Category Archives: Education
“When I see numbers, my brain gets a rush.” That is how 17-year-old Christ the King senior, Michael Arguelles explains his fascination with numbers. The same fascination that led him to a victory in the Pi Memorization Contest sponsored by his school. Pi is most easily understood as the mathematical constant that represents the ratio between the circumference and the diameter of a circle. But in the complex world of mathematics it has a far more important property – it … Continue reading
After spending months preparing a film documenting the long and rich history of Woodhaven – including interviewing everyone from the owners of the one of the oldest bars in the country, the 180-year-old Neir’s Tavern, to area civic leaders – St. Thomas the Apostle students are about to make their red-carpet debut. Made by students in seventh and eighth grades at St. Thomas, the film, “Woodhaven: Diverse Backgrounds United in One History,” will premier on Monday, June 10 at 6 … Continue reading
A little over 4 years after he proposed an Ozone Park site as the potential location for a new primary school, Councilman Eric Ulrich was joined by School Construction Authority (SCA) President Lorraine Grillo and representatives from the DOE and other local elected officials for the official ground breaking of PS 316 on Tuesday morning. In delivering the opening remarks, Grillo focused on the primary goal of her agency: building schools wherever the opportunity to do so arose and … Continue reading
Putting on hit shows is nothing new at St. Mary Gate of Heaven—they’ve been doing it for the past 100 years. And this year was no exception. The cast of “The Little Mermaid” thrilled audiences over the Mothers Day weekend after having been in rehearsal since January. Produced Frank Gulluscio has been behind the shows for the last 25 years. “This is no “little spring show,” said Gulluscio. “It’s a production on a professional level offered by a local elementary … Continue reading
The Interfaith Council of Southwest Queens held its presentation for the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Essay Contest this weekend eighteen 7th and 8th grade students received awards for their essays. This year’s theme was “Hurricane Sandy: Response to a Crisis.” Below are excerpts from the first place essays from the 6 participating schools: Stephen Jagassar Grade 8, America’s School of Heroes, MS 137Q “This experience taught us all a few things. We must be prepared for any situation, so that we know how to react and how to stay safe.” … Continue reading
Middle Village Prep (MVP) conducted its first lottery for its inauguration class on Tuesday, April 16, 2012. MVP is a charter middle school serving grades 6 through 8, whose goal is to provide a small-school experience in a nurturing environment. “We are excited to welcome MVP’s first 120 students,” said MVP Principal Rivera. “MVP will give District 24 students the opportunity for a vigorous academic schedule in a small classroom environment, which will prepare them for academic success in a … Continue reading
Starting on February 21, The Forum ran an article in response to having heard the story of Macalister Davison; a one-year-old identical twin, suffering from a deadly pediatric cancer, neruoblastoma. He was quickly renamed Little Mac by the newspaper staff– the story was heartbreaking, the prognosis grim. We ran the piece to ask people to help the family—in addition to bearing the devastating blow of dealing of the illness, they were overwhelmed by ever mounting financial obligations. Right after the … Continue reading
Queens public school teacher Daniel Reilly is facing rape, child endangerment and sexual abuse charges for allegedly carrying on an eight month sexual encounter with a 14-year-old student. The affair between the 6th grade English teacher, who is an ex-Marine and the married father of an 11-month-old baby girl and his former student, was revealed after her sister discovered sexually explicit text messages from Reilly on the students cellphone. When the message content became known to the rest of the … Continue reading
For one Queens teacher there was no Academy Award but to everyone who knows her, Maureen Span is definitely a winner. For most of us, the Academy Awards are something we only dream about being involved in—a dream less than 99.9% of people ever realize. But for first grade teacher Maureen Span of P.S. 100 in Ozone Park, the reality of that dream was ironically brought on by a nightmare of the worst proportion. In July of 2011, Span was … Continue reading
The true spirit of celebration for education in general and the entire Maspeth community was felt by everyone in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony which marked the official opening of the new Maspeth High School on Monday morning. Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott was at the center of the action, holding a giant set of shears to cut the ceremonial ribbon. He was joined by elected officials including Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Council member Elizabeth Crowley and Diana Reyena, … Continue reading
January 30, 2013 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing this letter in response to an article written by Pat Adams that was the cover story of the Forum Newspaper on January 24, 2013. The article was about the safety of PS/MS 146 in Howard Beach. Let me be very clear by stating that I am very upset and angered by this article, and I feel that Pat Adams is targeting PS/MS 146 for no reason other than to … Continue reading
This week The Forum offers congratulations to the winner of The Forum’s 2013 Catholic Schools Week Essay Contest. Anthony Bak is a 6th Grader at St. Helen’s School where he has been in attendance since he was 3 years old. Anthony loves basketball and has been playing St. Helen CYO basketball for the past six years. He also enjoys playing the trumpet in the school’s band. Among Anthony’s other interests are a love of nature and sports like skiing … Continue reading
As much of the nation continues to wrestle with various ways to safeguard school children—considering options from armed teachers to armed guards— the issue of school safety is back in the spotlight in Queens this week as members of the community responded to a story in last week’s Forum. The story uncovered potential safety risks at MS 146 in Howard Beach where the school’s main doors were ordered reopened by the City’s Department of Education (DoE), after the principal … Continue reading
Ever since the horrific school shootings last month at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, that took 26 lives—20 children and six adults— the subject of school safety has been thrust into the national spotlight. A shock wave of attention followed, including considerations to post armed guards at every school, along with a host of other proposals,all leading to the same take home message—keep kids safe and totally secure their school buildings. But in regard to school safety at … Continue reading
A Far Rockaway mother, whose seven-year-old son allegedly brought a .22 caliber handgun to school yesterday, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child and, following the execution of a search warrant at her residence, unlawful possession of marijuana, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. The defendant, Deborah Farley, 53, of 21-18 Cornaga Avenue in the Far Rockaway section of Queens is presently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court … Continue reading