LI Life: A year in pictures, the faces and stories of Long Island

BACK TO SCHOOL / JUNE 14 LI LIFE

Sharon Baker, Wyandanch Memorial High School '84, coaches the junior varsity boys basketball team and is a district attendance specialist. Baker, who is among several alumni who have returned to help instruct and inspire the next generation, says her work "gave me an opportunity to give back to my community that I grew up in."

SWEET SPOT / JAN. 21

Ana Vasquez and her husband, José R. Vasquez, own Lela's Bakery in Central Islip, where love and friendship are the key ingredients that bring together the Salvadoran community. “I want every person that walks through those doors to feel comfortable and feel safe, you know, to feel like they’re part of our family,” says Ana, who along with José opened Lela’s, named after their daughter, three years ago. 

A REAL SPLASH / AUG. 12

Kai Wagner, aka Mermaid Pearl, swims during "Mermaid Mondays" at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. Wagner, who has gender-specific mermaid personas, is one of about 30 Long island Mermaid Pod members. "I love the aesthetics of both lady mermaids and male mermaids," Wagner says.

RE-ENACTING THE PAST / APRIL 29

Thirteen Long Island high schoolers took the stage for Witness Theater, a monthslong program during which select students act out Holocaust survivors’ stories before a live audience after spending months bonding and hearing their experiences firsthand. The program operates on a "drama therapy model," aiming to help with the healing process.

STREET SMARTS / SEPT. 23

Most weekdays during the school year find Joseph Plescia at the corner of Bayport Avenue and Montauk Highway in Bayport. He's among some 1,000 school crossing guards across Long Island. "I've seen them grow up from middle school to high schools," says Plescia. "The older they get, the more fearless they are."

MAKING WAVES / JULY  1

Fire Island Ferries' all-female crews buck the trend in a male-dominated field. From left, deckhand Kaitlyn Colgan, Capt. Morgan Mooney and deckhands Julianna DeSimone and Ally Grell crew the Voyager. “Girls work just as hard, if not harder," says Mooney, one of the company's four female captains. "It’s not to prove anything. It’s just how we are.”

SUBURBAN GROWTH / MAY 6

Sophie Pilipshen collects an egg from the Muscovy ducks her family keeps in Patchogue. “Sometimes kids can be picky,” says her mom, Josephine Fan. “But if they pick it from the backyard, they eat it.” The family is part of a trend of new homesteaders across Long Island who have created sustainable lifestyles in suburbia.

MAKING OF A MASTER / APRIL 15

Charles Rufino is a luthier, the name for those who craft stringed instruments, a pursuit he began in 1974 when he left New York University to help build a house in Maine. “I’m trying to do this one thing well,” he says. “I enjoy the awareness when I’m working and shaping and cutting the wood. I’m the luckiest man I know.”

GUIDING HANDS / APRIL 8

Rashida Scott, right, and her mentor Nia Thompson regularly meet and talk in a private room in the library at Baldwin High School as part of a network of mentoring programs that pairs thousands of LI students with caring adults. "Her advice is genuine and heartfelt," Scott says.

THE FINAL CUT / JAN. 7

Baldwin barber Dominick Natale hung up his shears after 53 years. Customer Peter Zimmermann of Baldwin was exasperated at having to find a new barber. “I’m going to shave my head,” he said. Natale, too, wasn't sure what he would do. “How much can I talk to my wife?” Natale asked about his spouse of more than 50 years, Isabella. “I’m going to make her crazy." 

LEADER OF THE BAND / FEB. 25

Under the stewardship of Frank Abel, Roosevelt High School’s band has doubled in size, a result of the director’s commanding presence. Abel, who came out of retirement to become the Roosevelt band director in 2016, said of the strides his musicians have made in number and spirit: “Sometimes I feel like I’m dreaming.”

REPORTING FOR DUTY / JULY 22

Alison Schmitt, a police officer with the MTA Canine Unit, says she was inspired by her fiance’s bond with his canine. Her dog, Mac, is named in memory of NYPD Det. Steven McDonald, a neighbor in the Malverne community where she grew up. Of her bond with Mac during training, Schmitt said, “He’s always in my shadow. And I love every second of it.” 

REBUILD AND REJOICE / JULY 29

Picking the first family to help was easy, said the founders of Rescuing Families, Gina Cantone-Centauro, left, her husband Vincent Centauro, right, and her brother Michael Cantone, second from right. Here they celebrate with brothers John Calvin Tribble III and Bruce Tribble, whose home they renovated.

WORTH THE WAIT / MAY 27

More than a year after signing up for a diabetic alert dog, Emma Brussell got Rufus. The yellow English Labrador retriever has a nose keen enough to detect symptoms of Emma’s type 1 diabetes. Emma helped raise money toward the service dog's $15,000 price tag by creating paintings she sold on Facebook — a project she's continuing to help other children with type 1 diabetes.

RUNNING MATES / JULY 8

Alex "Alie" Schneider, left, seems born to run — rapidly. He completed the New York City Marathon in an impressive time of 2:50:3. Yet, Schneider is also profoundly autistic: He is unable to speak, probably doesn’t understand the concept of elapsed time and is incapable of even lacing his shoes. Nevertheless, his parents, trainers and running mates have found themselves transformed by his athletic gifts. 

PLAY ON! / DEC. 9

 Brentwood's award-winning marching band, the Green Machine, went to the New York State Field Band Conference Championships this year. It was the final competition for saxophone section leader and senior Lisa Manbodh. Before the show, she was philosophical. “We’re not just a halftime show,” she said. “We’re 150 different stories working for the same goal.”

PRIDE IN PLACE / DEC. 2

At 25, Long Island's LGBT Network and its Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth have built a community to support and inspire the next generation. The network has been a lifeline for Zachary Reyes of Huntington Station. “LIGALY has been a place of welcome, a place of love, and a place of community for LGBT people,” Reyes says. “Without LIGALY I don’t know where I’d be.”

JOYFUL NOISES / JAN. 28

St. Georges Church in Hempstead, founded in the 1700s by slaveholders, has been revitalized by the diversity of its members. “It’s marvelous,” says Pat Moore, a white native of Hempstead and church member for most of her life. “We were rescued by an influx of West Indians.”

PUPPET POWER / MARCH 11

Adelphi University student Sebastiano Ricci designed his own major so that he could turn his longtime passion into a degree. Ricci, who plans to graduate in 2020, says he's had a passion for puppets since he was a young child. "Creating the illusion of a living, breathing creature — it's magical," he says.

YOUNG AT HEART / MARCH 4

Dorothy D'Ambrose's hands have seen 107 years. The centenarian, known as the "bingo queen," also plays Scrabble and writes poetry. Her 107th birthday was celebrated with family and friends at the Huntington Hills Center for Health and Rehabilitation. D'Ambrose attributes her longevity to being pleasant. "I like to have nice words with people," she says. "You make friends that way."

UMPIRE STATE / APRIL 1

Big Apple Umpire School student Geoffrey Hernandez brushes the plate off during a preseason game in Forest Park in Queens. Over the course of 12 weeks, during three-hour weekly sessions, instructors drill potential umpires on official baseball rules, managing a game, even dealing with unruly parents and coaches. "This isn't just a bunch of guys getting away from their wives on a Tuesday night," says Hernandez, a former NYPD officer. "They're very meticulous about it."