She made it!
With only a couple hours of sleep and her muscles aching, Eva Casale summoned up the strength to sprint through the finish line Sunday as she completed her three-day, 150-mile run from Manhattan to Montauk. Interact with the map icons above to see photos from Casale’s journey
“This is the hardest thing I ever did,” Casale said, “but I told myself never to give up because the children would never want me to give up on them.”
The 50-year-old ultramarathoner from Syosset was running on behalf of 150 children, mostly from Long Island, who have battled cancer — including some who lost their lives. She has been raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a charity that funds cancer research, via her site goteameva.org in hopes of reaching her goal of $150,000.
“It was very difficult at times, but I remembered who I was running for and their pain and suffering,” she said. “What I felt is not even one-tenth of what these children go through.”
It took Casale roughly 55 hours to complete the course. She started in lower Manhattan outside the not-for-profit’s offices around 8 a.m. Friday and then breezed over the Brooklyn Bridge with a small entourage of fellow runners.
Casale was never alone. She was joined by runners at different parts of the course who pledged money to her cause. Sometimes her entourage was just one or two people, while at other times the number swelled to more than 20.
With their support, she tackled Brooklyn and Queens in less than five hours Friday, crossing into Nassau County shortly before 1 p.m.
When she arrived in Bay Shore later that night, a throng of supporters met her at Bay Shore High School track for a glow-stick run honoring Rich Arcuri, a long-time resident and runner who died last year in a work-related accident.
Arcuri was also a supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and as a tribute to him the Bay Shore School District presented Casale with a $1,373 donation.
Then, while most Long Islanders were probably sleeping in their beds, Casale kept pounding the pavement Friday night through Saturday, with only a few short rest breaks.
She did sleep Saturday night, but only for two hours, and she was back on the course before sunrise Sunday.
By 9:30 a.m., she was in East Hampton and had about 15 miles left to go. When she arrived at The Lobster Roll, a popular roadside eatery in Amagansett, she picked up a crowd of runners and cyclists who escorted her for the last 6 miles, but the final stretch was not easy.
They had to conquer several hills on Old Montauk Highway before they arrived at the finish in downtown Montauk shortly after 3 p.m.
There, Casale was met by Gina Gallardo, an 8-year-old cancer survivor from Syosset who presented her with a medal and a big hug.
“She’s amazing,” Gina said.
Casale said she hopes her journey brought awareness and funds to the cause, so the charity can continue to make strides toward finding a cure, “so there will be no children with cancer.”
She dedicated the final mile of the run to Julia Wilson, a 10-year-old Rocky Point girl who died of cancer last August.
“I needed to get to Julia,” Casale said.
“Madison,” “Jack,” “Lexie” and “Dylan” were among the 98 children’s names scrawled on a piece of looseleaf paper written by 8-year-old Gina Gallardo. Each one represents a fellow cancer patient that the Syosset third grader has met during her own experiences fighting leukemia. But unlike Gina, some of them have lost their battles.
“This list is too long,” said Eva Casale, 50, of Glen Cove, while holding the paper Gina had given her. “Even one name on this list is too long.”
Hoping to change that, Casale, a seasoned ultramarathoner — the term given to people who compete in races longer than 26.2 miles — is preparing to undertake her greatest challenge yet.
On the morning of April 24, she’ll begin running 150 miles from lower Manhattan to Montauk, crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge to traverse the entire length of Long Island. She plans to complete the journey in about 50 to 55 hours, stopping for short rest breaks along the way.
Each mile, she said, will be dedicated to a child who is either fighting cancer or who has succumbed to the disease, and her goal is to raise $150,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society before she is through.
“This is my biggest event and my longest running event, so I’m hoping that it brings the research money that is needed to really help find a cure for cancer,” she said.
Last summer, Casale raised about $25,000 for the same charity when she ran seven marathons in seven consecutive days on Long Island, a total of 183.4 miles. In 2013, she also ran 100 miles, practically nonstop, from Nassau County’s North Shore to its South Shore, then back north again, to benefit the not-for-profit.
She had considered taking this year off, but shortly after finishing her seven-marathon challenge, the idea of tackling Manhattan to Montauk came up as she was celebrating with friends.
“Each year, I really feel by doing a unique event I’m bringing more awareness to the organization,” she said. “… We can just almost feel that soon there will be something that will be available to cure people with these diseases.”
Training for this year’s event has been difficult due to the long, harsh winter, Casale said, but she’s been doing her best to get in her long runs, which range between 20 and 30 miles, on weekends.
“I feel like I’m ready to go,” she added.
