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

East Rockaway High School senior Danny Quadrino, 18, is living his dream as an actor on Broadway. He has made his debut on the Big White Way in the revival of the musical "Bye Bye Birdie." He just filled in for the starring role of "Hugo" in this week's matinee performance. more

It’s a truism of politics: In times of economic collapse, hard-liners seek scapegoats to blame rather than bipartisan solutions to offer hope. more

As if riding a zip line off the Great Wall over water weren’t enough, there was always snacking on fried scorpions to get the four Bellmore-Merrick teachers’ hearts racing. The women also played … more

Throughout the long, at times agonizing health reform debate, conservatives and insurance-industry lobbyists have argued that we don’t need a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. more

As it turns out, we have a new Nassau County executive. Democrat Thomas Suozzi conceded defeat to Republican challenger Ed Mangano last week. Suozzi lost by a mere 386 votes. more

Unresolved teacher contracts remained at the forefront of community concerns at the Nov. 10 North Merrick Board of Education meeting. Contract negotiations were not on the meeting agenda, but several residents and one teacher used the public comment period to urge the Board of Education to resolve the dispute surrounding contracts that expired in June 2008. more

Talk about timeliness. Last week's column, "Responding to a Trio of Tragedies," was followed by three more incidents this week: a principal held hostage, resulting in his school going into lockdown; a 13-year-old boy committing suicide in the Bronx; and a report that two-thirds of all middle school students say they have been bullied. In each case, there was no outlet for rage. It is incumbent on us to prevent anger from escalating to that point. This week, I will examine a number of the anti-bullying programs that are proliferating in the schools, from the elementary to even the college levels. more

Boosters to hold annual fund drive On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Calhoun High School Sports Boosters will hold their annual fund drive beginning at 10:30 a.m. All those who would like to participate should meet in Calhoun's west cafeteria starting at 9:30 a.m., where a bagel breakfast will be served. All students, parents and teachers are welcome and needed to make this event successful. The boosters ask the community to continue its upport for students by donating to this fund drive. Checks can be made payable to "Calhoun Sports Boosters" and are preferred, but cash is also welcome. Return envelopes will be left for mail-in donations for those who are not at home. Throughout the year, the Sports Boosters sponsor various events, including Homecoming, pep rally, parade, Battle of the Classes and Spring Fling. Boosters also donate to community and district events, including the "Midnight Madness" post-prom party for senior students. Calhoun Sports Boosters is there to support students in any way that it can, and to promote sportsmanship, school spirit and good will throughout the community. E-mail sportsboosters@optonline.net for further information. Any questions, call Phyllis at (516) 546-0994 or Debbie at 379-1661. more

For more than a week, Calhoun High School senior Tyler Seaman has looked for the right words to tell his classmates how he feels about them. On Thursday after press time, he was preparing to stand in front of his fellow students, teachers and parents, and share a speech of thanks. In return, students and faculty were preparing to take to the Calhoun auditorium stage to sing, dance and perform in the school’s first student-faculty talent show to benefit the Chordoma Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for this extremely rare form of cancer. more