Rotary Club Hails Middle School Students

Honorees (from left, front row): Jeremy Bassali, Kayla Kreinik, Maya Garfinkel, Audrey Yeganeh, Joelle Siong Sin, Valerie Deligiannis, Derek Delson, Ariel Homayoonfar; (middle row): Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan, North Middle teacher Lauren Ferguson, North Middle teacher Elizabeth Oggeri, South Middle faculty advisor Kristin Klein, South Middle teacher Brian Pernice, NSHA Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin; (back row): Rotary Club of Great Neck President Leonard N. Katz, GN Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Prendergast, North Middle Principal Gerald C. Cozine, Assistant Superintendent–Secondary Dr. Stephen Lando, South Middle Principal Dr. James Welsch, NSHA Middle Principal Rabbi Adam Acobas, South Middle teacher Dan Isaac.

Students, parents, family, friends and school administrators joined members of the Rotary Club of Great Neck at a buffet breakfast event where students, who were nominated by their school for outstanding service to the school or community, were recognized.

Each year, the club acknowledges students moving up from Great Neck North, Great Neck South and the North Shore Hebrew Academy (NSHA) middle schools who have demonstrated “Service Above Self,” which is the motto of Rotary International.

The students were selected by their respective administrative staff and have worked in the community and have excelled in their schools.

Rotary honorees (from left, front row): North Middle students Maya Garfinkel and Audrey Yeganeh, and South Middle students Derek Delson, Joelle Siong Sin and Valerie Deligiannis; (second row): North Middle faculty advisors Lauren Ferguson and Elizabeth Oggeri, and South Middle faculty advisors Kristin Klein, Brian Pernice and Daniel Isaac; (third row): Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Prendergast, North Middle Principal Gerald C. Cozine, South Middle Principal Dr. James Welsch and Assistant Superintendent–Secondary Dr. Stephen Lando; (back row): Rotary Liaison Roger Chizever, Rotary President Leonard N. Katz and Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan (Photo by Jeff Barlowe)

Recognized students Jeremy Bassali, Valerie Deligiannis, Derek Delson, Maya Garfinkel, Ariel Homayoonfar, Kayla Kreinik, Joelle Siong Sin and Audrey Yeganeh were presented with certificates and a monetary stipend by Club President Leonard N. Katz. Their accomplishments were acknowledged by Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan, as well as Great Neck Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Prendergast.

The Rotary Club invites the community to visit its meetings for social and business networking. On the second Wednesday of each month, it holds networking/social dinner events at local restaurants, and on Wednesday mornings, gathers for breakfast at 8 a.m. in the boardroom of TD Bank at 2 Great Neck Rd.

For more information, visit www.rotaryclubofgreatneck.org or its Facebook page, RotaryClubofGreat Neck. To arrange a visit or to become a speaker, email rotaryclubofgreatneck@aol.com or call 516-487-9392.