STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Docs cut ribbon on cancer center
SUNSET PARK
Hip, hip, hooray for the doctors, patients,
and prostate cancer survivors
who offi cially opened the Maimonides
Prostate Center on March 26.
The new center — at the Maimonides
Cancer Center, on Eighth Avenue
at 63rd Street in Sunset Park — is
Kings County’s only full-service prostate
center, according to information
from hospital reps, who added that
the medical center offers men suffering
from the cancer and related conditions
the most advanced and personalized
treatment options available. The
center will host all of the prostate-related
treatments the hospital offers,
including high intensity-focused ultrasounds,
clinical trials, and support
groups and services, reps said.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony,
Maimonides President and Chief Executive
Offi cer Kenneth D. Gibbs, Senior
Vice President of Operations and
Clinical Programs Declan Doyle, and
Chief of Urology and Center Director
Dr. David Silver made remarks about
the importance of the center and the
work doctors will be able to do in it.
One six-year survivor who attended
the event said that the more people
knew about the center and its offerings,
the more it would help people.
“The more exposure that they have,
people can see what’s going on and
what’s available for them,” said Ernest
Johnson, who lives in East New
York.
— Julianne McShane
PARK SLOPE
Budding green thumbs
Faculty and students at a Park
Slope Catholic school cut the ribbon
on a new, hydroponic greenhouse on
March 25.
The high-tech classroom for budding
green thumbs was dedicated to a
beloved former teacher at St. Saviour
High School credited with pioneering
the academy’s environmental science
program, and the retired instructor
couldn’t have been more pleased to accept
the honor.
“After 31 years of teaching at St.
Saviour and running beach clean-ups
and other environmental community
service projects, I am extremely honored
to be a part of this special day
with my St. Saviour family,” said Roberta
Willard.
COURIER L 38 IFE, APRIL 12–18, 2019 M BR B G
The new classrooms utilizes hydroponics
farming technology to teach
kids about the future of food, and has
already been used to grow crops — including
cucumbers, peppers, eggplant,
tomatoes, lettuce, mint, rosemary and
nasturtium, an edible fl ower, according
to the school’s principal.
“This is an exciting time for St. Saviour
High School. Our students have
been able to learn about plant-based
sustainable agriculture and the impact
it will have on the future,” said
Dr. Paula McKeown.
The hydroponic classroom was
constructed in partnership with New
York Sun Works, a non-for-profi t
that uses hydroponic farming tech
MANHATTAN BEACH
Three cheers for CUNY Kingsborough
Community College,
which was honored as one of the top
community colleges in the nation by
a nonprofi t think tank on April 2.
The Aspen Institute recognized
the school as one of 10 fi nalists for
its 2019 prize for Community College
Excellence for the school’s innovative
support of students inside
and out of the classroom, according
to a rep with the organization.
“Kingsborough Community College
is a national pioneer in supporting
students with intensive academic
and nonacademic support,”
said Joshua Wyner. “As a result,
it has improved graduation rates in
recent years, serving as a model for
other community colleges in New
York and beyond.”
The $1 million award is given every
other year to schools that show
outstanding achievement in student
success from an original pool
of more than 1,000 community colleges
around the country, according
to the institute.
Kingsborough’s president said
the recognition served as a reminder
of the school’s commitment
to student success and future wellbeing.
“This is a testament to our outstanding
faculty, staff, and students,”
said Dr. Claudia Schrader.
“Our daily mission is to ensure the
success of the students we serve and
be their bridge to a bright future. Being
recognized in this way reminds
us that we are fulfi lling our mission
every day.”
Standing O salutes CUNY Kingsborough
Community College on its
outstanding achievement!
— Aidan Graham
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
Meet the chairman
Three cheers to Chris Coffey,
the newly-elected chairman of
the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy,
who won the endorsement
for the new role on April 2,
according to the organization.
Coffey previously served as
vice chair for the last two years
and succeeds Mark Baker, who
has chaired the board since 2016,
and who said that his successor
will grow the group’s work.
“Chris Coffey’s enthusiasm
and vision will lead the Conservancy
into the future,” Baker
said. “His expertise, candor, and
wisdom will guide the organization
through its next exciting
phase, expanding and enhancing
our programmatic work in
Brooklyn Bridge Park.”
He leads the New York offi ces
for Tusk Ventures and Tusk
Strategies and has run several
political, legislative, and media
campaigns, such as Corey
Johnson’s 2017 run for Council
Speaker.
He also worked for the former
Bloomberg mayoral administration
for 12 years at City Hall before
joining Tusk.
The Cobble Hill resident
joined the conservancy in 2013
and served as the organization’s
vice chair and as chair of its development
committee.
The leader of Brooklyn Bridge
Park voiced his support for Coffey,
saying that he would help
bring good programming to the
waterfront park.
“Chris will bring strong leadership,
innovation, and a community
driven perspective,” said
president Eric Landau. “All of
us at the park are excited to continue
to work with Chris and the
conservancy as they advance the
Conservancy’s mission to provide
world-class programming in
this world-class park.”
— Kevin Duggan
to teach kids about the science of sustainability,
and is the fi rst hydroponic
equipped greenhouse at a school
within the Brooklyn Diocese.
— Colin Mixson
A PRESIDENT OF KINGS: Kingsborough President Dr. Claudia Schrader, center, celebrates
the college’s win with Aspen Prize co-chairs Kathy Warden, left, and Ángel
Cabrera. The Aspen Institute
Prestigious prize for Kingsborough
Photo by Steve Solomonson