Record attendance in 40th year

Richard Tedesco

The Herricks Summer Recreation program at the Center Street School celebrated its 40th anniversary this year with a record enrollment of 604 students – more than 120 more than last year.

“We’ve expanded. We’re able to open it up to more campers,” Herricks Summer Recreation director Beth Rosenman said Friday

Rosenman said the program’s record enrollment was made possible by a special education program relocating to another building, which freed up space for the recreation program to expand.

The additional space also allowed the six-week program, which is open to Herricks K-8 students from July 7 to Aug. 15, to expand its offerings and its staff.

Rosenman said the program added a second physical education instructor and a third art instructor along with art classes for older students, tae kwon do classes and weekly trips to the beach at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington for students in grades three through eight. 

Rosenman, lead teacher at the Denton Avenue School, said the physical education program has grown this year with an emphasis on team sports, including soccer, dodgeball and basketball. She credits the Herricks board of education with helping to facilitate access to North Hempstead Beach Park.

“With the increased enrollment, sometimes we split up and go outside,” said Sal Prestianni, a physical education teacher in the program for the past 15 summers.

The summer recreation program added academic classes, including computer programming and word processing in recent years. The summer program also includes classes in musical theatre, dance and cooking. Students in grades K through 3 also go swimming at Christopher Morley Park daily.

“It’s so reasonable and it offers so much, we do as much as possible to get everyone in,” Rosenman said, adding that the demand always exceeds maximum enrollment limits.

The Herricks Summer Recreation full-day program, which operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., costs $955 per student and the half-day program, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., costs $573 per student. The costs are discounted for additional siblings. 

Rosenman, who took the reins of the program in 2012, said she feels a sense of “pride” and “satisfaction” in overseeing the program as it marks its 40th anniversary but said much of the its success belong to her predecessors.

The late Lorry DeVito, who had been a Denton Avenue School art teacher, was director for the program’s first 25 years followed by the late Craig Lagnese, a biology teacher at Herricks High School who died in the fall of 2011.

“Craig worked hard at creating that team, family feeling among the staff,” Rosenman said. 

Ashley Mushavejian, who will be a junior at Herricks High this fall, said she’s been coming to the camp since kindergarten. 

One of 50 volunteers assisting the 30 counselors in the program this year, Mushavejian said it seems odd without Lagnese there. But, she said, she enjoys being a volunteer as much as she enjoyed being a camper.

“It’s harder, but it’s like more fun because you get all these different grades and all these different kids,” Mushavejian said.

Anthony Abruscatto, a substitute art teacher in the district, teaches the popular Claymation elective.

Students in the Claymation class use the clay animation technique to produce two-minute videos that are posted on YouTube.

“They do storyboards, character development, they draw it all on their own,” Abruscatto said.

Herricks camper Kylie Bruccoleri said she likes the opportunity to create the claymation videos and the chance to meet students from different elementary schools.

“It’s fun. You get to meet new friends. So when you get to the middle school you’ll have more friends,” she said.

The teachers, like arts and crafts instructor Alyssa Pinerio, a substitute teacher at Herricks High School, also enjoy the summer experience.

“I just love the kids, being with kindergartners through eighth graders, and it’s a different atmosphere,” Pinerio said.

Mona Taradash, in her 33rd year as one of the summer rec administrators, said she’s found it satisfying to see the program expand over the past 40 years.

“The camp is great. I love everybody,” she said. “We’ve managed to bring it all together and make a safe environment for the children.”

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