Mahopac News 09.03.20

VOL. 11 NO. 28 Visit TapIntoMahopac.net for the latest news. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

For the love of Kamil
Community rallies around seriously injured MHS alum

BY BOB DUMAS
EDITOR

Friends and family are rallying around a Mahopac High Kamil Sudol says
School graduate who su ered injuries that have left him he is determined to
paralyzed from the chest down after a tragic diving accident
last month. walk again.

Kamil Sudol, 20, described by friends as man of “great PHOTOS COURTESY OF
courage, amazing character and a wholehearted soul,” suf- TAYLOR MOREAU
fered the injuries when he dove from the Little Bridge in
Oak Blu s, Mass., on Aug. 3 while vacationing on Martha’s
Vineyard with his girlfriend, Taylor Moreau, and her family.

A Class of 2017 grad, Sudol was a star athlete at Ma-
hopac High School, where he excelled at both football and
lacrosse.

Moreau has set up a GoFundMe page to help the Su-
dol family pay for medical bills, physical therapy and re-
hab. With a goal of $750,000, the fund drive had already
reached more than $165,000 as of last Friday. But more help
is needed.

Sudol had dreams of one day becoming a police o cer
and studied criminal justice at Mount Saint Mary College
(Newburgh), which is where he met Moreau. A strapping
athlete at 6 feet 2 inches and over 200 pounds, he had con-
tinued playing lacrosse while at college.

Moreau, who was with Sudol at the time of accident, told
Mahopac News that the young man got confused and dove
from the wrong bridge, not the one he had used last year
without incident.

“His head hit the bottom,” Moreau said. “We knew he
was really hurt. He was bleeding. He’s a big guy, very athlet-
ic. But he was underwater, not moving for like 10 seconds.”

Airlifted rst to a local hospital, Sudol was later own to
Massachusetts General where he went straight into surgery

SEE KAMIL PAGE 6

SCHEDULE BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 35
YOUR CLASSIFIEDS
POOL LEGAL NOTICES 34
LEISURE
CLOSINGS OPINION 33
NOW! SPORTS
32 YOUR NEIGHBOR
10

29 Swimming to save lives.

pg 3

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• Pool Inspections
• Above-Ground Pool Sales [email protected]
• Free Local Delivery www.mahopacpools.com

PAGE 2 MAHOPAC NEWS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

The Staff Hybrid school reopening pushed back

EDITORIAL TEAM Remote learning set to start Sept. 9
BOB DUMAS
BY BOB DUMAS tricts did that, we had more and last-minute change.“We put a lot perintendent said. “ ey were all
EDITOR: 845-208-0774
[email protected] EDITOR more teachers put in for the Fam- of time and e ort into it. is is put on the school districts to try to
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
SPORTS EDITOR: 914-302-5628 ily First Response Act, which al- not just happening in Mahopac; navigate their way through. How
[email protected]
e Mahopac School District’s lows them to take up to 12 weeks it’s happening all around the low- do we get our kids back in school?
ADVERTISING TEAM
PAUL FORHAN hybrid model reopening plan to for childcare,” he continued. “We er Hudson Valley.” I think that really comes from the
914-202-2392
start school on Sept. 9 has been have become inundated with e days of Sept. 9, 10, and 11 state level and we have to start
[email protected]
BRUCE HELLER scuttled and pushed back to early teachers requesting that. Now, we will still be half-days, but they having those conversations with
914-486-7608
October. have to spend time to try and get will be remote. On Monday, Sept. our state elected o cials and the
[email protected]
LISA KAIN School Superintendent An- these positions replaced. We have 14, the district will start the full governor’s o ce. Putnam County

201-317-1139 thony DiCarlo said on Friday, some nurses who are not com- remote schedule for everybody is at .5 percent [COVID cases]. I
[email protected]
Aug. 28, the root of the problem ing in. So, we just don’t have the with some exceptions. struggle with that because if we’re
CORINNE STANTON
845-621-4049 is the high number of teachers personnel to open the school year ‘For our very fragile students not coming back now, then when

[email protected] requesting time o for childcare, like we originally thought we’d be with special needs and our Eng- are we coming back?”
SHELLEY KILCOYNE
CO-FOUNDER leaving the district scurrying to able to do on Sept. 9.” lish Language Learner popula- DiCarlo said it’s particularly
914-924-9122
nd replacements. e district is now looking at tion, they will still be coming in frustrating because he knows both
[email protected]
JENNIFER CONNELLY ‘About two and half weeks ago an anticipated start date of Oct. for a full day,” DiCarlo said. teachers and students want to
917-446-7757
it started,”he said.“You had some 5 to go back to the hybrid model DiCarlo said that many of the come back to the buildings.
[email protected]
GABRIELLE BILIK school districts up north, where it originally designed in which protocols and guidelines that the “I know in my heart of hearts

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/DESIGNER many of our teachers reside, that half the student body is in the district must follow are being dic- that teachers want to come back,
[email protected]
were not going to start hybrid, school buildings, while the other tated by the state department of they want a return to normalcy,”
PRODUCTION TEAM
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL they were going to go remote to half stays home for remote learn- health. he said. “But they do have some

CREATIVE DIRECTOR watch the others and see how it ing. “ ese are all the things that real concerns, some real health
PHOTOGRAPHER
went. “I know it’s not easy to hear; it should have been discussed [by concerns. And then on top of that
[email protected]
CHRISTINA ROSE “As more and more school dis- upsets me,” DiCarlo said of the the state from the outset],” the su- is the childcare issue. It’s not easy.”

ASST PRODUCTION MANAGER DiCarlo said nding replace-
DESIGNER
ments for the teachers opting to
[email protected]
use the Family First Response Act
EXECUTIVE TEAM
BRETT FREEMAN will be a challenge because all the
CEO & PUBLISHER
845-208-8151 districts in the area will be com-

[email protected] peting for the same personnel.

Deadlines “We are all competing for those

MAHOPAC NEWS DEADLINE spots,” he said. “I’ll be honest; I
THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
just don’t know [how quickly we
AND EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS FOR
can ll them]. We are all in the
MAHOPAC NEWS IS THE THURSDAY
BEFORE THE NEXT PUBLICATION DATE. same boat.’

FOR MORE INFORMATION, e governor said that schools
CALL BOB DUMAS AT
utilizing remote learning can still
845-208-0774 OR EMAIL
[email protected]. have sports, and the schedules can

Subscribe be set beginning Sept. 21. DiCar-

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