While running along snow-covered paths in the Massapequa Preserve one recent Sunday morning, she said she was hoping for vastly different conditions later this month.
“I’m hoping the weather is 50 to 60s,” she said. “It would be great if I could wear shorts.”
As she did during her seven marathons last year, Casale is also inviting runners of all levels to join her for different legs of her 150-mile trek in exchange for a donation to the LLS. Those interested can sign up via her fundraising site, goteameva.org.
Katie Gallardo, Gina’s mother, said her family plans to see Casale off in lower Manhattan when she starts the run, and catch up with her at different points along the course.
“She’s an amazing human being,” Gallardo, 40, said of Casale. “She can teach a lot of people in this world a lot of things.”
Gallardo said it’s been almost four years since her daughter’s acute lymphoblastic leukemia went into remission, but she said cancer is still always on her mind.
“When I go in and check on her at night, I kiss her 100 times,” she said. “I don’t take a second for granted, I count my blessings and pay it forward.”
Casale said she’s prepared for the physical pain she’ll undoubtedly endure during her latest running challenge.
“But the pain is temporary,” she said. “For those who are sick, unfortunately, the pain they feel is not.”
Long Islanders share their favorite pictures from Field of Wheels 2015 via Instagram #NewsdayWheels.
[nd_photogrid title2=”Field of Wheels 2015″ pgURL=”https://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/field-of-wheels-reader-photos-1.10304252″ promo2=”<i class="fa fa-instagram"></i><em>TAG US and JOIN IN</em><strong href="#">#NewsdayWheels</strong>” pre_author=”<i class="fa fa-instagram"></i>”]In 1945, the world was engaged in the final battles of World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters. Seventy years later, Long Island remembers the efforts of our local servicemen and women who served in the second great war that helped define the 20th century.
"There were guys in my neighborhood who packed their lunch and left their houses within minutes of the announcement," Fabregas,of Massapequa Park, recalled. "I was envious of them, although I never saw some of them ever again."
Courtesy of Pete Fabregas
Throughout 1945, servicemen and women from all over Long Island were involved in the final push to reach Victory in Europe and Victory in the Pacific. Here are their stories.
Courtesy photo
A collection of World War II relics from LI and NYC veterans
Amy Onorato
A collection of animals that served in World War II, and the humans who cared for them.
AP
Explore key events, major battles and milestones throughout World War II.
AP
Photos of Long Islanders at war, and where they are now.
Newsday Staff
See what made headlines in this collection of Newsday covers from World War II.
Newsday Archives
The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center lists 43,254 New Yorkers who died in service during World War II. Find them here.
AP
Newsday stories from World War II.
Newsday Archives
Designer: Anthony Carrozzo; Producer: Amy Onorato; Photo editor: Oswaldo Jimenez; Video: Matthew Golub Copy editor: Martha Guevara
Governors and state education chiefs of 48 states developed the Common Core State Standards, a set of academic benchmarks for kindergarten through 12th grade in English Language Arts/literacy and mathematics. Today, 43 states — including New York — have voluntarily adopted and are working to implement the standards, which are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are college- or career-ready. The New York State Board of Regents, which sets education policy, adopted the Common Core standards in July 2010 and incorporated some New York-specific elements in January 2011.
The Common Core standards are aimed at raising academic quality in all schools and use standardized tests to make schools and teachers accountable. In New York, test questions measure the Common Core standards in English Language Arts and mathematics for students in grades 3-8, according to the State Education Department. In 2013, New York was among the first states to administer tests that were aligned with the Common Core. Testing generally is spread over six days — three for the ELA exam and three for the math exam. Each test day, the estimated completion time is 50 minutes for students in grades 3-4 and 50-60 minutes for those in grades 5-8.
Three states have withdrawn their acceptance of the Common Core standards, and legislators in a dozen states are reviewing their states’ posture, according to news reports. Some have argued that the Common Core is a federal imposition, and that state and local educational standards work best. Many educators initially supported the Common Core standards, saying that if implemented appropriately, they have the potential to improve student learning. In New York and elsewhere, testing associated with the Common Core has drawn strong criticism, with some parents arguing the exams are flawed, age-inappropriate and do not provide a valid diagnostic tool. Others have said passing rates set for the exams are unrealistic. Opponents of the tests also say they are not properly aligned with the curriculum, and that teachers are not allowed to discuss the test content with parents or even colleagues. Proponents, such as High Achievement New York, a coalition of education, business and civic groups, say that tests tied to the Common Core standards are a solid measure to evaluate progress toward students’ college and career readiness. The tests are considered an annual “checkup,” they say, to ensure all kids are making progress, provide teachers and schools more information, and offer a common measure that can be used to help close the achievement gap affecting minority students.
