Schools

U-Heights Church Wins Latest Legal Battle With DOE

This time, the Bronx Household of Faith prevailed. In the latest round of a drawn-out legal fight between the University Heights-based church and the city’s Department of Education, a judge ruled that Bronx Household of Faith — and some 60 other churches and religious groups citywide — can continue worshiping inside public school buildings during off hours.

Bronx Youth Heard: Kingsbridge Armory Rink Iced by Teens

Basketball courts. A shopping center. A gym. While there have been many proposals over the past 20 years for ways to make use of the vacant Kingsbridge Armory, the one concept that seems to be sticking is also the one that is most foreign to Bronx residents: a hockey rink. But Bronx youth aren’t too excited about the possibility.

Bronx Notes: Tuition Free Services and Training

SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling and Outreach Center offers daily tuition free services including career counseling, college, financial aid and resume and cover letter assistance, as well as job readiness training at 2901 White Plains Rd. Computer literacy and GED programs are available during the day and evening. Seats are limited. For more information, call (718) 547-1001.

Bronx Youth Heard: Youth Feel the Effects of Teen Violence

The night before Halloween in 2005, Joseph Padro was preparing for a party at his grandmother’s house in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. He knew something was wrong when his grandmother sat him down on the couch and told him the news: his father had been fatally shot. Joseph is one of the many teens who have lost a loved one in the Bronx due to gun violence.

Bronx Youth Heard: City Teens Struggle to Find Summer Jobs

Ivette Guirachocha, a 16-year-old at DeWitt Clinton High School, has been working for the past few months at a store selling uniforms for private and Catholic schools. She is the youngest in her family and along with her five siblings, she works to help her mom pay the bills. Despite being a teenager in high school, Ivette likes working because it gives her a chance to be independent.

Be Healthy: Bronx Pols Pass Smoking Ban

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Gustavo Rivera, both local legislators, passed legislation banning smoking within 100 feet of school entrances and exits, the latest government effort to combat secondhand smoke.

Mayor Celebrates HS Grad Rates; Bronx Rates Drop

These are the four-year graduation for schools in the northwest Bronx over the past seven years. The rate of students who graduated by August 2011 (four years, plus a summer) are also included. (Source: NYC Department of Education)
This June, the Department of Education and the mayor proudly announced that New York City’s high school graduation rates have broken records and increased for the tenth year in a row to 65.5 percent. The Bronx separately trails behind each of the other four boroughs with a rate of 57.5 percent.