Update on the passing of Fred Meyer, retired Middleville Middle School Assistant Principal. Fred passed away peacefully at his home in Avon, Connecticut two weeks shy of his 86th birthday. Friends are invited to call at the Vincent Funeral Home, 120 Albany Turnpike in Canton on Sunday, April 3rd from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM closing with a sharing of remembrances by his family. Refreshments will follow at the home of his daughter Jeanne Lebens.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fred’s memory to the Farmington Valley VNA, 8 Old Mill Lane, Simsbury, CT 06070.

Born in Germany in 1930, Fred and his family fled from the Nazis and immigrated to the United States in 1939. He was a veteran of the Korean War, having served as the US Military Liaison Mission to the Soviet Commander-in-Chief, stationed in Pottsdam, Germany, which was in the Russian zone at that time. His career in education spaned 36 years as a teacher, guidance counselor, Director of Guidance and Assistant Principal  in the Valley Stream and Northport-East Northport school districts.

An obituary is posted on the Vincent Funeral Home website.

Walter Schneider, retired high school Music Teacher who everyone knew as Walt, passed away on March 8. Walt will be remember and missed by former colleagues and students as an innovative and caring educator who was instrumental in introducing the electronic music program at Northport High School.

A funeral mass was held at St. Anthony of Padua RC Church on Friday, March 11, followed by burial at the St. Phillip Neri Cemetery in East Northport. At this time there is no information about memorial donations.

Uno Gozelski, former secretary of the United Teachers of Northport, passed away on December 17, 2015. Una taught elementary grades in Northport Schools for 25 years. A Funeral Mass Monday was held at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Centerport, followed at interment at the Northport Rural Cemetery.

James Morrissey, retired chairperson of Mathematics has passed away. The wake will be held at Brueggemann’s Funeral Home in East Northport on Saturday, December 26th from 7:00 – 9:00pm, and Sunday, December 27th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm and 7:00 – 9:00pm.

The Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport on Monday, December 28th at 10:00am.m

Donations may be made online to www.miraclesinaction.org

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The following letter to the editor was submitted by member Joe Burton. It is presented as his commentary and does not refer to a newsletter article or website post —

Dear Editor,

So far, I have been warned by several former colleagues  if I still taught at Northport HS and was mentored by Dick Streb, I would be fired for the following:

1. Driving my “Trail of Tears” class to Malone, NY to stay with angry Iroquois Native Americans for a week
2. Teaching Future Studies and students refurbishing a turn-of-the-century trolley on class time with Sandy Scarpinito
3. Supporting Sandy’s students construction of a rooftop hydroponic garden and lighthouse project
4. Naming the trolley for a deceased member of our Northport family
5. Assigning 9^th grade World Studies classes to rummage through their kitchen garbage and bring in future archeological artifacts about a wasteful society
6. STUDENTS writing the names and celebrating the lives of 3015 heroes killed on 9/11 over objections from the HS principal and department head
7. Welcoming MSNBC and BRIAN WILLIAMS to document the wall
8. Teaching the beauty of American pluralism and pro-immigration policies
9. Publicly supporting affordable family heath care
10. Teaching the words to the Star Spangled Banner
11. Wearing a tie to work every day
12. Protesting the removal of trees by contractors
13. Saying goodbye to 9 sections of “Criminal Justice” when the course died after I retired
14. Supporting “Students for 60,000’ and anything Pete White did
15. Demonstrating “Theatre of the Mind” with a live radio show written and performed by students
16. Teaching Holocaust Studies and discussing “the deniers”
17. Showing “Bowling for Columbine”, “Shindler’s List”, “PAY IT FORWARD” and playing radio shows like “War of the Worlds”
18. Initiating an ACADEMIC competition between classes at ENJHS named after Bobby Quinn
19. Starting a lacrosse program with Bill Miller
20. Demonstrate for a solid union contract
21. Coaching an undefeated basketball team with George Franck
22. Marrying a fellow great teacher
23. Insisting students stand and repeat the Pledge Of Allegiance every morning

GO AHEAD… MAKE MY DAY… FIRE ME.

JOE  BURTON