LONG BEACH ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Youth Wellness Council in Action: Spring Highlights

Advisors Karen Bloom and Kristen Ford have been busy this spring leading the Youth Wellness Council in a variety of impactful wellness initiatives.

On Saturday, March 30th, the Council helped facilitate the 3rd Annual Wellness Fair at the high school (Photo #1). This community-centered event welcomed students, staff, and families to participate in engaging wellness activities such as mindfulness, yoga, and Zumba.

Earlier in March, four Youth Wellness Council students represented the school at the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit (Photo #2). They took part in enriching breakout sessions focused on key mental health topics including coping skills, leadership, self-esteem, healthy relationships, and effective communication.

Looking ahead, the Council is gearing up to host their annual Wellness Week this May. The event will feature a lineup of activities designed to promote physical, emotional, and social wellness throughout the school community. (See attached flyer for details.)

The Long Beach High School Film Festival will take place on May 16th at 7PM in the HS auditorium. All are welcome!

Website: www.lbeach.org
Location: Long Beach High School, Lagoon Drive West, Lido Beach, NY, USA

Marines Hockey is always impressive, but this season was nothing short of spectacular. The boys ended their season by making it to the USA Hockey High School National Championship and got to travel together as a team to Irvine, California. Long Beach hasn’t made it to Nationals in more than 15 years.

The regular season brought some highs and lows and the Marines wound up with a 10-5-1 record. Making it to the County Finals vs. Bellmore-Merrick sealed the deal for the State Tournament in Binghamton, NY. The team did fabulous in the pool play at States, with the most amazing win over Smithtown-Hauppauge in the first round. They went into the semi-finals as the top seed in their bracket. More excitement came when the team defeated St. Anthony’s which moved them into the finals. Unfortunately, they lost to Smithtown-Hauppauge during their re-match. It still wasn’t over for the Marines though, as making it to the final game at States secured the team’s bid to Nationals!

Heading to Nationals was the most amazing experience for Marines. While they didn’t make it past the first round, they played three competitive hockey games against San Diego and Colorado, and got to celebrate the first ever Long Beach High School Nationals win over Ohio. The boys fought hard and played their best, all while experiencing a trip of a lifetime out in California with their teammates.

The team was proudly coached by the Carson brothers, who are all LBHS alumni and former Marines Hockey players themselves. Head Coach Rob and Assistant Coach John were County Champs and Assistant Coach Matty was on the first State winning team in 2005.

The Marines Hockey family is so grateful for this season. All of it was made possible because of the kind and generous people who helped support the Marines. As usual, the community came out in full force to support the Long Beach High School Varsity Hockey Team. From packing the stands for all of the home games to fundraising huge amounts of money to help raise funds for Nationals, Long Beach once again proved that we are an incredible hockey town!

The Committee for their 50th Reunion is very excited to invite their fellow graduates to join them to celebrate this amazing anniversary.

As they have in past reunions, they invite dear friends from classes before & after them to join in this celebration. They have already received requests from LBHS alumni in classes of 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 & 1977. However, ALL are welcome!!! If you have close ties to the class of 1975 they would love to have you join them.

What an incredible recognition for Leo Palacio! His induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and receipt of the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award are truly well-deserved. Leo Palacio's journey with Long Beach Wrestling is nothing short of legendary. His dedication to the sport, his community, and his family has helped shape one of New York's most successful and respected wrestling programs. From his humble beginnings in Medellín, Colombia, to becoming a cornerstone of Long Beach Wrestling, Leo and his brothers (Al and Luis) embodied what it means to be both athletes and mentors. Their story is a testament to the power of hard work, family, and passion. Leo Palacio’s high school wrestling career (1979-1982) helped propel Long Beach Wrestling from obscurity to prominence in New York State. His victory at the Nassau County Championship in 1981 and the team's state title in 1982 (highlighted by his brother Al’s individual state championship) were crucial moments that defined the program’s rise. After high school, Leo continued his wrestling career at the University of North Carolina, where he wrestled for Coach Bill Lam and played soccer for the Tar Heels. The lessons and experiences from this period, in both sports, would later help him mentor the next generation of Long Beach wrestlers. Returning to Long Beach in the mid-1980s, Leo served as the middle school wrestling coach and assistant varsity coach from 1985-1996. As an assistant coach and middle school coach, he helped the Long Beach wrestling program win numerous titles, including 17 Nassau County titles and a New York State Championship in 1987. His efforts were instrumental in developing the careers of student wrestlers that went on to achieve state titles. Since the 1998 season, Palacio has been assisting Ray Adams after 1998, with the Long Beach Marines. Leo's commitment to his athletes and the sport of wrestling has been recognized on numerous occasions. He was named Nassau County Coaches Assistant Coach of the Year and received the NWCA New York State Assistant Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2017.

