Keyword: 'Lerner' | Herald Community Newspapers

Laser Industries worked throughout the summer to install artificial-turf fields at Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. Above, heavy machinery brought in earlier this summer at Calhoun High.

With school starting, turf fields are ready for play

With the summer winding down, so is work on the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s three new artificial-turf athletic fields at Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools. The fields passed their final “bounce test” and were certified playable on Sept. 9, according to Saul Lerner, the Central District's athletics director. more

By Scott Brinton | 9/12/14

David Seinfeld, formerly the principal of Calhoun High School, is now the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s assistant superintendent for instruction.

A familiar face is now the Central District's assistant superintendent

Of all the moments in a school year, David Seinfeld, former principal of Calhoun High School, now the Bellmore-Merrick Central District’s assistant superintendent for instruction, said he loves the half-hour after graduation most of all. He enjoys watching families snapping photos of and hugging their proud graduates. more

By Scott Brinton | 8/27/14

Anna and Emily Lawrence, 17, juniors at Kennedy High School in Bellmore, have organized an anti-texting-and-driving campaign that they’re calling STANDD-NY (Stop Texting and Driving-New York). Above, the twins in the Kennedy student parking lot.

Taking a STANDD against texting and driving

Anna and Emily Lawrence, 17-year-old twins who attend Kennedy High School in Bellmore, are alike is nearly every way. They certainly look alike. They’re also both leaders in the student government, … more

By Scott Brinton | 6/4/14

Wendy Tepfer, executive director of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center, left, tested goggles used to track eye movement. Failing the test could indicate a concussion. She was assisted by Omarys Herasme-Parker, a field manager with the Brain Trauma Foundation.

Bellmore-Merrick Central District joins in national concussion study

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is taking part in a national study, conducted by the nonprofit Brain Trauma Foundation, that aims to more precisely map the number of high school athletes who suffer concussions. more

By Scott Brinton | 4/29/14

IRS cover-up is worse than the misdeed

I recently appeared on Fox News, where the topic was supposed to be the decision by drugstore superpower CVS to no longer sell cigarettes or tobacco products to customers. However, a House Ways and Means Committee hearing quickly diverted our attention. more

2/14/14

Calhoun High School football and lacrosse star Griffin Miller, right, has a 98 average and, as a junior, is already committed to play lacrosse at Dartmouth. Students like him are the reason that all 28 of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District’s fall squads were designated New York State Scholar-Athlete Teams by the state Public High School Athletic Association, Central District officials say. He was joined here by Jason Elias, a Calhoun English teacher and Kennedy High School soccer coach, who said he stresses academics first and athletics second.

28 Bellmore-Merrick Central squads named Scholar-Athlete teams

Calhoun High School football and lacrosse star Griffin Miller attends the athletes’ after-school study hall daily after practice. No exceptions. He finishes 45 minutes of homework, grabs a late pass and dashes to practice, after which he sits down to another two to three hours of studies at home. The junior’s commitment to homework, in part, explains why he has attained a 98 average while taking a battery of Advanced Placement and Honors classes and is already committed to play at Dartmouth. more

By Scott Brinton | 1/20/14

Bellmore-Merrick Central District, Community Parent Center to offer college recruitment workshop

The college application process, with its myriad academic requirements and deadlines, can be mind-boggling. Then comes the financial aid application, which can seem as daunting as a 1040 income-tax form on steroids. more

By Scott Brinton | 12/5/13

Out of Order: In the Mepham High School football locker room, the sink and urinals are broken beyond repair.

Bellmore-Merrick Central District superintendent offers facilities tour

In schools throughout the Bellmore-Merrick Central District, many wooden doors are scratched up, and their handles don’t latch properly. In most bathrooms, one or more sinks and toilets are broken and covered over. In Mepham High School’s football locker room, where the smell of sweat suffuses the air, the sink is sealed with plywood and the urinals are cemented over. more

By Scott Brinton | 11/5/13

In cooperation with the Hofstra University Men's Rugby Club, USA Rugby and AIG, the Bellmore-Merrick Central HigH School District sponsored a clinic and rugby tournament for 75 district student-athletes on Oct. 17.

Rookie Rugby has its Bellmore-Merrick Central District debut

Overhead lights borrowed from Nassau County illuminated Mepham High School’s football field on the evening of Oct. 17, when members of the Hofstra University Men’s Rugby Club and three former U.S. national rugby team players –– Michael Laczkowski, Glenn Gawronski and Kevin Fegan –– offered a clinic in a sport that, to Americans at least, looks something like a cross between football and soccer. And, in many ways, it is. more

By Scott Brinton | 10/30/13

In the fight against bureaucracy, the taxpayer wins

Last week, taxpayers across Long Island voted on their school districts’ proposed budgets. There are 124 school districts across Long Island, and 95 percent of their spending plans passed. more

5/31/13