Under New York State’s revised teacher evaluation law passed in March 2012 — also known as Annual Professional Performance Review — teachers’ and principals’ job ratings were for the first time tied to the results of students’ scores on state standardized tests. For teachers, 20 percent of their evaluation was based on what the state calls student “growth scores.” The state’s push for stricter teacher evaluations — an initiative encouraged by President Barack Obama’s administration, and ultimately rewarded with federal Race to the Top financial incentives — started on a relatively upbeat note. But the linkage has caused continuing controversy. Teachers, among other concerns, fear the ratings are unfair and don’t properly account for students with learning disabilities, limited English proficiency and low socioeconomic backgrounds. This year in New York, the portion of teacher and principal job ratings that is tied to test scores is being reevaluated. A major issue that remains unsettled is whether a revised system will base about 50 percent of teachers’ job ratings on students’ performance on Common-Core-associated tests, as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed, or whether that percentage would be far lower — perhaps 20 percent or less, as favored by the Regents.
Test results plunged soon after implementation. Statewide, the percentage of children in grades three through eight rated proficient or better in English dropped from 55.1 percent in 2012 to 31.1 percent in 2013. The math scores declined from 64.8 percent rated proficient or better in 2012 to 31 percent in 2013. About 40 percent of Long Island students in grades three through eight tested proficient or better in English in 2013. About 37 percent did in math. In 2014, student passing rates on the state’s English tests were down on the Island and essentially flat at the state level, while math test scores rose significantly both on Long Island and statewide, the State Education Department reported. On the Island, the percentage of students passing in English dropped from 39.6 percent to 36.8 percent. Statewide passing rates dipped from 31.1 percent to 31 percent. The percentage of LI students passing in math rose from 37.5 percent in 2013 to 43.4 percent in 2014. Statewide passing rates in math increased from 31 percent to 36 percent.
The so-called opt-out movement started after the rollout of curriculum aligned with the Common Core and the more rigorous tests stemming from it. The movement spread through grassroots activism and social media. In April 2013, the first year of significant test refusals, dozens of students in Long Island school districts boycotted the test on the first day of testing in English and math. Protesting parents say the existing test system exerts unneeded pressure on students. In April 2014, about 9,500 children in grades three through eight opted out of the English Language Arts exam, according to a Newsday survey drawn from responses from 67 of the Island’s 124 districts. This week, more than 70,000 students in 110 of the Island’s districts boycotted the ELA exam. Karen Magee, head of the state’s 600,000-member teacher union, in March 2015 called on parents to boycott the state tests — the first time the organization took that stance publicly.
State Education Department officials have said that a district’s failure to meet the federal requirement of 95 percent participation on standardized tests, if not corrected, could result in penalties — including partial loss of federal Title I aid, used for academic remediation. To date, the department has not imposed fiscal sanctions on a district because of failure to meet participation requirements on state tests.
Some local leaders have said that there’s not enough support at the federal or state levels of government to force an end to the Common Core standards. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is running for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, has voiced strong support of the standards. In March, Cuomo emphasized his commitment to education reform. “Public education in New York and around the country is undergoing tremendous change as parents and citizens demand more performance, accountability and results,” the governor wrote in an article published in Newsday’s opinion pages. “While change is difficult, it is also the only way to get better, and we must continue to improve our education systems to give our kids the opportunities they deserve.” Activists, however, say the state cannot ignore the large number of test refusals and that they will continue their campaign.
–Compiled by Joie Tyrrell
Fourth-grade English
Read a passage and answer five questions about it
Fourth-grade math
Round numbers and understand when to multiply and divide
Sixth-grade English
Read a poem and answer five questions about it
Sixth-grade math
Apply your knowledge of algebra to solve word problems
Eighth-grade English
Read a passage and answer six questions about it
Eighth-grade math
Solve linear equations and apply your knowledge of geometry
The ABCs of Common Core:
Common Core: State Standards Initiative
EngageNY
EngageNY: Common Core Curriculum
Parent Guide to Common Core Standards
NYS Bilingual Common Core Initiative
National PTA & Common Core: What are the standards?
Anti-Common Core Groups:
NYS Allies for Public Education
Say No to Common Core
New Yorkers United For Kids
Long Island Opt-out Facebook page
Myths & Facts:
Myths & Facts about Federal Policy on Common Core
Record numbers of students in grades three through eight in public school districts across Long Island are refusing to take state standardized tests in spring 2015. High numbers have been reported in school systems upstate, too — in the Westchester/Rockland and Albany areas, and in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.
