LONG BEACH ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Long Beach High School celebrated Homecoming on Oct. 10 with a festive carnival, spirited performances, and a thrilling football win under the Friday night lights at Veterans Field. Students, families, and alumni showed their Marine pride in blue and white as the team defeated Calhoun High School 14–7. Congratulations to Homecoming King Maurice Dupree and Queen Julia DiGiorgio!

Save the Date: November 20, 21 & 22 at 7:00 p.m.

The Long Beach High School Theatre Department invites the Long Beach community to its fall production of The Man Who Came to Dinner, a classic American comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Performances will be held on November 20, 21, and 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Long Beach High School Auditorium.

The district is creating Career Advisory Boards for alumni and community members in certain industries to advise the district on how we can best prepare our students for careers in those areas. The first Career Advisory Board meeting will be for those in Business, Marketing, and Finance, and will be held via Zoom on Monday, December 8th at 7:00 p.m.

If you are willing to share some expertise and advice with the district, please email the superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, jgallagher@lbeach.org, and she will send you the Zoom link. Our advisory boards will meet only once or twice yearly; it's not a big commitment, but a great way to help the students in your alma mater who might be interested in a similar career to yours!

Long Beach Public Schools proudly celebrated the induction of four honorees into the district’s Wall of Fame during a ceremony held on October 11 at Long Beach High School. Established in 1996, the Wall of Fame recognizes alumni and community members whose achievements serve as an inspiration for current students and the entire Long Beach community.

This year’s inductees include the 2005 State Champion Ice Hockey Team, Stefan Chernaski (’88), Jeff Kupferman (’70), and Colonel Estee Pinchasin (’93). All inductees were celebrated for their lasting impact on athletics, public service, education, and leadership.

The 2005 State Champion Ice Hockey Team made school history with their thrilling State Finals victory, overcoming the top-seeded Cheektowaga Warriors. Their resilience and teamwork inspired generations of future players and cemented the program’s place in Long Beach sports legacy.

Stefan Chernaski excelled in football, wrestling, and baseball before embarking on a distinguished 30-year career with the Long Beach Police Department, where he serves as Commanding Officer of the Detective Division. Chernaski has been honored with numerous commendations, including the Nassau County Municipal Police Chiefs Association Distinguished Service Award.

Jeff Kupferman devoted three decades as a beloved school social worker at Long Beach High School, known for his compassion and unwavering dedication to students. His positive influence continues to resonate within the community long after his 2010 retirement.

Colonel Estee Pinchasin has built an extraordinary military career, currently serving as Joint Director of Logistics at the National Security Agency. A former Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District, she has led large-scale engineering projects and emergency recovery operations, earning multiple commendations including two Bronze Star Medals and six Meritorious Service Medals.

“Each of these inductees reflects the spirit of excellence and service that defines Long Beach,” said Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, Long Beach Superintendent of Schools. “Their accomplishments inspire our students to dream big and make a difference.”

The ceremony was hosted by Long Beach Board of Trustee Sam Pinto, serving as Master of Ceremonies. The event celebrated not only the 2025 honorees but also the legacy of past inductees whose names grace the Wall of Fame. The Long Beach Wall of Fame is a lasting tribute to the school community’s shared pride and achievement.

Shared with us by Richard McMahon-

Spring 2025 I was so pleased to be asked by my wonderful daughter-in-law Jaclyn

McMahon to participate in Career Fair at Long Beach Middle School. Jackie is the

Coordinator of Guidance K-12 for the Long Beach Public Schools. While setting up my

table with some handouts for my middle school students who may be interested in

learning about what I did in my career a flood of great memories deluged my mind. Like

these students I attended this very school where we were holding this important career

fair. The difference was it was my high school in 1969- we still had the Junior High

School at Lindell school. It was also where I taught for a while.

I graduated Long Beach High School in June of 1969. I was not a particularly

successful academic student. My personal interests were sports and work. I actually

owned and operated a luncheonette and candy store at 16 years old in my hometown of

Point Lookout (Ricky’s Corner) in addition to being a soccer, basketball and baseball

player all four high/junior high school years in Long Beach. My studies suffered since I

did not apply myself as I should have. What makes American education such a rare and

special one is “it is virtually never too late” to earn a quality education here in the USA. I

am a living example of that truth.

As a senior I had very few options regarding next steps. I went to Iona College not

because I was this excellent student rather my path was paved by two extraordinarily

athletic & academically successful brothers who both were outstanding Iona students.

Both went on to sign professional contracts (Jim with the Cleveland Indians and Bob with

a professional basketball just beginning in Israel- he subsequently played professionally

in both Israel and France.) So, in reality I was accepted into college as a kindness to my

brothers more than my success in the classroom. I say this with complete honesty in

hopes that someone reading this might believe like I have learned “it is never too late to

earn a quality education here in America.”