Through his tireless efforts, Leo Palacio has left an indelible mark on both Long Beach Wrestling and the broader wrestling community. Due to his lifetime of service to the sport of wrestling and the Long Beach Community, Leo Palacio is deserving of his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Shared with us by Todd-

It is hard to believe that I graduated from Long Beach High School in 2003, over 20 years ago! Those were simpler times back then, before kids had cell phones and before everyone was hooked to social media. I am and will always be incredibly grateful for my time in Long Beach. While I live far away now in Nashville, TN - as they say- I will always have sand in my shoes.

Here’s an update on what I have been up to:

After high school I headed down south to Emory University, where I double-majored in Biology and Music. From there, I went to medical school at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Early on I had wonderful mentors who guided me towards pursuing a career in orthopaedic surgery. I completed my 5 year orthopaedic surgery residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Thereafter, I completed an additional one year combined hand and upper extremity fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center and New York University. In total, additional schooling/training after high school was 14 years!.

During my internship in New York City, I met my amazing wife Sarah—who happened to hail from Nashville, TN. After finishing my fellowship, we decided to move away from New York to Tennessee and I joined a multi-specialty orthopaedic practice called the Hughston Clinic. I’ve been practicing as a Hand and Upper Extremity surgeon now for eight years, focusing on complex upper limb and hand problems including- fractures, tendon lacerations, nerve problems, sports injuries and arthritis.

Sarah and I have three incredible children—Levi (7), Asher (5), and Mila (3)—who keep us busy, entertained, and always on the go. Despite living in Tennessee, Long Beach is still very much a second home to our family. I have stayed close with my LB crew over the years and they are still my closest friends to date. Every summer, you can find us strolling the Boardwalk, grabbing a slice from Gino’s and in line at Marvel (perhaps more than once a day).

Aside from medicine, music is still a huge part of my life. I am on the board of an incredible non-profit organization called Musicians On Call - a charity with a mission to spread the healing power of music. I also am passionate about mentoring and training the next wave of physicians. I am currently on staff as clinical faculty at the Frist College of Medicine at Belmont University and give lectures at various conferences across the country throughout the year.

Shout out to all the educators and mentors I have had over the past 40 years. There is no community like Long Beach and I am eternally thankful for the foundation and opportunities growing up in LB has provided.

Todd Rubin, MD

LBHS Class of 2003

We are excited to invite you to participate in our upcoming Middle School Career Fair at Long Beach Middle School! This event is a wonderful opportunity for our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students to explore different career paths and gain inspiration for their futures—and we would love for you to be part of it.

Event Details:
📅 Date: Monday, June 16 ⏰ Time: 7:45-10:15AM
📍 Location: LBMS Gymnasium

We are looking for alumni, parents and community members from all fields to share their career experiences with our students. We encourage you to bring handouts, props, giveaways, or anything interactive to help engage the students and make your career come to life.

Please complete the Volunteer Registration Form below and the Coordinator of School Counseling will reach out at a later date.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZ_tRtaVoUdCKHwvs6MoaVs6S00Vwd1fUPLElDabuAFECt6A/viewform

Congratulations to Long Beach High School senior Damien Ganpat for receiving a Nassau County Art Supervisors Association Senior Art Scholarship Award. This prestigious scholarship recognizes a senior who has consistently displayed outstanding talent and dedication to his art.

Congratulations to Long Beach High School student athlete Dunia Sibomana-Rodriiguez for being selected by the National High School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committee as a 2025 National High School Spirit of Sport Section 1 winner! Dunia is one of eight student athletes from around the country being recognized. Dunia also completed his wrestling season this year as a New York State Championship winner.

The Long Beach Public School District is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Long Beach High School Wall of Fame. The Wall of Fame was established to honor present and former members of the Long Beach community who have made substantial contributions locally or to the world at large, including contributions in the area of athletics. In 1996, the Wall of Fame was dedicated by the Long Beach Booster Club in cooperation with Long Beach Public Schools to serve as an inspiration for the youth of Long Beach.

To nominate a candidate, nomination forms may be obtained at any Long Beach public school, the Long Beach Public Schools Administration Office, the Athletic Office at Long Beach High School, or downloaded by visiting: https://lbeach.org/departments/walloffame_athletics

Qualified candidates must have attended Long Beach High School for at least two full years, or in lieu of such attendance, must have been associated with the Long Beach community for a period of no less than 10 years.

Completed forms and all other supporting information should be mailed or hand- delivered to the Office of the Superintendent, Long Beach Public Schools, 239 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, NY 11561-5093. Nominations for the 2023 induction into the LBHS Wall of Fame will be accepted through June 1, 2025.

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!

Join the Long Beach High School Alumni Business Guide for future networking opportunities

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuri9SIhwuinDED-0YWM6DD01QZq_lyKraV29Cjb3bY9qZmA/viewform?usp=sf_link

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