Education

UPDATE: De Blasio Hails Importance of Science at Groundbreaking of New Bronx High School Science Lab

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the Bronx on Wednesday, July 21, to deliver remarks alongside the City’s Department of Education (DOE) schools chancellor, Meisha Porter, at the groundbreaking of a new lab wing at the Bronx High School of Science in Jerome Park, which will be called the “Stanley Manne ‘52 Science Institute.”  The new lab is understood to be funded by investments from Bronx High School of Science alum, Stanley Manne, with support by a number of other entities.   Speaking at Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, which was also attended by District 11 Councilman Eric Dinowitz, Assemblyman


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Neighborhood Notes on Expanded Funeral Cost Reimbursement, Winding Down of Expanded Unemployment Benefits, Libraries Services Reopen & More

COVID-19 Updates Restrictions  COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted, as 70% of adults have received their first dose of the vaccine. New York State’s health guidance and industry specific guidelines are now optional across commercial and social settings. Effective May 19, New York State has adopted the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for most businesses and public settings. See more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. See New York’s guidance for implementing the new CDC recommendations on https://forward.ny.gov/.   Front Line Healthcare Workers Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that more than 40,000 workers in city-run hospitals and health clinics


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Mayor & Schools Chancellor Announce “Academic Recovery Plan” for NYC Public Schools for 2021/22

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter announced, on July 8, their academic recovery vision for New York City’s public schools and students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the new “Academic Recovery Plan” as a bold, rigorous framework that will guide school communities and support students during the 2021-22 school year and beyond.   According to the New York City Department of Education (DOE), there are six critical areas of focus under the new framework: early literacy for all, developing students as digital citizens, preparing students to be college and career-ready,


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Schumer Hails New Child Tax Credit Plan, Citing Benefits Over a Child’s Lifetime

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Following the passage of the broader American Rescue Plan earlier this year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has heralded the recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion which ensures payments of up to $300 per child will automatically go out to families across New York State, each month. The program took effect on Friday, July 16 and Schumer said the plan will impact over 86 percent of New York children.   “Help is here for families across New York in the form of enhanced Child Tax Credits that puts more money in families’ pockets to recover from COVID, while


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Bronx BP Confirms $35 Million in Capital Funding to Bronx Institutions for Fiscal Year 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced on Wednesday, July 14, that his office is providing more than $35 million to institutions across the borough through his Fiscal Year 2022 capital funding allocations.   According to representatives from the borough president’s office, this year, the borough president will allocate $35,880,000 to 130 total projects. This includes funding for nearly 100 education projects, park upgrades, healthcare technology, improvements to cultural facilities, the creation of over 900 units of new housing, as well as the redesign and redevelopment of Orchard Beach and the design of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.   “Through these funding allocations,


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New Settlement Community Center Receives $150,000 NYS DOL Grant to Help Youth Employment

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New Settlement Community Center and Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner (77th A.D.) announced a $150,000 grant from the New York State Department of Labor on Tuesday, July 14, that will enable the organization’s Young Adult Opportunity Initiative (YAOI) to expand its reach to Bronx youth as they seek employment and educational opportunities.   The awarded funds will create employment and educational opportunities for 160 out-of-school, out-of-work youth aged 17 to 24 years of age in the Southwest Bronx/Mount Eden community, and serve 150 alumni in 2021. Ninety of these youth will be placed directly in permanent jobs and/or internships.   Rigaud Noel,


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Van Cortlandt Library & CollegeWise Host Event on How to Write a Great College Essay

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Van Cortlandt Library is holding an educational event on Wednesday, July 15, at 5 p.m. EST in conjunction with CollegeWise for potential college applicants to learn more about college essays.   A library spokesperson said many great kids write average (or even bad) college essays, essays about “Life Lessons Learned from Soccer” or “How My Trip to Europe Broadened my Cultural Horizons.” The spokesperson said that the CollegeWise workshop will show prospective college applicants what admissions officers are really looking for in a great college essay, and instructors will offer suggestions on finding and sharing applicants’ best stories.   This


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Consecration of African Burial Ground at Van Cortlandt Park on Juneteenth

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES
  In gratitude for the sacrifice of the African Ancestors who built what is now Van Cortlandt Park, the African Burial Ground located within the park, was consecrated during a special, live-streamed Juneteenth ceremony on June 19.   Cultural consultant, Peggy King Jorde, hosted the proceedings. According to newjersey.com, King Jorde has been involved in memorializing and preserving African burial grounds for nearly 30 years, after what started as a one-time project on a Manhattan site during her time working in the design and construction office of former New York City mayor, the late David Dinkins. That work grew into


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Toddlers Raise Money at “Trike-A-Thon” for St. Jude’s

  Over 120 preschoolers from the New York Institute for Special Education recently participated in the school’s annual “Trike-a-Thon,” in efforts to raise needed funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event, held on Thursday, May 13, at Frampton Hall on Astor Avenue in Pelham Gardens, had students from the school’s ‘readiness program’ ride their tricycles through the halls of the school to raise money and awareness for the urgent work that St. Jude’s carries out each year, treating an average of 8,500 children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.   Students aged three to five obeyed speed limits


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