I tell this story to make it very clear that as I stood there talking to many engaging

and excited youngsters on this well-organized Career Day as they were chaperoned

through our career day tables that it is truly “never too late” in American education, it is

one of the only places on Earth where a student has several chances to succeed. Sadly, in

most places throughout the world once a student lacks initiative and falls behind as I

exhibited in high school they are basically finished and their educational track prohibits

them ever getting that important second chance.

I had excellent teachers, administrators, coaches, and all the other members of the

Long Beach Schools who worked tirelessly to help me and they were remarkable. I was

grateful for their patience and understanding with me as I went through my specific

difficulties in finding it very challenging to be a good student which were created in part

due to my need to help our family financially. There were far too many who I would

thank if I started so if you are reading this, you know who you are and I will be forever

grateful.

These were also challenging days in our country. We were challenged with

horrific assassinations and a very divided public. Turning 18 years old in 1969 was

fraught with so many decisions to make and my choice of where to go to college was

made for me. I followed in my brothers’ footpath to Iona College.

Once awarded this second chance I finished my undergrad degree in teaching in 3

years, completed my Master’s degree in Special Education before my undergrad class

graduated. I began my teaching career in the New Rochelle Public Schools in 1972. I

earned tenure in that position in 1975. However, I had a great yearning to back-pack

around Europe and North Africa and that is what I did for a good bit of time.

Upon returning to the U.S.A. I began my Doctoral work in Organizational Studies

at NYU and took on an administrative position as Borough Coordinator for AHRC in

New York City. I was hired to construct our capacity for opening the first group homes

for the Intellectually Disabled in New York City. Additionally, from June through Labor

Day, we operated a summer camp in Liberty, New York for our clients- three weeks each

for the youngsters, teens and adults in that order over nine total weeks.

It was exhilarating and very rewarding but nearly impossible to staff the camp for

100 clients since we needed almost that many staff. We contracted with an organization

from Europe to staff our camp. One of the staff members we hired came to America to

work for us during that summer of 1979 and she was from Cork, Ireland. Little did I

know that girl (Elizabeth O’Driscoll) from Ireland would become my wife and the

mother of my four spectacular children and the absolute greatest gift that I have ever been

given in life.

As I was completing my Doctoral Studies and working in Manhattan, I played

basketball in a Men’s Basketball League with my dear friend Dr. Dennis Ryan. He

suggested I become a Long Beach Special Education teacher at Lindell since he knew of

an opening. In 1980, I started teaching in a non-graded special education class and was so

happy teaching at Lindell School. We had such a wonderful staff and I loved being there.

It was where I went to Junior High School. My wife missed her family and yearned to

return to her home in Ireland so in 1983 I gave up my position at Lindell and we moved

back to Ireland. Although she found work quickly as a Nurse for the Disabled it was a

difficult time for me to get teaching work there. After a year we returned to America and

started our lives here growing our family of four children and restarting my teaching

career. My first position was a six month leave replacement at East School.

I was asked to join a group of teachers and administrators working on a plan to

create a developmentally responsive middle school that would contain grades 6 through

8. Our committee recommended and implemented our current system of grades 6-8 at the

Long Beach Middle School and the 9-12 High School as it is today.

I joined the middle school staff in Grade 6-2 which was a truly exciting place to

teach. There was plenty of academic rigor and social-emotional learning amalgamated

into this thrilling new environment. We always had fun with our students. The concept

that 6 th graders are more appropriate with 7 th and 8 th graders and 9 th graders were more

appropriate with high school aged students was the prevailing theory in that period of

American education. Being at the forefront was very stimulating.

After my studies at NYU completed I began to continue my teaching and taking

on a number of administrative tasks in Long Beach Middle School. I genuinely wanted to

stay in Long Beach for my career but an unsuccessful attempt to become the principal at

West School in 1994 made it clear to me for my family’s sake that it was time for me to

leave my beloved school district and seek administrative work elsewhere.

I became principal of Lincoln Orens Middle School in Island Park for the next

seven years. From there I went on to Manhasset Middle/High School for another seven

years earning tenure in both positions. I retired from public education as the principal of

Manhasset High School in June of 2007.

I was awarded a leave replacement principal job for two years in New Rochelle

after my retirement and during that time I began teaching in the Iona College (now

University) Education Department where I worked as the Graduate School Coordinator

from 2007 until I retired (again) in December of 2022. In my years in higher education, I

had the distinct pleasure of working winters at Iona and summers at five spectacular

universities in Ireland as a member of a European Union grant-funded program from

2010-2018. I was principal of Holy Name of Mary School in Valley Stream as well from

2009-2015. In my role as coordinator of Graduate Studies at Iona we advanced our

student census from 19 students to 139 students by the time I retired. This was very

rewarding for me to help train, teach and place so many teachers in the New York

Metropolitan area.

