BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP MAY 11 - MAY 17, 2018 45
Presidents’ Day essay contest
winners saluted with pizza
Youngsters whose Presidents’
Day essays put them at the
head of the class were feted by
Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis,
who held a pizza party at her Bay Ridge
office on April 26 for the winners of
her elementary school Presidents’ Day
Essay Contest.
In late February, Malliotakis asked
local third, fourth and fifth graders
to write about what they would do to
improve their community if they were
president. Malliotakis’ office received
over 200 submissions from students
all over Brooklyn and Staten Island,
earning each child a certificate of
merit from the State Assembly and
a letter of recognition from Malliotakis
herself.
Six Brooklyn students were invited
to join yesterday’s pizza party in
celebration of the superb ideas presented
in their essays. The winners
included: Ali Chugtai (fourth grader
at P.S. 102); Andrew Guzman (fifth
grader at Big Apple Academy); Laibah
Imran (fifth grader at P.S. 209);
Aveney Kandiah (fifth grader at P.S.
209); Gianna Lupo (fourth grader at
P.S. 312); and Chryssa Vavas (fourth
grader at Holy Cross).
The students showed their concern
for the planet and its inhabitants.
“If I were president I would ask
people in all communities to get to
know their neighbors. Sometimes we
are afraid of people who don’t look
or talk like us but if we got to know
them we would see what we have in
common and that scariness would go
away,” wrote Lupo, while Chughtai
stressed children’s needs, explaining,
“I would further enhance programs
like Heartshare, which is dedicated
to helping students. With these kinds
of programs in our community, kids
can express themselves and have fun
while doing it. Also, they can communicate
and socialize with other
students, which teaches them about
being social and making friends.”
Vavas wrote about a pressing safety
issue in the neighborhood, explaining,
“Many stop signs are blocked by overgrown
trees. While it is dark it is an
even bigger problem. This is the cause
of most car accidents in my area. I
would like to illuminate the stop signs,
and trim overgrown trees.”
Kandiah focused on the environment,
writing, “Global warming is
harming the arctic and the desert.
To stop this from happening I would
not allow anybody to burn fossil fuels
near these areas. Plants take in carbon
dioxide, so I would plant more trees
where there is a lot of carbon dioxide
like near factories and highways.”
Imran also mentioned the environment,
writing, “You could make
posters that promote recycling and
hang them in community parks. In this
way more people will be aware of how
important recycling is.”
Animal welfare was on Guzman’s
mind. He wrote, “As a United States
President I will implement laws that
will punish people who intentionally
harm or mistreat or abandon their pet.
I will create organizations that train
people who want to become pet owners
so that they know how to treat and
care for their animals and understand
what pet owning entails.”
Malliotakis was more than pleased
with the results of her contest. “I
was delighted to read some of the
wonderful ideas in these essays. The
students were very much aware of the
real issues affecting our community
and expressed a particular concern
for littering, bullying and drugs,” she
remarked.
“It certainly wasn’t easy selecting
our finalists, but I am very glad to have
given our participants the opportunity
to think critically about civics and I
hope this exercise further encourages
them to help others,” said Malliotakis.
The pizza was provided by Leo’s
Casa Calamari on Third Avenue.
Apple Bank opens its branch doors
to welcome City Harvest’s annual
“feed Our Kids” food drive
Starting on Mother’s Day, May
13, local residents can bring
kid-friendly, non-perishable
food items to Apple Bank for Savings
branches as part of City Harvest’s
annual “Feed Our Kids” food drive,
which runs through Father’s Day,
June 17.
In all, 52 Apple Bank branches in
Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx,
Queens and Staten Island will be
accepting donations that will provide
much needed sustenance for
New York City’s children over the
summer.
In 2017, City Harvest’s Feed Our
Kids food drive collected over 260,000
pounds of food, which was enough to
help feed nearly 1,000 New York City
families for an entire summer. City
Harvest’s Feed Our Kids food drive
was first launched in 2000 and includes
hundreds of collection points across all
five boroughs of New York City.
Ruth Lindner, City Harvest’s manager
of food sourcing, said, “Right
now, nearly 1.3 million New Yorkers
don’t always know where their next
meal is coming from – and many of
those most vulnerable to hunger are
children. On any given day, one out
of five children go to school hungry.
Through the Feed Our Kids food
drive, City Harvest’s goal is to make
sure every child in our city has the
nutrition they need to thrive.”
James Matera, executive vice
president and head of Apple Bank’s
Consumer Banking Division, said,
“For the fourth straight year, Apple
Bank is pleased to partner with City
Harvest in opening our doors to this
vital program that serves the needs
of so many New Yorkers.
“The Feed Our Kids food drive provides
critical food and nutrition to
many families throughout New York
City and enables our employees to be
part of that special bond that brings
New Yorkers together to support this
great cause,” he added.
Visit www.applebank.com to find
the New York City branch location
nearest you.
Photos courtesy of Assemblymember Nicole
Malliotakis
Assemblymember Nicole
Malliotakis with her essay
contest winners.