I have read on several occasions some very negative letters regarding the education of our children here in Levittown. As a parent and concerned member of the community, I cannot deny that problems exist and need to be addressed. However, I can say with certainty it is not the "gloom and doom" portrayed in some of these letters.

I have been actively involved in this community for over 13 years. This year my daughter is a senior at Division Ave. High School. She is a bright, well-rounded, involved student who ranks in the top 20 percent of her class. While my husband and I would like to take all the credit for this, the truth is we share it with some devoted, caring people from this school district. We strongly believe that you must work together, get involved and stay involved or you have no one to blame but yourselves. While there is still much work to be done I have seen great strides made these past few years. Including the fact that the Regents diploma rate at Division Avenue has increased to above 60 percent (which is above the county average), more students than ever are taking AP classes and passing them, more AP classes are being offered and the number of students going on to two and four year colleges is at an all time high.

The class of 2001 at Division Ave. High School is full of bright, talented, well-rounded young people! Out of the 211 students graduating this June over 50 have a GPA of 90 percent or higher. The valedictorian has a GPA of 106. Many of these students have already been accepted to some prestigious universities including Boston College, Cornell, U Penn & Holy Cross to name a few. Some will be receiving a significant amount of monies in the form of scholarships and others have been awarded full scholarships. While many of our students do and will continue to attend Nassau Community College, I believe it is due to the fact that NCC is a quality, affordable, local college that offers Nassau County residents the opportunity to become successful adults. Many of these individuals also use it as a "stepping-stone" toward obtaining their bachelor's and master's degrees. The accusation in one article referring to the fact that many Levittown students occupy the majority of the seats in the non-credit remedial English and mathematics courses could not be confirmed by the admissions offices at Nassau Community College.

During the past two years, I have had the opportunity to visit many colleges with my daughter. We never experienced any negativity due to the fact that we were from Levittown and I am pleased to say neither has anyone else from Levittown we have spoken with. She was always judged on her own merits. My daughter applied to five universities and has been accepted to all of them. She will be attending Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. this fall and was offered a partial academic scholarship. She plans to enter their five-year master's program in education.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank some very special people: Ms. Lorraine Haviken, Mr. Tim Chambers, and Dr. Harry Chertok along with the staff and teachers at Northside School, Wisdom Lane Middle School and Division Ave. High School for your dedication and encouragement these past 13 years. You have played an important role in helping my child achieve this milestone.

In closing I would like to reiterate that every parent owes it to his or her child to get involved and stay involved. Go to meetings (PTA, board of education, etc.). Ask questions and help find solutions. As a parent who works full-time I know how difficult it is to juggle everything, but is there anything more important than our children's future?