At the March 21 meeting of the Brentwood Union Free School District Board of Education, the Board honored several individuals and organizations for their contributions to the success of the District.

The recognitions began with the Board honoring Northwell Health Community Outreach Director Edgar Cerna, Community Outreach Specialist Nicole Mosca, and Patricia Byrne Blair, Esq., from Suffolk County Women’s Alliance to End Food Insecurity for their generous donation of food items this past November which helped feed 1,000 families in Brentwood for Thanksgiving.

The recognitions continued with the Board recognizing East Middle School teacher Ryan Huguenin, Coastal MD Integrative Health and Wellness Regional Director Ryan Szpilka, and the District building and grounds staff for their collaborative effort that secured, organized and distributed a 20,000-pound food donation from Goya Foods to be provided to Brentwood families before the December holiday recess.

The Board also honored Twin Pines Elementary School teacher assistant Rabia Umar who noticed a child in distress and took heroic actions to save the child from choking. Additionally, the Board recognized Sonderling Center social worker Lisa Ponce for her work on the Latina Mentoring Program and for being honored by Gov. Hochul for her work with the program and its impact on the students of Brentwood.

Concluding the recognitions, the Board honored District lawyer Candace Gomez for her dedication to advocating for Brentwood students.