On Long Island, the “opt-out movement,” as it is known, now includes parents, school administrators, teachers and their unions and some elected officials, both in the state legislature and on local school boards. Activists, since their cause’s grassroots origins in the 2012-13 school year, have used social media, public forums, robo-calls and paid advertising to spread the message.
These groups and individuals have coalesced around the issue of test refusals for a variety of reasons: complaints about the content and frequency of tests tied to the Common Core national academic standards, parents’ concern about the tests’ stress on their children and test-prep time affecting other subjects and pursuits, displeasure with education policy changes at the state level, and the linkage of principals’ and teachers’ performance evaluations to students’ test scores.
The first significant increase in student test refusals on Long Island occurred with the spring 2013 administration of state English Language Arts and math tests in grades three through eight. That response was largely driven by what educators and parents said was a rushed, confusing implementation of the first, tougher tests aligned with the Common Core.
Since then, with fierce controversy over educators’ evaluations, many teachers and their unions joined the opt-out battle lines. The issue has become increasingly politicized and volatile, pitting activist parents, educators and unions against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and policy-makers on the state Board of Regents and in the State Education Department.
Cuomo, the Regents and Education Department leaders say changes must be made to improve students’ readiness for college and careers and to comply with requirements in federal and state laws. The governor singled out the evaluation system for reform, saying current law doesn’t properly allow for dismissal of ineffective teachers.
Seeking to gauge the number of test refusals, Newsday conducted surveys of the Island’s 124 public school districts in spring 2014 and is doing so in 2015. There is no state agency or official organization that gathers this data on the actual days of the ELA and math tests’ administration.
Use the arrows to the right of each section to navigate through this project.
Governors and state education chiefs of 48 states developed the Common Core State Standards, a set of academic benchmarks for kindergarten through 12th grade in English Language Arts/literacy and mathematics. Today, 43 states — including New York — have voluntarily adopted and are working to implement the standards, which are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are college- or career-ready. The New York State Board of Regents, which sets education policy, adopted the Common Core standards in July 2010 and incorporated some New York-specific elements in January 2011.
The Common Core standards are aimed at raising academic quality in all schools and use standardized tests to make schools and teachers accountable. In New York, test questions measure the Common Core standards in English Language Arts and mathematics for students in grades three through eight, according to the State Education Department. In 2013, New York was among the first states to administer tests that were aligned with the Common Core. Testing generally is spread over six days — three for the ELA exam and three for the math exam. Each test day, the estimated completion time is 50 minutes for students in grades three and four and 50-60 minutes for those in grades five through eight.
Three states have withdrawn their acceptance of the Common Core standards, and legislators in a dozen states are reviewing their states’ posture, according to news reports. Some have argued that the Common Core is a federal imposition, and that state and local educational standards work best. Many educators initially supported the Common Core standards, saying that if implemented appropriately, they have the potential to improve student learning. In New York and elsewhere, testing associated with the Common Core has drawn strong criticism, with some parents arguing the exams are flawed and age-inappropriate and do not provide a valid diagnostic tool. Others have said passing rates set for the exams are unrealistic. Opponents of the tests also say they are not properly aligned with the curriculum, and that teachers are not allowed to discuss the test content with parents or even colleagues. Proponents, such as High Achievement New York, a coalition of education, business and civic groups, say that tests tied to the Common Core standards are a solid measure to evaluate progress toward students’ college and career readiness. The tests are considered an annual “checkup,” they say, to ensure all kids are making progress, provide teachers and schools more information, and offer a common measure that can be used to help close the achievement gap affecting minority students.
Under New York State’s revised teacher evaluation law passed in March 2012 — also known as Annual Professional Performance Review — teachers’ and principals’ job ratings were for the first time tied to the results of students’ scores on state standardized tests. For teachers, 20 percent of their evaluation was based on what the state calls student “growth scores.” The state’s push for stricter teacher evaluations — an initiative encouraged by President Barack Obama’s administration, and ultimately rewarded with federal Race to the Top financial incentives — started on a relatively upbeat note. But the linkage has caused continuing controversy. Teachers, among other concerns, fear the ratings are unfair and don’t properly account for students with learning disabilities, limited English proficiency and low socioeconomic backgrounds. This year in New York, the portion of teacher and principal job ratings that is tied to test scores is being reevaluated. A major issue that remains unsettled is whether a revised system will base about 50 percent of teachers’ job ratings on students’ performance on Common-Core-associated tests, as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed, or whether that percentage would be far lower — perhaps 20 percent or less, as favored by the Regents.
