Farewell, Nick!
Nick Kardasis, beloved custodian at LHS, is retiring. Kardasis has been working at LHS for twenty years, and Dec. 29, 2018, will be his last day.
Kardasis’ positive attitude and energy is admired and will be missed by many. Principal Joseph Rainis commented, “He has an overall happy demeanor, and he brings a little bit of sunshine with him wherever he goes. He has a tremendous work ethic. Even the hardest things, he does with a smile, and things always get done. I’m going to miss him.” Social Studies Teacher Koren Pena agreed, “I’ll really miss his positive attitude and his positive energy and friendliness towards everyone.” Custodian Sal Grillo said, “Nick is a dedicated and hard-working man. He has a big heart and truly loves working at LHS. He is a happy-go-lucky person who can always make you laugh and put a smile on your face.” Special Education Teacher Tara Bridges added, “My favorite thing about working with Nick is something I admire greatly. He sincerely smiles and greets every single person he meets. You can feel his happiness. I will miss the sound of Nick calling out ‘Hey Boy!’ to everyone he meets.”
Kardasis’ kindness and caring shines through in all he does. Kardasis has worked the elevator, which he has furnished with seasonal decorations and photos over the years. Head Custodian Bob Lovergine said, “Nick has been one of my best workers through the years, and he’s going to be missed a lot. He’s helped everyone in the past for whatever they needed. He was really fantastic on that elevator. He decorated it and always made it festive and nice for the kids. He really loves the kids, and he has a great heart.” With a smile, Kardasis said, “My favorite part has been helping the people, and the teachers, and the kids, you know. Sometimes, kids will come up to me in the cafeteria and they’ll say, ‘Oh, I don’t have enough money for lunch; I need 50 cents,’ and I give it to them, and they say they’ll pay me back tomorrow, but I say no, I’m happy to give it to you.” This is just one of the many things that Kardasis does out of kindness and love for LHS and the people in it. Sophomore Camilla Bahri commented, “I’m going to miss how he says hello to every kid in the hallway and always has a smile on his face. I admire his investment in the school and how he cares about all of the kids and their accomplishments.” English Teacher Carla Gentile said, “I’ll miss everything about him. He’s one of the very hardest working people in our building. Anything you need, he’ll do it for you, at any given time, and he does it with a smile. That’s the best part, he’s always smiling. He treats everybody like a family member. One day I walked in, and I was in so much pain, and he asked me what was wrong, and I told him my back was killing me. Later, he came in, and he had bought me a bottle of Biofreeze, and he said, ‘Here, try this, it’s great, my wife uses it.’ So, I used it, and it made me better. He’s really a generous man.”
Kardasis can often be found singing in the hallways or whistling and doing bird calls as he works. Pena said, “I’m saddened to know I’ll never hear a bird call being done in this building again.” The joy he takes in his work can be felt and heard by all.
When asked about his plans after retiring, Kardasis said, “I’m going to stay home and clean the house. I’ll have to paint my house and look for places to move to, to move out of Lynbrook because there’s too much taxes in Lynbrook.” Excitedly showing a picture from his wallet of him as a young man in his military uniform, he said, “That’s me. They’re going to put this in the paper.”
Kardasis will be greatly missed by those who have known him at LHS, and he is wished the best in his retirement by many.
I am the editor-in-chief for Horizon.com and a member of the Class of 2021 at Lynbrook High School. In my free time, I like to swim, run, and play music.
