On Monday, April 17, New York Democrat, United States Senator Charles Schumer, visited Island Trees High School as part of the "Principal for a Day" program that he has been involved with since his election. Senator Schumer has piloted the Marshall Plan, a set of his goals for improving education- getting to see middle and high schools first-hand is a major aspect of his plans for reform. The schools that the senator visited while on Long Island this week were Bethpage, Island Trees and Freeport and, according to the senator's aides, he has been visiting schools in every part of the state in much the same way.

Senator Schumer arrived promptly at 9:20 a.m. and spent nearly 40 minutes in the office of Victor Longaro, Island Trees High School principal, talking to Longaro and Richard Segerdahl, superintendent of the Island Trees School District. He wanted to have a full overview of the district and seemed to be extremely interested in the specific concerns and problems that the district may be having. He listen attentively as Segerdahl explained the history of Island Trees and the type of socioeconomic area in which the school is located. He was interested in statistics regarding the number of students who go on to college, as well as the test scores during the past few years.

The senator asked many questions about the budget, and voter and community support for, and satisfaction with, the school. Problems, such as budget shortages and the requirements for preparing students for the Regents exams, were discussed at length. Longaro explained the way in which new classes called RP (Regents Prep.) have been formulated for that purpose.

Other issues discussed with Schumer were the growing population in the district (which requires space that is not readily available), and teachers' salaries, recruitment and retention. One of the biggest concerns of the school district, which Senator Schumer was interested in hearing about, are the new state regulations calling for a "mainstreaming" of students, which advocates that children with special needs such as autism or multiple sclerosis be able to learn with their peers. This special education program, which Island Trees has upheld, requires a great deal in terms of funding and staff.

After a lengthy discussion, Senator Schumer who, to his credit, is one of the only New York State politicians whose children attend public schools (he has a daughter in 10th grade at Stuyvesant and daughter in 5th grade at P.S. 230), was shown around the high school. As the group walked around the school, the senator answered a few questions, noting that he does believe in Regents exams and higher standards, but that he does not like the high-stakes testing approach and is looking into a solution which will take pressure off children in younger grades. He also spoke of a plan to help teachers buy homes near the schools where they teach, explaining that a low teacher-retention rate, which is more of a problem in other areas than in Island Trees, is due to the fact that teachers starting out often can't afford to buy a home and commute comfortably to work. Longaro discussed the child-care program that Island Trees offers its teachers to further facilitate their job in the district.

The first classrooms the senator saw were the newly built science laboratories. Some time was also spent in the computer lab, discussing new programs that will be available to students next year, such as CAD and architectural drawing. Senator Schumer stepped into many classrooms, from a Spanish classroom where he greeted the students with "Buenos Dias" to a college English class where he discussed the merits of James Joyce (the class was reading The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man). English teacher Darlene Lilla stated, "We were honored to have him. My college English class was excited to talk to him about their future plans. It is a great thing that he is doing by going to high schools and showing his appreciation for the work the students and teachers are doing." He also stepped into the music department, a social studies classroom, the gym and weight room, and a home economics room, where he was presented with an oatmeal cookie. Senator Schumer who told one class about his education at Harvard, was very impressed with the Island Trees students. He repeated several times, "They are nice kids here. They really are." The students of Island Trees were quite thrilled with the chance to meet the senator as well. As he made his rounds in the hallways, many students went to him to shake his hand and introduce themselves. Lisa Giunta, a freshman, stated, "I thought it was very nice for him to take the time to stop by and visit our school. It was nice to get a chance to meet a senator of New York."

The senator had a marvelous rapport with the students and it was obvious that he is very fond of young people. Watching a short film of the Science Olympiad team competing, he turned to one of the physics students, Tim Law, and said, "When I was in physics learning all these principles from books, I didn't think they really worked." Law responded, "Uh, I still don't." Physics teacher Dr. Andrew Sass said of the senator's visit, "I thought he connected with the students very well. He remembered what it was like being a high school physics student, and he looked like he enjoyed being there."

In the classroom of a criminal justice course, a heated discussion broke out over drug crimes, jail terms, and capital punishment. Senator Schumer threw the question out to the students, "Do you believe in capital punishment?" Senior Eric Alahverdian didn't miss a beat. "Yes," he called out, "An eye for an eye, brother." The senator appeared quite at ease chatting with all the students. He was particularly interested in the colleges the seniors would be attending and he left each classroom only after wishing everyone, "Good Luck!"

As Senator Schumer was getting ready to move on to another school at about 11 a.m. he spent a few minutes fielding some tough questions. He talked about the "Principal for a Day" program and the importance of touring schools to get first-hand impressions of individual communities. He spoke about the Marshall Plan and promised to send some informative literature to the school. He praised New York State for the across-the-board assessment that the Regents exams provide and the high standards they promote. He even took a moment, albeit with a wry look, to answer a question about the Clinton/Giuliani senate race. "The publicity the race is good. Rather, it would be good," he smiled, "If they talk about real and important issues and concerns. However, if it becomes just a matter of people talking to get attention..." his voice trailed off.

Before moving on to his next stop at Freeport High School, Senator Schumer received some tokens from Island Trees, including the 1999 Yearbook; Images, the school's literary magazine; a copy of the Bulldog, the school newspaper; a Bulldog baseball cap and a T-shirt from the music department.

The senator's visit left a very positive impression at Island Trees High School. Longaro, who said the program was a bit of a surprise and that he was only contacted about it last week, commented, "It was a wonderful visit. Senator Schumer proved to be a good listener. I think he enjoyed speaking with our students as much as they enjoyed speaking with him." Senior Katie Safrey summed up her impression with, "He seemed like a really nice man."

Segerdahl noted, "It was an honor and privilege having the senator visit the Island Trees School District." All in all the district was very honored that Senator Schumer took the time to visit Island Trees High School and is glad that he is committed to improving education in the state of New York.