Darwin Yanes

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes

A group from the Plainview-Old Bethpage school community is working to make the birthdays of a few hundred teens facing hardship a little brighter. Students, staff, parents and local business owners on Wednesday will pack about 400 duffle bags with essential items for teens who are homeless or in foster care. The "Power of Belongings" project partnered with a local nonprofit to collect items such as hoodies, ear buds, footballs and soccer balls and gift cards.

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes

Ever since she was a little girl at Taukomas Elementary School in Wyandanch, there was something about helping students that had a particular hold on Felicia Thomas-Williams. "I always wanted to volunteer in the special education classroom," she said. "I always wanted to read to students."While she initially earned a bachelor of science in American studies from SUNY Old Westbury, the retired Brentwood educator said she found herself drawn to working with kids.

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes

A federal judge has ruled against four Long Island school districts who had challenged the state's ban on Native American imagery in public schools, including mascots and team names. U.S. Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie on Thursday dismissed lawsuits brought by the Wantagh, Wyandanch, Connetquot and Massapequa school districts. Brodie, in her ruling, wrote that the districts and their officers "lack capacity to sue their state creators" under the Fourteenth Amendment and other statutes.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes

On a recent Monday, West Islip High School junior William Tarpey swapped his textbooks and notepads for protective gear, a helmet and a blowtorch. The 17-year-old, who is enrolled in the school's welding program, was prepared at his work station just moments after the class bell rang. His task for the day was to create a mock-up hanger, a metal piece that holds pipes in submarines.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes

The Sachem Central school board voted Wednesday to keep Merrimac Elementary School in Holbrook open for the near future, as officials look at alternatives to reduce a multimillion dollar budget shortfall. The decision comes about a week after the district notified the state of the possibility of pursuing a school closure. Wednesday's reversal came as school officials faced pressure from parents and community members to keep the elementary school open.