Summer Jobs Coming To An End

Selling Ice Cream And Waiting Tables, The North Fork Youth Work Hard

By Phyllis Lombardi

It will happen this September as it does every year. English teachers all over the North Fork will distribute white, lined paper to classes full of students who, for a week or so, are happy to be back in school.
“Write about what you did this summer,” is the direction given by each teacher. “And show how your summer experiences will help you in school this year.” Teach is apparently unaffected by student sighs of resignation and eyes rolled every which way.
Well, this year we got a jump on those teachers. In recognition of Labor Day, we talked with high school students and ’06 high school graduates as they worked their North Fork jobs. We asked them the teacher questions. Responses were funny, poignant, and thoughtful. So much so you may envy the teacher the joy to be found in a classroom.
This summer on the North Fork, teens cooked and served in our restaurants, clerked in our stores, tutored our young children, fished our bays, farmed our fields. They worked side by side with adults, learned from them, and assuredly taught them a thing or two.
My first stop, as it often is on a hot end-of-summer day, was at Magic Fountain ice cream shop in Mattituck. I knew I’d find several hard-scooping teens inside. But there, outside, was Julieann Poulmentis. Julieann, who graduated from Mattituck High School in June, is usually running from chocolate to vanilla inside the store. But today she had a large brush in hand and was repainting a faded banana split mural that has long graced the eastern wall of Magic Fountain.
Buckets of red, yellow, white and brown paint were at Julieann’s feet while specks of the same colors decorated her black T-shirt. Appropriately, Julieann will major in art when she starts college at the University of Rhode Island this September.
Julieann, whose summer work-week is sometimes more than 50 hours, says she’s “learned how to juggle school and work.” She plans on getting a job in Rhode Island and doing some “juggling” while in college. Julieann’s brother, John, a junior at Mattituck High School, is working in construction this summer while her 12-year old sister Katharine, baby-sits neighborhood children. What a family!
Out in Greenport you’ll find another hardworking family at Skippers Restaurant. Michael Volinski and his mom, East Marion residents, are employed at the restaurant. This September finds Michael a junior at Greenport High School. Like most guys, he’s interested in food. But Michael’s interest extends beyond eating. He’s considering culinary school after graduation and when he sets to work in the white shirt and black pants Skippers requires, you know he’s found the recipe for success.
Michael has helped prepare dinners for groups meeting at Saint Patrick Church in Southold. He’s peeled bushels of potatoes, cooked vegetables, tossed salad. And then served his efforts to appreciative North Forkers. At home, Michael is devoted to dessert. I’m hoping for a large piece of his renowned apple crisp. Thanks, Michael.
Finally, Esvin Secaida. A junior at Mattituck High School, he’s worked for several summers, and on winter weekends, at Cutchogue Hardware. Esvin came to the North Fork from Guatemala when he was three years old. This September brings a star spangled banner day into his life. In this glorious, golden month, Esvin embraces United States citizenship. The North Fork congratulates you, Esvin.
That said, we see Esvin stocking shelves, helping customers, ringing up sales at Cutchogue Hardware. Esvin said he first walked into the store “not knowing anything.”
That was a few years ago. Now, “slowly, slowly, in time,” he said he’s learning so much about the hardware business, especially from the store’s owner, Bob Molchan.
At the moment, Esvin’s grandparents are visiting from Guatemala. And Grandma is cooking some family favorites. I asked Esvin if his parents are having a big party for grandma and grandpa before they return home.
“No,” said Esvin, “my parents celebrate my grandparents every day they’re here.” That’s exactly what the young man said.
Julieann, Michael, Esvin, and all our young people – we celebrate you.