A visit to the Alert Engine, Hook and Ladder and Hose Company firehouse at 555 Middle Neck Road is an eye-opening experience. Yet, at the same time, it is almost like stepping into the pages of a favorite childhood storybook. While it is truly amazing to see the enormously complex behind-the-scenes operation at a firehouse, it is a real thrill, even for an adult, to actually step up onto one of those ''shiny big red trucks.'' FULL STORY

Great Neck's board of education voted support of a ''position paper'' written jointly by the superintendents of Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Southern Westchester County, a paper addressing strong concerns regarding the state's new standards and mandated assessments. At the board's Feb. 28 meeting, Great Neck Public Schools Superintendent William Shine explained the superintendents' views, noting that it is quite unusual to see such unanimity --- with a unanimous vote among Nassau and Suffolk superintendents, and only one abstaining in Westchester (from Mt. Vernon). FULL STORY

On Feb.17, there was a gala evening in Pilsen (Plzen), Czech Republic, the hometown of the director of Parkwood Skate School, Milada Kubikova-Stastny, honoring the 10 best athletes of the town from the 20th century. Only one athlete (or team) per sport was allowed to be nominated by the public and administrative section of each sport. Among the 10 officially named-the "Sport Stars of the 20th Century" was Milada Kubikova (Stastny) and her partner Jaroslav Votruba. FULL STORY

In September, Michael Fitoussi who once played for the Bruins at Parkwood, and now plays for the Royals, coached by Aleksey Nikiforov (who once coached Darius Kasparaitis and Dainius Zubrus) made the final cut to play as a Junior Islander, coached by Bobby Nystrom and Gerry Hart, with Aleksey Nikiforov as trainer. This composite team was formed to compete in the challenge cup in Toronto during Christmas vacation where 32 international teams were represented. The Islanders went to the semifinals, and lost. Michael incurred a shoulder injury in the quarterfinals and could not help his team in the semis. It was the first time in the history of the tournament that a composite team made it to the final four. FULL STORY