IMPORTANT DATES

FOR LONGTIME COACH, TENNIS IS A LOVE MATCH
POSTED 9/1/13

Published online at Newsday.com
August 30, 2013 8:50 PM
By CANDICE RUUD

     For longtime coach, tennis is a love match
For 50 years, Clem Stancik has been coaching tennis for the love of it. Stancik, who first coached the boys varsity team at Brentwood High School in 1963, does it for the students whom, every year, he shapes from kids who have never set foot on a court into varsity athletes.
"That's what I love about these kids: They don't give up on me," Stancik, 75, said. "I just love the sport."
     The complete article can be viewed at:
For longtime coach, tennis is a love match.....

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9/11 ATTACKS
POSTED 9/1/13
Reprinted from History.com

     On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.
     To read more about this horrific event and other news of what happened this month in history, go to:
www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks

MY REFUGE WHEN CANCER SHOWED UP
POSTED 9/23/13

By Joseph Governale
Originally published in, Newsday, September 20, 2013

     The beach, some park, a sailboat out on the Sound -- we all have that one special place. For me, it's the grounds surrounding the Sisters of St. Joseph convent in Brentwood. Those 210 acres are a pastoral paradise, and it is there that I go when the noise of life gets too loud.
     Two summers ago, the din was deafening. A late-night call from my doctor brought news that I had cancer of the liver. Cancer! That terrible word, always for others, was suddenly mine. Until that moment I could never imagine the world without me. Now that possibility loomed. Disbelief, anger, fear -- I felt each over the next few days. Then sadness set in, sucking my spirit dry.
     Friends and family spoke to me. A psychologist, too. "Be strong," he said.
     I'd given my mother the same advice when she was diagnosed with cancer. Now that it was me, though, those words had a hard, cruel ring. . . continued
     Read entire article on Newsday.com

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NEW STAR REGISTRATION RULES
POSTED 9/1/13
     New legislation requires all homeowners receiving a Basic STAR exemption to register with the New York State Tax Department in order to receive the exemption in 2014 and subsequent years. Homeowners do not need to re-register every year. Based on the information provided in the registration process the Tax Department will confirm homeowners' eligibility in future years.
     For more information and instructions on registering please view:
50+Life STyles: "STAR Rebate"

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ARE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ONLINE?

     Have you ever been reading the news or a story online and come across an item you didn't know? You could look it up in a source like Wikipedia, but that would mean leaving the page where the story was, and possibly not returning to the original story. Well, there is a new web browser add-on called Curiyo that lets you look up names, places and terms in a pop-up window without leaving the page you're reading.
       

     Curiyo is a new browser app that offers additional information about underlined terms in a story from sources like Wikipedia. It is a free extension— a small piece of software that adds a feature to a browser. It automatically identifies the most interesting topics on any page you are reading and subtly underlines them. When you move your cursor over the dotted line, a tiny question mark appears, and when you click on the underlined words, the Curiyo box pops up. In the box is information about the term you are looking up in addition to a choice of sources you can use to learn more.
     

     Curiyo can be downloaded at Curiyo.com for free. It works with all four major browsers on both Windows and Mac: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox. You can also read a review of this product in The Wall Street Journal online.

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED HISTORY PROJECT
INTERVIEW:

Peter Cerullo
Music Teacher/Department Head

    Peter Cerullo was born on August 23, 1920. The only child and first generation American born of Italian immigrant parents, he was a Virgo. Part of the National Youth Administration during the Great Depression, he remembered the difficulties of those years. Joining the US Army during World War 2 he was placed in the Army band and stationed in Italy for several years.
     After the war Pete returned to Vermont and enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music. He graduated in 1947. He joined the New Orleans Symphony first and the Indianapolis Symphony. Growing increasingly dissatisfied with the direction his career was moving he returned to Boston University in 1951 and completed his Masters in Education. He student taught in Shrewsbury Mass. and was offered his first teaching position.
     Dr. Eugene Hoyt came to Massachusetts in 1955 to recruit teachers for Brentwood. Peter saw the add in a local newspaper and showed up for the interview. He was offered what he said was an enormous starting annual salary ($4,500), twice what he was making in Vermont. Amidst great excitement he and his wife Anna decided to move with their children to Brentwood, L.I. There he taught music at the Village School and became Music Department Head from 1955 – 1965. He found the sleepy suburban community of Brentwood to be very similar to his former home in Vermont. Instead of the financial freedom he expected, it was often a struggle to make ends meet with his growing family. He performed in NYC and played club dates as a second job.
     Peter recalled the court case crusades over hair length and short dresses below the knee led by Principal Fred Weaver and Assistant High School Principal, Mrs. Beryl Nott.  He served as a substitute teacher for a while after retiring and noted the changed attitudes of today’s students toward teachers. He remembered teaching music in the boiler room of the Village School when there was no classroom available. The smoke from the coal furnace would deposit a layer of soot on books and on teacher’s coffee. Nostalgically, he remembered the change from coal to oil heating. He spoke of music as being the foundation of a child’s education and over everything stressed the importance of a teacher’s love for children. On November 22, 1963, Peter brought maestro Arthur Fiedler to Brentwood to conduct the Long Island Symphony Orchestra. The announcement that JFK had been assassinated abruptly ended the proceedings.
     Peter retired in May of 1983. His interview took place on May 24, 1996.

You can also view any of these past interviews by visiting History Project Interview Archives :

The Town Crier" was set up a number of years ago so that the retirees of the Brentwood School District could have an email center to stay in touch. Since I began to send out all sorts of information, retirees from all over the country have sent me their email addresses. Some have asked, "Do you have any idea where so and so is?" Others have sent proud news of their accomplishments, their family news, photos,etc. and sadly, we often get bad news. Many retirees whom I have never met write me to thank me for keeping this connection going, as everyone remembers the Brentwood years with warm feelings.

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BRENTWOOD HS 50TH CLASS REUNION
POSTED 9/1/13
     The Brentwood High School Class of 1963 will be having a reunion cruise from Florida in November that's open to all years' graduates of the High School and their friends.
     View the flyer for further details.

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