BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 1, 2018 37
School forum in Sunset Park
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Make Space for Quality
Schools in Sunset Park, a
campaign made up of parents
and organizations to demand
greater accountability on the education
front, held a forum at Sunset
Park Library, 5108 Fourth Avenue,
where local education advocates
released the results of an extensive
parent survey on the design and
construction of multiple new area
schools.
Councilmember Carlos Menchaca,
parents, students and local residents
attended the Saturday, February 10
meeting to discuss the community's
desires for these schools.
"There are five new buildings coming
to Sunset Park and some additions
to other schools are coming," said the
group’s co-founder Javier Salamanca.
"Make Space did a survey of over three
different communities in an outreach
— over 400 Sunset Park parents — on
what they would like to see in the
schools so we’re able to have some
community ideas for the new schools.
So we had a conference and a workshop,
and participants in the survey
whom we had interviewed were able
to talk about some of the things they
prioritized and why."
Highlights included enhanced
language programs, an increase in
outdoor space, and less overcrowding.
"The community is largely Latino
and Chinese so some parents said
they were interested in a trilingual
program where children can learn
Chinese, Spanish and English," Salamanca
said. "They thought it’d be an
asset and something that could be
practically used in the community. It
would be a bridge to the communities
that sometimes are separated."
Rooftop gardens and green space for
educational and recreational use are
also important for parents.
"Because there is so much overcrowding
in Sunset Park, not all students
get a chance to be outside, so a
lot of parents look for rooftop gardens
as way to enhance that and give kids
an opportunity to be in nature and
outside within the confines of a school.
That’s something important to the
community," Salamanca said.
A community forum in May of last
year started out the process of community
engagement.
"Menchaca wants to work with city
agencies to maximize the resources
for our community," Salamanca said.
"A lot of parents want an indoor pool
for winter activities and to help battle
obesity. They want a way for the city
to bring these things to this project.
He's supportive of our community and
maintaining what's available."
"Given the disparities in District 15, it
is critical that the new schools are built
with substantive community input so
that the new schools truly address
the educational needs of Sunset Park
children," Menchaca wrote on the 38th
Council District Facebook page. "Make
Space for Schools has conducted over
the last 10 months intensive community
outreach, in-depth interviews and
held informational sessions with hundreds
of parents and students in our
working-class, immigrant community.
The Make Space for Schools Community
Visions Report, highlights the
priorities for five new elementary
school buildings."
To read the report, visit https://
drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz4e-
MYv6efqmZ2lOelVVUHBjaDQ/
view.
Guild honors Rotary for giving back
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Giving back.
On Monday, February 12,
the Guild for Exceptional
Children (GEC) held an event honoring
the Verrazano Rotary Club for its
support in purchasing a special van
to accommodate Guild clients who
have mobility issues.
The event was held at the GEC’s
main building, 260 68th Street, where
the Rotary was given a ceremonial
stone on the organization's Tree of
Life, among other things.
“We honored the Rotary because
they’ve been longtime supporters
of the Guild and specifically most
recently, they read in the Home
Reporter about the fact we had a
GoFundMe campaign for a vehicle,”
said GEC Executive Director and
CEO Paul Cassone. “We needed to buy
vehicles that would be wheelchair
accessible because we have a lot of
people that are mobility challenged
at this point living in our residences
and coming to our day programs.”
According to Cassone, GEC’s fleet
of vehicles had been diminished by
age and theft.
“The Rotary decided they would
help us out,” he said. “From the money
they raised, they donated $20,000
for the vehicles. In addition to that,
Carl Campagna donated an additional
$5,000." In addition, said Cassone,
Assemblymember Felix Ortiz allocated
$50,000, and the organization
raised another $8,000 though its Go-
FundMe page. Altogether, the group
raised enough money to purchase
two vehicles fitted for wheelchair
accessibility.
The event was multi-faceted, said
Cassone, who told this paper that
the Rotary members "were greeted
by program participants who talked
about importance of the vehicles and
the community support.
“Without a vehicle like this, their
lives were somewhat limited because
a lot of them can’t access public
transportation because a lot of it is
not accessible," he went on. "Having
these vehicles enlarges the scope of
their lives.”
There was also entertainment,
with a song sung by a Guild client
specially tailored to thank the Rotary
members, Cassone said. Finally,
the stone dedicated to the Rotary
in the Tree of Life was unveiled, in
honor of their generosity.
“It’s very humbling,” Cassone said.
“They come from all walks of life.
They’re hard workers, knowledgeable
people and they choose to help
raise money and support organizations.
They actually do something
when people need help.”
Photo courtesy of Make Space for Quality Schools
Make Space for Quality Schools held a forum to discuss recommendations
for improvements.
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Arthur de Gaeta
Verrazano Rotary members presented a check to the Guild.