During the last school, H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, one of five high schools in the Sewanhaka Central High School District, earned the Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Recently, although the school year thus far is in its early stages, Carey High School has again found its way on the receiving end of a high honor. United States Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy named Carey the School of the Month for the Fourth Congressional District for September 2000.

McCarthy visited the school on Monday morning and spoke in front of a 7-12 grade assembly. She also presented awards to 12 students and a faculty member who raised approximately $15,000 for the school's Feed the Children Project.

Those students who received certificates included Ronny Cohen, Lea Cohen, Abhay Kumar, Johanna DeJose, Lauren Davis, Jenny Tzakas, Jennifer Liantonio, Michael Tortorici, Francesco Zago, Katherine DeGraff, Pam Zapf and Pamela Green. Under the leadership of faculty member Anthony Torlincasi, these students found the time to help those less fortunate than themselves.

For that and for the other aspects of Carey High School, McCarthy had high praise. "Nobody hears about the great work that your schools do. No one hears about raising money for the poor and feeding the hungry. I happen to think that the recognition of young people should be out there all the time," she said. "You are going to be the future leaders of this country. You are going to have a voice in your government."

Torlincasi, a social studies teacher at the school, expressed his pride in the students' charitable efforts as did Carey Principal Tom Dolan. "From the point of view of charity, they're outstanding," said Torlincasi. "But I had the privilege of teaching the kids who started the whole thing when they were in my tenth grade honors class. They just ran with the idea like crazy in the tenth grade"

In Carey High School, under a program called "Orange Aid," each grade from 9 through 12 picks a charity for the year that they want to support. When the current Carey seniors were sophomores, they chose "Feed the Children."

Over the last two years and this year, those students have been raising money through a variety of means such as bake goods, Italian ice and pizza sales for "Feed the Children."

Two years ago, they were accredited with raising $8,000, which entitled the students to pick a place in the United States that would be the benefit of a food delivery from an 18-wheel truck. The students chose Appalachia, West Virginia. Last year, they were credited with raising over $15,000, which entitled them to two trucks - one was sent to the midwest while another was sent to Mineola to benefit Island Harvest.

This year, the students who are now seniors are hoping to raise between $20,000 and $25,000. "Sometimes seniors don't want to be bothered. They just want to cut out. These seniors are carrying the ball," said Torlincasi. "They just couldn't believe that here in this country, American kids are going to bed at night without food."

McCarthy, who is seeking re-election to her third term in Congress, said most students she has come across are outstanding and those from Carey are no exception.

The congresswoman said it was an honor for her to speak at the school since she considers herself a big proponent of education. Her advocacy of education began when she was a student herself and had learning disabilities at a time when there wasn't much knowledge about them. At the time, said McCarthy, those with learning disabilities were called lazy. Now, she says, all it means is that those with disabilities learn differently.

But, McCarthy's message to the students was simple yet difficult - never give up on yourself. "I believe that one person can make a difference and I believe that with all my heart," she said. "Give credit to yourself and strive to be the best you can. Each and every one of you has that ability inside."

Later, the congresswoman took questions from students. One question asked was whether she believed violence in music lyrics has an effect on youth. McCarthy responded by saying that violence in music lyrics does have an impact on a tiny proportion of people but it does desensitize young people to violence. However, she noted that the other side of the issue has to do with freedom of speech. Congresswoman McCarthy suggested that parents should get involved as much as possible with the education of their children and know what their children are watching and listening to.

Another question that was asked was how she got into politics. McCarthy said she became involved because of the Long Island Rail Road incident, which killed her husband and badly wounded her son. From then, she became an advocate for gun safety. In her years in Congress, she has tackled other important issues. There is room for improvement in education, she said, and there is a crisis in this country when it comes to healthcare.

Toward the end of the assembly, a student asked the congresswoman if she minded answering questions. McCarthy responded by saying that she didn't mind at all because education is the key to everything. The more people know, the better educated they are to make decisions.