It may have been a retirement party, but the friends, colleagues and family of Assistant Superintendent of Schools Ann Israel were hardly retiring. At a bash given at the Crest Hollow Country Club on June 14 for this beloved and caring administrator who has served the educational community in Port for 35 years, the family of the Port Washington school district party-heartied ... and shed a few tears ... throughout the evening. FULL STORY

Approximately one year ago, the PW School District was alerted by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to an overrepresentation of minority students in special education and in English language learner (ELL) classes. The district resolved to go beyond meeting minimal standards and strive for equity for all students. In a progress report given at the board of education meeting on May 22, consultant Daniel Baron highlighted the multi-pronged efforts and noteworthy results that have occurred since that decision about achieving equity was made. While meeting OCR standards seems to be nearly completed, there is significant work that lies ahead, especially after hearing the comments of students, parents, and others citing unfair treatment in schools, perceptions of bias and prejudice, especially from other students, and little classroom attention paid to the contributions of minorities. FULL STORY

The highly regarded Great Neck Bicycle Challenge is being revived by David "Speedy" Emanuel, a bicycle racer himself in his younger days and still an avid rider. FULL STORY

On Saturday, June 9th, two of Manhasset Bay YC best women sailors, Sue Miller and Stephanie Baas, won the Queens Cup - YRA Women's Championship and the Commodore Mendez Perpetual Trophy (Larchmont YC Trophy). They had two second-place finishes and a first (three races with no throw-outs)...in very shifty conditions. The Cup was raced in Ideal 18's, with 14 boats on the starting line from all the area clubs. The team had good starts for all five races, and read the shifts well, which was just the right formula for winning the Cup. The last race was five legs - and Sue and Stef picked up two boats on the second downwind leg. With stiff competition from the other teams, and wind not cooperating with shifts all over the map, this win was especially sweet. Congratulations to both Sue and Stef. This qualifies them to race in the Area B Championship on August 25th in New London, CT. Good luck to both of you in August. FULL STORY