Due to a business commitment Herricks School Board President Peter Grisafi was not able to attend the last Herricks School Board meeting. Therefore, Vice President Christine Turner took over and ran the meeting.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Helen Costigan went into great detail in explaining the budget, assessed valuations and the tax levy. She explained that the middle class Star aid would be discussed, in detail, by New York State Senator Craig Johnson, who was to appear at the board meeting at a later time in the evening. He did come and explained, in detail, about the middle class Star and his report was published in the May 11th issue of The Illustrated News.

Many of the students of the elementary schools were present and their foreign policy activities explained through a PowerPoint presentation.

Herricks Superintendent Dr. Jack Bierwirth prefaced the presentation by saying, "Our purpose of doing this is that we have talked a lot about the things that are done on the high school level, but there are a lot of things that are really beginning to happen on the elementary level and we wanted the board to know what those things are."

Denton Avenue Principal Marge Richardson started off. She began by giving a quote by Marion Wright Edelman that states, "Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and the world better than you found it."

She continued by saying the three elementary schools are working on the topic, "Global Awareness." She said, "We have been helping the children understand that their involvement and commitment goes beyond themselves, their schools and their community. It goes to the global, broader community of the world. So tonight we have the representatives of the three elementary schools here and they will explain the special projects they have been working on. The theme for the evening is, 'Creating a better world through global awareness.'"

Richardson then introduced the members of the Denton Avenue Student Council.

The first person to speak explained, with the help of a PowerPoint presentation, how they worked in conjunction with the Town of North Hempstead on an Earth Day paper bag project. They decorated paper bags to show that it was better to use paper than plastic. Another member explained that the student council always works together and how each class has its own decorated paper box that is used for recycling, and there is a progress report on the all-purpose bulletin board. The main message from the Denton Avenue students was that recycling saves precious resources.

The next group was from the Center Street School. They made print ads to show how to conserve energy. The student council members said their project was called, "Who Are You." They made a list of all the people they might be including: Congressmen, inventors, oil dealers, etc. and prepared ads as if They were those folks. Since a lot of research was required they explained they went on the Internet and accessing various websites they were able to create ads as if they were those people. One ad said, "You can save energy by walking." Two of the students said they went on the Exxon Mobil site and found out that there is a new engine and fuel system that will improve fuel economy by 30 percent. Exxon Mobil is making a new engine to be ready in a few years and that will help energy which will help protect the earth, the students said.

Another student went to the computer and he and his partner had devised an online ad that said, "Conserve energy or all light bulbs will explode." And with that a light bulb on the screen actually did explode and he received a great ovation from the audience.

The Searingtown students reported that they were engaged in a library projected entitled, "Tell Me A Story." The first young lady to speak explained they were reading books about multicultural awareness. She said the whole class read a book entitled The Rainbow Tulip and then they made family trees and she said she learned a lot about her classmates.

She said they all picked different multicultural books and wrote book reviews to be shared by the school, on the library website.

The program regarding the elementary school ended and then the board was then introduced to young men members of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America).

The young men of DECA, all dressed in suits and ties, were introduced by their moderator Claude Commisso. The first speaker, the president, said he felt that DECA was "the most underappreciated club." He explained that DECA, which means Distributive Education Clubs of America, is the school's largest club with 260 members. The purpose is to get students ready for the business world. In fact, one of the young men said that when he first joined DECA he was shy, but now he said he is able to get up and give a speech. He also explained they have a DECA store in the high school where they sell candy, school supplies, etc. and all those who work there are members of DECA and he said that helps them to learn how to sell and how to handle money.

It was also explained that businessmen attend their meetings and advise them on various ways to approach the business world and the future, as they get ready to enter college. He mentioned that one of the winners of Donald Trump's TV Show The Apprentice, Bill Rancic, came and spoke to the students and explained to them how his high school experiences helped him in college and to win his place on The Apprentice.

The young men all made a huge impression on the audience and especially on New York State Senator Craig Johnson who said he hoped he would never have to run against any of them.

After the DECA men spoke, Herricks Superintendent Dr. Jack Bierwirth said, "Several years ago there was a study entitled, "Standards for Success," to which we paid a lot of attention from college professors. It's worth remembering that high school is so much more than classes; it's clubs, it's sports, it's all the skills and knowledge that students gain that allows them to go in college and in life. It really excites me to see the range of incredible opportunities we offer the students in our high school. I have to believe that the DECA students do better in their academic classes as a result of the DECA experience. These are skills that will stand them in good stead as they go off to college. Unfortunately, it is difficult to show those in a transcript, but I think the colleges are paying attention and the students that come back in the middle of their freshman year certainly talk about all the different ways in which Herricks prepared them for college. Even though they are gone it makes us proud to hear their various stories."

Herricks Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Deirdre Hayes announced the following scholarships:

Nandini Venkateswaran-one of nine national winners in the highly competitive National Honor Society Scholarship received a scholarship in the amount of $3,000.

Josh Feldman-won one of 12 scholarships, given nationwide, by The Walt Disney Foundation, for full tuition for four years to any college of his choice.

Matt Seigerman, who is a Coca Cola Scholar, one of 50 national winners-$20,000. Ronak Amin-one of 200 regional winners received a Coca Cola Scholarship in the amount of $10,000.

Vice President Turner then returned to the agenda of the meeting and the board voted to authorize James Brown to participate in a committee for cooperative bids for fuel oil with the following districts: Farmingdale, Malverne, Mineola, Port Washington, Sewanhaka, Floral Park-Bellerose, Locust Valley, Manhasset, New Hyde Park/Garden City Park and Roslyn.

The board then approved and adopted the calendar for the 2008-'09 school year. The calendar may be obtained in the office of the superintendent at the Herricks Community Center, 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park.

The final action taken by the board was to approve a bid for security guard service at the hourly cost of $14.75 per hour.

The board then adjourned and the next board meeting will be held on June 7 at 7:15 p.m. at the Center Street School.