Tax Preparation Day
FREE for eligible residents of the Bronx*
You must bring with you:
• Photo IDs
• Social Security Cards or ITIN for everyone named on
the Tax Return
• W-2 and/or 1099 Statements for all jobs held in 2018
• If claiming child care expenses, bring documentation
and care provider Tax ID Number
• Last year’s Income Tax Return and any other relevant
tax information
• Form 1095A (if applicable)
• Bank account information for direct deposit (account
and routing numbers)
Saturday, March 9th
10:00 am - 4:00pm
Community Board 12
4101 White Plains Road
Bronx, NY 10466
Space is limited
Call 917-509-4609 or email
vkancler@ridgewoodbank.com
to reserve your seat
www.ridgewoodbank.com
*You are eligible for a FREE 2018 tax preparation if you are single with no
dependents and earn less than $30,000, or you file with dependents and earn
less than $55,000. Tax preparation services are provided by Ariva, a non-profit
organization. Ridgewood Savings Bank makes no representation regarding
and is not responsible in any way, for the Ariva tax preparation services. 2018
Federal & NYS Tax Returns prepared by an IRS Certified VITA Volunteer
Preparer. Member FDIC
BRONX TIMES R 6 EPORTER, MARCH 1-7, 2019 BTR
Melissa (front, r) celebrates being named a fi nalist with the PS 48 band with trumpet in
hand. Courtesy of Melissa Salguero
Melissa Salguero
named fi nalist for $1
million teacher prize
BY ALEX MITCHELL
She’s defi nitely the borough’s foremost
musical educator, but now Melissa
Salguero is gaining a worldwide
reputation.
The maestro of P.S. 48 at 1290 Spofford
Avenue in Hunts Point has been
nominated for the ‘Varkey Foundation’s
Global Teacher Prize’ and its
rather impressive $1 million grant.
The Global Teacher Prize is one of
the most prestigious education awards
presented in the world.
Salguero and nine other fi nalists
have been selected from over 10,000
nominations and applications from 179
countries around the world, to put it in
perspective.
She’s also the only American to be
a 2019 fi nalist and also the fi rst music
educator to do so as well.
Salguero will be traveling to Dubai,
UAE from St. Patrick’s Day to at least
Sunday, March 24 to learn who will
win the million-dollar grant.
Her approach to education through
music is an unorthodox, yet very well
received one by her ensemble of students.
From turning carrots into wind instruments
(one of her personal favorite
approaches), to confi guring things
like Xbox controllers and bananas
into electronic keyboards, and most
lately concocting a drum that makes
pepper fl akes vibrate are just some
examples of how she allows creativity
to shine through her teaching methods,
making sound waves become tangible.
She was even honored at the 2018
Grammy Awards as Music Educator of
the Year and appeared on Ellen in 2014,
although Salguero speculated that the
ceremony in Dubai could rival her trip
to the Grammys.
When Salguero handled the lengthy
application for the Global Teacher
Prize, it made her refl ect on a lengthy
and illustrious career in music education.
The Bronx portion of her journey
began just under a decade ago, P.S. 48
was much more quiet then and Salguero
was walking door to door with
resumes in hand, commuting from
Bridgeport, CT.
After landing a job in the instrument
less Hunts Point school, Salguero
essentially built the music program
from the ground up.
“Before we had instruments I knew
I had to build trust with the kids,” said
Salguero.
“It started with me playing Don’t
Stop Believing on my guitar during
the fi rst day and then the kids just took
over,” she added.
Journey-forward to 2019 and that
school has one of the most renowned
music programs in the city, let alone
the Bronx.
“My students come in an hour before
school for band now,” Salguero
said, noting that the school battled
with attendance issues but since the
music program took off those numbers
have improved greatly.
During her own adolescent period
Salguero struggled with academic
subjects as she battled with dyslexia.
When she joined her own high school
band it gave Salguero a bold sense of
accomplishment she hadn’t felt before.
“Music has saved my life,” she
said.
Since Salguero’s ambition to teach
has put her in the national spotlight a
multitude of times, it opened her eyes
to the opportunities that could come.
“The vision gets broader and
broader,” she said.
More than reaching out and touching
the lives of students, what Salguero
aims to do now is touch the lives
of music educators, which will inadvertently
end up reaching more students
as well.
“Every school should have music,”
Salguero said.
To watch actor Hugh Jackman
name Melissa Salguero as a fi nalist
for the Global Teacher Prize, click
here: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=5fFgO8kkkno&t=6s
/www.ridgewoodbank.com
/www.ridgewoodbank.com
/
link
/
link