The Mineola School District officially committed to acknowledging Diwali, the Indian New Year holiday, starting with the 2017-18 school year.
Maya Narvekar, junior class president, spoke at the November Board of Education meeting, initially requesting Mineola schools be officially closed on the day of Diwali, as is the case with holidays such as Christmas. However, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Nagler noted that the school district was already at the maximum number of allowable days off for the district calendar, and as a result, was unable to accommodate such a request.
However, Nagler was more than open to compromising, and after discussing the matter with Narvekar, it was decided that the holiday would be officially noted on the school district’s calendar, and that no homework or assignments would be doled out to students on that day, freeing them up after the end of class to go home and spend time with their families and loved ones instead of working.
“We don’t need to pass a resolution for this,” Nagler said. “This is something we can commit to right now.”
Narvekar, who was supported in her endeavor by her mother, Divya, as well as other members of the community, said that she was very happy about the resolution.
“We wanted the day off, but this was a really good compromise because we understand that it takes a lot to take one day off because school calendar,” Narvekar said. “This holiday means a lot to the South Asian population, and we just wanted to feel that the school district felt that this holiday was as important as any other, and we really appreciate the steps they took to doing so.”
As the holiday observes the lunar calendar, it is typically celebrated on a different day in late October/early November each year. Next year, Diwali will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19.
Recently, several districts on Long Island have considered marking Diwali, as well as several Muslim festivals, as official school holidays. Among them is the Syosset School District, which starting with the 2017-18 school year, will be closed on Diwali, and the Muslim holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha.
Nagler also noted that one of the goals of the district is to recognize students and student achievement. To this end, they have instituted a new program at their workshop meetings where they regularly highlight outstanding students in the district. At the meeting, 10 such students were presented with certificates of merit by Mineola High School Principal Whittney Smith.
Board of Education President Christine Napolitano congratulated the students, noting that they embodied the values of hard work, dedication and kindness that the Mineola school district tries to instill in all of their pupils.
“We’re proud of the grit, the determination and the high standards that you set for yourselves…it’s very impressive,” she said. “We just want to thank you so much for being a shining legacy and representing Mineola. I know you’re all going to go on to be big success.”
In addition, Eileen Burke, an English teacher at the high school, was honored by the Nassau County Bar Association’s “We Care” board, which reaches out to and assists underprivileged children throughout the county. Attorney Martha Haesloop, representing the Nassau Bar, praised Burke for her years spent getting her students involved in volunteering their time to the many different events for underprivileged children sponsored by her organization.
“Eileen has been working with us for many years getting her students involved, and we truly appreciate it,” she said. “Her students have been assisting with a huge number of our events, and they always do so with a smile on their face.”
