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Plainview-Old Bethpage Pays Tribute to “Heroic Long Island”
High School Museum Honors Local Heroes in Military, Journalism and Emergency Services
More than 50 people recently joined Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District Superintendent Dr. Lorna Lewis, members of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Board of education, school district faculty and members of the media for the Grand Opening ceremony for John F. Kennedy High School’s (POBJFK) “Heroic Long Island” museum.
“These exhibits tell incredible stories,” said POBJFK social studies teacher Nick Ventimiglia, who organizes the museum with a different theme each year. “We think it is very important for students to be able to learn about the people who experienced these incredible lives and sometimes lost them.”
The “Heroic Long Island” museum honors legendary local figures such as international news journalist Marie Colvin, the Oyster Bay native who was slain while covering the Syrian uprising in February 2012. Ms. Colvin’s mother and sister were in attendance for the moving ceremony. The exhibition also includes a tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Michael P. Murphy, the Smithtown-born U.S. Navy Seal lieutenant who gave his life attempting to save his squad under heavy enemy fire during the war in Afghanistan in 2005. Lieutenant Murphy’s father attended the ceremony and delivered a speech about the influential role Long Island and their local community played in his son’s upbringing.
The exhibit also honors local Silver Star and Purple Heart recipients and showcases the pivotal role Long Island residents played during the American Revolution, including the capture of Benedict Arnold. World War II veteran John D’Amico, 90, was featured in the museum and honored in-person at the event. The museum also has a section dedicated to local NYPD and FDNY first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
Mr. Ventimiglia and POBJFK students in the Hawks of History club developed the idea for this year’s museum, tracked down a variety of incredible artifacts and memorabilia and set up the captivating exhibits.
Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District Superintendent Dr. Lorna Lewis is joined by the
John F. Kennedy High School “Hawks of History” at the Grand Opening ceremony
for the “Heroic Long Island” museum.