A Few Clouds 78°
Schools
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor
National Teacher Of Year Named As Woman Who Returned Home To Teach With Mentor A Pennsylvania high school teacher has been named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, education officials announced Tuesday, April 29. Ashlie Crosson teaches English and journalism at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, where she also helps students publish a newspaper, magazine, and run social media accounts. She earned the national title after being selected as Pennsylvania’s 2024 Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. Crosson started teaching in Delaware in 2011, later returning to Pennsylvania to work in the Bellefonte Area School District while earning her m…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Trump Weighs In On School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ Trump Weighs In On School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’
Trump Weighs In On School Mascot Battle: ‘Long Live The Massapequa Chiefs!’ President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind a Long Island school district fighting to keep its Native American-themed mascot. Trump came to the defense of the Massapequa Chiefs, blasting New York’s push for a rebrand as “ridiculous” and “an affront to our great Indian population," in a Truth Social post on Monday, April 21. The school district has been ordered to retire its decades-old mascot under a 2023 New York State mandate banning Indigenous-themed names and logos in public schools. “I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the M…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education 150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education
150+ College Leaders Blast Trump For 'Unprecedented Overreach' On Higher Education More than 150 college leaders issued a scathing letter criticizing the Trump administration's escalating threats against universities. The American Association of Colleges and Universities released the public letter on Tuesday, April 22. The group of university presidents accused President Donald Trump of "unprecedented government overreach," warning that the crackdown could harm students and democracy. Trump has demanded that colleges eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, along with other orders aimed at limiting campus activism. The Trump administration has paused…

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by Chris Spiker
Schools
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates
IRS May Withdraw Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status As Fight Between Trump, University Escalates The Trump administration is weighing whether to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status—an unprecedented and aggressive move that has escalated tensions between the Ivy League institution and the federal government, according to reports from The Washington Post and CNN. According to two people familiar with the matter, the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to rescind Harvard’s long-standing nonprofit designation, CNN reported. A final decision could be announced soon. Related: Obama Calls Out Trump Over "Unlawful" $2 Billion Cuts to Harvard The effort follows the White House’s …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
Casting Call: Extras, Crew Sought For Student Film Production On Long Island Casting Call: Extras, Crew Sought For Student Film Production On Long Island
Casting Call: Extras, Crew Sought For Student Film Production On Long Island Got a few hours to spare and dreams of seeing yourself on the big screen (or at least a student film)? You’re in luck — a Hofstra University senior is calling action on his capstone project this weekend, and he’s looking for extras to bring it to life. Tyler Habib, a senior film student at Hofstra, is set to shoot a pivotal graduation scene for his short film “Graduation Day” on Sunday, April 20, at the Cultural Center Theater on campus.  The budding writer and director posted a casting call in the “Long Island Casting Calls” Facebook group, asking for: 30 extras ages 15 to 25 20 e…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat ‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat
‘Unlawful’: Obama Defends Harvard Against Trump’s $2B Funding Threat Former President Barack Obama is lending his voice to support Harvard University after the prestigious Ivy League school dared President Donald Trump to follow through on his threatened $2 billion federal funding freeze if the school didn’t comply with his administration’s new guidelines. Among other demands, Trump wants Harvard to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; ban masks at campus protests; implement a merit-based admissions and hiring system; and reduce the influence of faculty and administrators he claims are “more committed to activism” than education, a letter …

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops
School Employee Had 'Inappropriate' Conversations With Students At NY Campus: Cops A school employee was placed on leave after allegedly having inappropriate conversations with students at a campus in upstate New York, police said. Schoharie County resident Paul Hallock, 65, of Cobleskill, was arrested Thursday, April 10, following a New York State Police investigation into alleged misconduct at William H. Golding Middle School. An investigation found that Hallock, who works as a lunch monitor at the school, engaged in inappropriate conversations with multiple students between October 2024 and February of this year, according to police. Troopers opened a formal investig…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation
Villanova Student Removed From Campus After Assault Outcry, Won’t Walk At Graduation A Villanova University student who recorded another student’s sexual assault will not walk at the school’s graduation ceremony following intense backlash, the victim's attorney told Daily Voice on Wednesday, April 9. Juan Eguiguren, a Villanova senior, was present during the assault of a female classmate, according to a lawsuit and campus petition. Rather than intervening, Eguiguren allegedly took photos of the incident and later slept in the same room, organizers of the campaign allege. In the underlying case, Elijah Joseph Katzenell, 22, of Camp Hill, PA (according to the Pennsylvania S…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Veteran LI Teacher Dies Weeks After Brother, Remembered For 'Unwavering Dedication' To Students Veteran LI Teacher Dies Weeks After Brother, Remembered For 'Unwavering Dedication' To Students
Veteran LI Teacher Dies Weeks After Brother, Remembered For 'Unwavering Dedication' To Students A beloved Long Island teacher who spent nearly 25 years shaping young minds died just weeks after her brother. Laurette LaPrarie, a fourth grade teacher at Ridge Elementary School, died Sunday, March 23, at the age of 56, according to her obituary. A cause of death was not given. LaPrarie’s death came just weeks after that of her brother, physical education teacher Jacque LaPrarie Sr., of Farmingville, relatives said. “It is with an extremely heavy heart and deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our most beloved teachers Mrs. Laurette LaPrarie,” reads a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction
Kermit The Frog Confirmed As 2025 UMD Commencement Speaker — And The Internet Has Best Reaction It's not easy being green, or delivering an epic commencement speech.  But Kermit the Frog, a Peabody Award winner and best-selling author (and muppet) will do both in May, when he will return to the campus where he was first brought to life (by creator and alum Jim Henson, Class of 1960) to deliver the commencement speech in May. The school made the announcement this week, and the internet's reaction is everything you could've ever hoped for. "Kermencement," one absolute genius commented on UMD's post on Facebook. Others begged for the event to be live-streamed, while many …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Twins Endured 'Years Of Terror' Being Bullied At LI School, Parents Claim In Federal Lawsuit Twins Endured 'Years Of Terror' Being Bullied At LI School, Parents Claim In Federal Lawsuit
Twins Endured 'Years Of Terror' Being Bullied At LI School, Parents Claim In Federal Lawsuit A pair of twins endured relentless bullying at their Long Island school—physical assaults, cruel taunts, and even the circulation of an illicit photo—while their parents begged administrators for help, only to be met with silence and retaliation, a federal lawsuit alleges. The suit, filed in the Eastern District of New York in February, accuses the Patchogue-Medford School District of failing to protect the male and female students from relentless bullying, harassment, and discrimination—despite repeated pleas for help. District officials ignored formal complaints, failed to intervene in da…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Mystery Man On Bike Stalks Girl Outside Long Island School, Mom Warns Other Parents Mystery Man On Bike Stalks Girl Outside Long Island School, Mom Warns Other Parents
Mystery Man On Bike Stalks Girl Outside Long Island School, Mom Warns Other Parents A Long Island mother is urging parents to stay alert after her 11-year-old daughter was allegedly followed by a man on a bicycle near her middle school. In a post shared on in the “Islip Terrace and All of the Islips” Facebook group on Tuesday, March 18, Charine Andersen detailed the unsettling encounter that took place as her daughter was leaving East Islip Middle School on Spur Drive. A Hispanic man in his 60s rode up to her daughter and spoke to her, but she couldn’t fully understand what he was saying—except for the words “bunny” or “hunny," she said. When the girl asked him to repeat h…

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by Michael Mashburn