In conclusion let me thank the dedicated staff in the Long Beach School District

for all they do for our youngsters then and now. I am living proof that a student in our

schools is given many chances to succeed and all of my successes in life stem from those

generous individuals who took time to help me along the way.

Being asked to share my story here is not something I would normally feel

comfortable with. I come from humble parents who taught my two brothers and I to be

modest and share other people’s success not speak boastfully of one’s self. I do so here to

share the success of those individuals who show up every day hoping to help a youngster

navigate the challenges of growing up in our world. It was tough in 1969 and it is tough

today to navigate this task of being an educator. I always felt teaching was a calling and

not a job. I was fortunate to bounce out of bed each and every morning to get to my job

as a teacher, I was “called” to teach. In a speech I gave when I was awarded “Principal of

the Year” in 2005 in New York State I spent most of my time complementing those

individuals who taught me it is “never too late” in America to take full advantage of our

wonderful freedoms. Education in my mind is number one on the list of freedoms we

enjoy. It is foundational to our continued freedoms to continue to create an educated

populous. I am extraordinarily proud of my 51 years of service in education and none of

it would have happened if not for my education at Long Beach School District- THANK

YOU.

After raising six children and welcoming seven grandchildren, Ramona decided it was time to pursue a long-held goal: earning a college degree. In 2021, she returned to school—this time alongside her 21-year-old son. Together, they both earned their degrees in Business Administration, marking a milestone that inspired classmates and faculty alike.

Their remarkable journey captured the attention of the campus community, leading to features in school newspapers, flyers, and events. The duo even met with local council members and spoke at assemblies, encouraging others to embrace lifelong learning and never stop believing in themselves.

Today, they continue to motivate students of all ages to take that next step toward their goals—proving that it’s never too late to go after your dreams.

The Long Beach High School Class of 1975 celebrated its 50th class reunion over the long weekend of August 21-24. Classes from 1973-1977 were also included. Starting on the evening of the 21st, reunion groups gathered in local establishments to catch up on so much which has transpired in their lives over the past half century. On Friday morning, August 22, Mr. DeVito led a tour of Long Beach High School which brought back memories of yesteryear. The reunion group was impressed with the many changes since their days at the high school. The new wing of the high school and athletic complex were particularly at the forefront of the group’s attention. Saturday morning the recreation department of Long Beach provided free beach passes to reunion members. That weekend they were also present at the Arts and Crafts Fair on the beautiful boardwalk.

Then on Saturday night the big reunion event took place at Kombert Caterers in Temple Avodah in Oceanside. The reunion planners’ goal was to provide a venue which maximized interaction amongst the reunion group, great food and drink and fun activities which include a photo booth and a 360 degree video. The conversation and fun were evident among the approximately 150 reunion attendees. The energy in the room was palpable as the reunion guests also met with seven of their former teachers. The smiles on the faces of the reunion folks and their teachers lasted throughout the evening and everyone left the party floating on air.

The next morning a reunion donor hosted a free breakfast for some 35 reunion attendees at Toast, a great breakfast/brunch spot in town in a private room. Many in attendance said their farewells since some came from places near and far. The states of California, Washington and Florida were prominently represented at the reunion, underscoring the commitment of experiencing the nostalgia and memories of a wonderful upbringing in the Long Beach Schools and community.

LBHS Class of 1995 celebrated their 30th reunion at Dox on August 25th, a great time was had by all that attended!

We want to hear from you, LBHS Alumni. Please share all upcoming reunions and get togethers. We want to know what our LBHS Alumni have been up to. Please email us at alumni@lbeach.org and we will share the information in an upcoming newsletter.

Marines Class Captains consist of alumni who represent the alumni of their graduating year. They are ambassadors that help maintain relationships with other alumni and the Long Beach school community.

Being a class captain is a great way to stay involved with the Long Beach school community and are as active in the role as their schedule will allow.

Class captains help the alumni coordinator:

- Establish and maintain social media presence for their specific grade

- Outreach alumni and encourage membership to the Alumni Association

- Keep classmates up to date on events and news about Long Beach Schools

- Encourage and increase participation in Long Beach events and alumni activities

- Plan alumni events and get togethers

Please email Alumni@lbeach.org to be considered a Class Captain!

Do you want to be featured in an upcoming alumni newsletter, if so please fill out the Alumni Spotlight Form.

Complete the registration form to become an official member of the Long Beach Alumni Association. Membership will afford you inside information on events specifically geared towards alumni, and access to our newsletters. Click here to join the Alumni Association!

Email: alumni@lbeach.org
Location: Long Beach, NY, USA
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Long-Beach-High-School-Alumni/61552033839920/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Email: alumni@lbeach.org
Website: www.lbeach.org
Location: Long Beach, NY, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachPublicSchools/
Twitter: @LBSchoolsNY