How often do we have a chance to get together? How many events become a part of our collective experience? These are questions that occur to me as Roslyn High School makes its final preparations for Homecoming '98.

Of course, our students gather together every day in school. Parents meet in large numbers a few times a year: Open House, Back-to-School Night, concerts, graduations. Our Gold Card members gather for several large events annually. But how many events do we have that involve the whole community?

Well, there are a few, and we should all take advantage of them. The Bryant Library's annual Sunday in the Park every spring is a wonderful example of residents of all ages and backgrounds participating in a community-wide event. The Roslyn High School Homecoming in the fall is another such occasion.

To paraphrase a now-famous expression, it truly does take an entire village to organize a Homecoming. Without the cooperation of the Village of Roslyn, Nassau County Police Department, Highland and Rescue Fire Departments, Rallye Motors, Roslyn Air National Guard, Town of North Hempstead and our own board of education, students, parents, teachers, administrators and other staff, as well as many government, civic, religious and business officials, we could not possibly stage such a large and successful event every year.

In particular, it is a testament to the students and faculty of Roslyn High school that this event has grown to become an integral part of the school and community in just five years. The high school's principal, Dr. Jayson Stoller, has led the effort to establish this event for the benefit of everyone in Roslyn.

I would like to remind everyone that the festivities will begin on Saturday, October 3 at 10:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast in the high school cafeteria. At noon, marchers will line in the circle in front of the high school and the parade will kick off at 12:15. The Emerald Society's pipe band, The Highlanders, an honor guard from the Air National Guard station, trucks from our local fire departments, the Roslyn High School band and many others will be in the parade.

The route will take the parade north up Roslyn Road to the village center, right past the clock tower and across Old Northern Boulevard, right again at the Roslyn Savings Bank, past the Bryant Library, left again onto Roslyn Road, and a final left turn onto Harbor Hill Road to the high school field. The Homecoming football game will begin at 1:30 p.m. against Plainedge.

Please join the hundreds of people who enjoy a wonderful day at Homecoming each year. We will all go home at the end of the day feeling more like a community than we did the day before. We will also look forward with great anticipation to getting together again next year.