Test results plunged soon after implementation. Statewide, the percentage of children in grades three through eight rated proficient or better in English dropped from 55.1 percent in 2012 to 31.1 percent in 2013. The math scores declined from 64.8 percent rated proficient or better in 2012 to 31 percent in 2013. About 40 percent of Long Island students in grades three through eight tested proficient or better in English in 2013. About 37 percent did in math. In 2014, student passing rates on the state’s English tests were down on the Island and essentially flat at the state level, while math test scores rose significantly both on Long Island and statewide, the State Education Department reported. On the Island, the percentage of students passing in English dropped from 39.6 percent to 36.8 percent. Statewide passing rates dipped from 31.1 percent to 31 percent. The percentage of LI students passing in math rose from 37.5 percent in 2013 to 43.4 percent in 2014. Statewide passing rates in math increased from 31 percent to 36 percent.
The so-called opt-out movement started after the rollout of curriculum aligned with the Common Core and the more rigorous tests stemming from it. The movement spread through grassroots activism and social media. In April 2013, the first year of significant test refusals, dozens of students in Long Island school districts boycotted the test on the first day of testing in English and math. Protesting parents say the existing test system exerts unneeded pressure on students. In April 2014, about 9,500 children in grades three through eight opted out of the English Language Arts exam, according to a Newsday survey drawn from responses from 67 of the Island’s 124 districts. This week, more than 70,000 students in 110 of the Island’s districts boycotted the ELA exam. Karen Magee, head of the state’s 600,000-member teacher union, in March 2015 called on parents to boycott the state tests — the first time the organization took that stance publicly.
State Education Department officials have said that a district’s failure to meet the federal requirement of 95 percent participation on standardized tests, if not corrected, could result in penalties — including partial loss of federal Title I aid, used for academic remediation. To date, the department has not imposed fiscal sanctions on a district because of failure to meet participation requirements on state tests.
Some local leaders have said that there’s not enough support at the federal or state levels of government to force an end to the Common Core standards. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is running for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president, has voiced strong support of the standards. In March, Cuomo emphasized his commitment to education reform. “Public education in New York and around the country is undergoing tremendous change as parents and citizens demand more performance, accountability and results,” the governor wrote in an article published in Newsday’s opinion pages. “While change is difficult, it is also the only way to get better, and we must continue to improve our education systems to give our kids the opportunities they deserve.” Activists, however, say that the state cannot ignore the large number of test refusals and that they will continue their campaign.
–Compiled by Joie Tyrrell
Fourth-grade English
Read a passage and answer five questions about it
Fourth-grade math
Round numbers and understand when to multiply and divide
Sixth-grade English
Read a poem and answer five questions about it
Sixth-grade math
Apply your knowledge of algebra to solve word problems
Eighth-grade English
Read a passage and answer six questions about it
Eighth-grade math
Solve linear equations and apply your knowledge of geometry
The ABCs of Common Core:
Common Core: State Standards Initiative
EngageNY
EngageNY: Common Core Curriculum
Parent Guide to Common Core Standards
NYS Bilingual Common Core Initiative
National PTA & Common Core: What are the standards?
Anti-Common Core Groups:
NYS Allies for Public Education
Say No to Common Core
New Yorkers United For Kids
Long Opt-out Facebook page
Myths & Facts:
Myths & Facts about Federal Policy on Common Core
COMMON CORE – YOUR TURN: Does Common Core raise standards and ensure our schools are up to snuff or does it hamper our…
Posted by News 12 Long Island on Sunday, April 19, 2015
What do you think is the coolest thing to do on Long Island this summer? Use Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to send us a photo of your top picks and tell us why, with #LISummer, and it could be featured.
[nd_photogrid title2=”LI coolest things to do this summer” pgURL=”https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/recreation/cool-things-to-do-on-li-this-summer-reader-picks-1.10216411″ promo2=”<i class="fa fa-instagram"></i><em>TAG US and JOIN IN</em><strong href="#">#amnysummer</strong>” pre_author=”<i class="fa fa-instagram"></i>”]The RXR Long Island Marathon Weekend races are set to take place on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, 2015.
Sign up now to get an email alert for anyone running in the Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K or 1 mile race. When they cross the finish line, you’ll get a message from raceresults@run-li.com with their results. Just fill out the form below.
After signing up, go to newsday.com/marathon for tips on the best viewing spots, restaurants in the area and more.
