East Meadow's Top Seven School Stories of 2010

It has been an eventful year in the East Meadow School District. The students continue to be active in the community, and the educators are leading paths for success for East Meadow's young people. Check below for the top school stories on East Meadow Patch in 2010.

1)

On Dec. 3, a squirrel upset the order at . At approximately 10:30 a.m., the squirrel knocked out a fuse, which led to the school being without power for almost three hours. Students were dismissed early as a result.

"Upon inspection, it was a squirrel that made contact with the primary wire, and that caused the blown fuse," LIPA Spokesman Mark Gross said. "No other businesses or residents were affected."

2)

The students of , under the direction of Dr. John Healy, donated a mural that was made to be displayed at the Nassau County Firefighters' Museum. The theme of the mural is for children not to be scared of firefighters as rescue personnel tries to save them in an event of an emergency.

"The main goal of this mural is to teach kids not to be afraid of firefighters," Alana Petrocelli, the director of the museum said. "Sometimes a firefighter might go into a house, and a kid might hide because they see the gear."

3)

The students at planted Tulip Bulbs as part of a healthy lifestyle campaign to start Red Ribbon Week. The students each were wearing red ribbons, which symbolizes a pledge to "a drug-free life." The students understood how important the work they were doing was.

Eisha, a 4th grader at Parkway, said she helps her mom plant flowers and tomatoes at home. "Plants give you air," she said. "In a few months these [bulbs] are going to grow."

4)

Students, teachers, families and vendors gathered for a one-of-a-kind celebration of fall at . The highlight of the afternoon was Lisa Meehan's Gymnasium on Wheels Fun Bus. The students were all smiles throughout the event. 

One very special vendor, Juliet Rafanelli, is now a student but she used to attend Bowling Green.  She comes every year to sell her very special homemade bookmarks to help raise money for cancer research at St. Jude's Children Hospital. Juliet says she has raised $550 total for the hospital from her bookmarks, which she sold for only $1 each.

5) 

After a long game in which the parents seemingly had control, the teachers had a late rally which led to their taking the lead, but the parents showed resiliency in fighting back, and the game ended up being a tie.

"We had a very good crowd come out for this Saturday morning game," said Event Coordinator Stephanie Inger. "It is a great opportunity for the kids to see their teachers in a different light outside of the classroom. It is also a friendly rivalry between the parents and teachers."

6)

The  and  bands had the honor of taking part in the annual Columbus Day Parade in New York City. People lined up along the side of the road as the students marched down 5th Avenue.

"We played 'Spirit of America', which is a combination of 'Grand Old Flag' and other patriotic tunes,"  Kevin Scully, director of Clarke's marching band, stated. "We also played 'Birdland', as well as two drum cadences. I feel that we did very well. We had to wait for quite a bit, but the kids stayed patient. We really enjoyed it."

7)

The East Meadow Board of Education discussed ongoing occurrences of thievery that had been taking place at . Patrick Pizzo, the director of school facilities and operations, said the district would extend the fencing at Bowling Green to include the parking lot.

"We explored many different options," Pizzo said at a school board meeting earlier this month. "We looked into video cameras, but there would be too much of an area that the cameras wouldn't reach."