Malverne Names Honorees For 2020 MLK Celebration

From Malverne Union Free Schools:Students throughout the Malverne Union Free School District will participate in a special celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m., in the Howard T. Herber Middle School auditorium. The event will also recognize social worker Joseph Aquino and community leader and former Malverne High School principal James Brown, who will both be honored with the district’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. Performances from students from each of the district’s four schools will also be a part of the celebration.

As a social worker for more than 25 years, Joseph Aquino impacts the students’ lives every day. He graduated with his master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University and began working in the Diocese of Brooklyn. By 1999, Mr. Aquino had joined Malverne School District as a part-time social worker at Howard T. Herber and by 2000 was working full time at the high school. He is responsible for individual and group counseling for more than 120 students each year, crisis intervention, drug and alcohol education as well as organizing guest speakers and presentations on substance abuse and mental health awareness. James (Jim) Brown was born in Georgia and served in the Army prior to entering college. Graduating with a degree in business administration from Hofstra University, his first position in his 37 years of education was as a substitute teacher at Roosevelt High School. He then moved on to Freeport Public Schools, where he served as both assistant principal of the high school and then principal of Dodd Middle School before retiring in 2000. Mr. Brown was asked to serve as an interim principal at Malverne High School and stayed for five and a half years, spreading his positive influence to students each day before retiring again. Mr. Aquino and Mr. Brown will be honored during the ceremony on Jan. 16. The entire community is welcomed and encouraged to attend the event.

This press release was produced by Malverne Schools . The views are the author's own.