squad had just captured a county championship as well.
"This is the most we'd had in any season since I've been here," Superintendent Henry Kiernan said of the county titles. "We're very proud of our athletes and coaches."
Up next on the agenda were recognitions of this year's valedictorians and salutatorians from the district's three high schools.
Kennedy- Valedictorian- Matthew Stern- Attending Cornell University
Salutatorian- Daniel Bornstein- Attending Dartmouth College
Calhoun- Valedictorian- Jun Luke Foster – Attending Yale University (recently featured in a Patch profile)
Salutatorian- Alexander Harrison- Attending the University of Pennsylvania
Mepham- Valedictorian- Michelle Dimino- Attending Harvard University
Salutatorian- Rachel Agoglia- Attending the University of California- Berkeley
The board also said goodbye to several retiring teachers and administrators Wednesday night. They included Calhoun High Assistant Principal Gerard Swier and Grand Avenue Middle School Principal Lewis Serra.
"Mr. Serra represents all that is good in the Bellmore-Merrick district," school board trustee Janet Goller said. "You've touched the lives of our children and ours as well. We wish you a healthy and happy retirement."
In other school board action:
- The board accepted a donation of 10 Cleveland Pear trees from the Kennedy High classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009 (a total of $3,875) to replace trees at Kennedy that were damaged during a recent storm and removed.
- The board approved an increase in the 2009-10 appropriations budget of $240,738 relating to termination payments due to the unanticipated number of June 2010 retirees.
- The board approved an agreement with East Meadow Driving School to provide driver education instruction, with vehicles, for the summer, fall and spring semesters of the 2010-11 school year at a per student cost of $455.
- The board approved an agreement with Professional Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy to provide athletic training services to the three high schools in the district for the 2010-11 school year at a cost not to exceed $96,000.
The board meets next on June 21 for an end-of-the-year workshop session.
