2022
BEST CATHOLIC SCHOOL
THANKS FOR VOTING
ST. EDWARD
THE CONFESSOR
SCHOOL
2 Teibrook Avenue, Syosset, NY 11791
516-921-7767
www.stedwardconfessor.org
2018
2018 WINNER
BEST
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
BEST
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
2021
2021 WINNER
BEST
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM WINNERS GUIDE BETHPAGE BEST OF LONG ISLAND 2022 31
BEST NURSERY
SCHOOL
MISS SUE’S NURSERY SCHOOL
1191 Old Country Rd., Plainview
516-865-2002 misssues.com
The years of early childhood are some of the
most formative, and starting off in the right
educational program can make a difference
in future success. Miss Sue’s Nursery School
has been recognized as a leader in preschool
education for more than 60 years. Its nursery
school boasts a large calendar of parent-child
events including a parent-child breakfast. The
nursery has monthly themes for its students
including transportation, the great outdoors,
dinosaurs, space, music, art appreciation, and
even a month of giving, caring, and sharing. It
also has many extra-curricular activities which
include birthday celebrations, pumpkin picking,
and nature walks. A daily schedule of activities
could include concept-based games, art and
crafts, and listening centers with CDs and books,
along with theatre and doll corners.
BEST PRIVATE
SCHOOL
MISS SUE’S NURSERY SCHOOL
1191 Old Country Rd., Plainview
516-938-0894 misssues.com
A great education begins with the earliest
years of schooling, and you’ll find no better
place to start than Miss Sue’s Nursery School.
Recognizing the importance of early childhood
education, Miss Sue’s Nursery School has made
it their mission to provide the best educational
foundation possible to their Pre-K students
and other young children in their care. Its
Pre-K program will help your child develop the
essential skills they need to succeed in school
and in life, while also preparing them to be part
of a group and to understand their role within it.
This school will make sure kids have fun at the
same time by offering plenty of opportunities for
socialization and playtime.
BEST PUBLIC
LIBRARY
SACHEM PUBLIC LIBRARY
150 Holbrook Rd., Holbrook
631-588-5024 sachemlibrary.org
A great public library is a place for education,
engagement, and inspiration. Sachem Public
Library fulfills all of that and more with a
mission to “Inspire. Engage. Educate.” Their
most recent Summer Reading Club boasted
2,473 participants across children, teens, and
adults. The library offers two outdoor spaces,
Inside/Out, a registered Public Garden, and
Discovery Grove, an outdoor nature classroom
for children. In their Inside/Out Garden, two
free annual events include a spooky walk and a
holiday light show. Each event sees thousands
of visits annually. The Library continues to offer
learning, crafting, and recreation activities in
person, live on Zoom, and as recorded segments
on YouTube. Sachem Public Library patrons can
borrow museum passes for free admission to 23
local and NYC destinations.
BEST SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL
DR. NEIL TESTA - BALDWIN
HIGH SCHOOL
841 Ethel T. Kloberg Dr., Baldwin
516-434-6100 baldwinschools.org
In many situations, going to see the principal
can be daunting for students. That’s not the
case at Baldwin High School. Dr. Neil Testa
has been the school principal since 2019 and
he has cultivated a welcoming environment
for students and staff alike. Prior to being the
principal, Testa has served as a social studies
teacher and an assistant principal, so he is able
to anticipate the needs of staff and students on
a more personal level. Under his guidance, the
school adopted lessons in mindfulness to help
students de-stress throughout the day through
meditation and yoga to help mold the students
into better human beings. Testa is there to drop
some knowledge and keep things under control
when he needs to, but ultimately he wants to
foster a community for his students to be able to
learn and grow together.
BEST SCHOOL
PSYCHOLOGIST
DR. DOROTHY BRUCKSTEIN
- NORTH SHORE HEBREW
ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL
400 N Service Rd., Great Neck
516-487-2424 nshahs.org
Now more than ever, kids and teens face so
much pressure amongst their peers and families
that it can be hard to talk about difficult topics.
With the pandemic they have been even more
isolated than usual which can be detrimental
to mental health. This is why it is important
for students to have someone to talk to that
understands what they are going through and
helps them navigate all the obstacles they may
face. Dr. Dorothy Bruckstein understands this,
which is why she was voted as Long Island’s top
school psychologist. Dr. Bruckstein, the school
psychologist at North Shore Hebrew Academy
High School in Great Neck, understands what
her students are going through and has worked
hard to make her students feel comfortable and
heard.
BEST TEACHER
SHANE HELFNER- PAUL D.
SCHREIBER HIGH SCHOOL
390 North Country Rd., Smithtown
631-334-9923 portnet.org
One of the best teachers you can find on Long
Island is Paul D. Schreiber High School’s Shane
Helfner. He serves as the school’s band director
and tennis coach and is there for his students
no matter what. In addition to leading the
freshman band and wind ensemble, you can
find Helfner in the classroom teaching AP Music
Theory and helping his students understand
the very fundamentals of music as a whole.
Helfner always wants his students to succeed,
offering extra help both in the classroom and
virtually before the start of the day for students
who need it, and is always there to answer any
questions they may have regarding music. He
clearly communicates with his students what
his expectations are and is fair and kind in
his interactions, making him an overall great
educator.
BEST TRADE SCHOOL
THE LEARN CENTER
819 15th St., Ronkonkoma
631-831-0800 thelearncenter.net
A trade school is an option for young adults
who want to head down a specific career path
that doesn’t necessarily need to involve college.
For those who want to learn how to use heavy
machinery, The LEARN Center is the perfect
place to go. This trade school is the only NYSED
licensed school to teach heavy equipment
operation and safety, so their students are
already ahead of the game when it comes to
managing heavy machinery. Their campus has
classrooms and a fully equipped construction
yard that allows students to learn the ins and
outs of construction sites both in the field and on
the legal side of things. Plus, the LEARN Center
takes your schedule in mind when it comes to
scheduling classes so you can finish on your own
time.
/sachemlibrary.org
/www.stedwardconfessor.org
/BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM
/misssues.com
/misssues.com
/www.stedwardconfessor.org
/baldwinschools.org
/nshahs.org
/portnet.org
/thelearncenter.net
