Brooklyn kids perform on Broadway
CLINTON HILL
They were in the room
where it happens!
Three Clinton Hill high
schoolers performed on the
famed stage of “Hamilton”
on June 5, before an
audience of fellow students
from 23 schools from New
York, New Jersey, and Connecticut,
and blowing them
all away.
The three young thespians
from the Brooklyn
Community Arts and
Media High School wrote
their way onto the stage of
the Richard Rogers Theater
on Broadway. Makhi
Clemons, Rafael De La
Cruz, and Nevaeh Nieves,
found out a few weeks ago
that they had been chosen
for the musical convention,
and they worked nonstop
to create a touching
musical tribute to African
American revolutionaries,
performed to the music of
the “Hamilton” song “The
Story of Tonight.”
“We decided to write
a song about the African
Americans who fought in
the Revolutionary War, because
we don’t really hear
much about them, and
their contributions,” said
Clemons. “So, we decided
to dedicate a song to their
stories.”
It was a long process researching
the stories and
putting them to music, said
one of the performers.
“We were very shocked
and ecstatic when we heard
about it. We had a whole
host of emotions,” said De
La Cruz. “We read stories,
and then we put them together
one by one. And we
focused on how they affected
this community.”
Teenage ensembles
from a dozen other high
schools also took their shot
at “Hamilton” inspired musical
numbers at the event,
which was organized by
the Gilder Lehrman Institute
of American History,
an educational group
that has teamed up with
the beloved Broadway musical.
After the student performances,
members of
the “Hamilton” cast took
questions from the young,
scrappy, and hungry audience.
“The number one thing
is that you have to believe
in yourself,” said Terrence
Spencer, who plays duelist
George Eacker in the show.
“You have to know that
you can get here, no matter
what show you want to
be in. Study and learn everything
that you can, and
fully believe in yourself.”
One cast member offered
her personal story of
self-doubt, urging the students
not to throw away
their shots.
COURIER L 48 IFE, JUNE 14–20, 2019 M BR B G
“Still to this day, I can
doubt myself, but I’m just
going to continue to do
what I love and devote my
life to that, and no matter
what I will be happy doing
it, whether I make it or
not,” said Christina Glur.
— Aidan Graham
DOWNTOWN
They really care!
Three cheers to Downtown kids
store Cookie’s, which gifted blankets to
babies delivered at The Brooklyn Hospital
Center on June 10.
The longtime Fulton Street department
store did the good deed as part of
its partnership with the DeKalb Avenue
healthcare facility, that will swaddle the
young ‘uns before they become the shop’s
next generation of patrons, according to
its namesake chief.
“Since opening more than 40 years
ago, Cookie’s has delivered top value to
the kids and families who make our city
so great,” said the department store’s
president Cookie Falack in a written
statement. “TBHC shares the same
commitment to the health of these families,
which is why we couldn’t be happier
about this partnership.”
The hospital has 10 labor and delivery
suites, and delivers more than 2,500 babies
every year, according to a statement
by the care center.
A hospital honcho praised their neighbor
for providing a destination for Kings
County families for generations.
“Cookie’s remains our neighbor and
friend with both the store and the hospital
dedicated to the health and well-being
of Brooklyn families,” hospital President
Gary Terrinoni said in a written statement.
“Cookie’s has been a legendary
one-stop shopping destination for more
than 40 years and we are grateful for
their generosity.”
— Kevin Duggan
SUNSET PARK
A Sunset Park hospital celebrated
the grand opening of a high-tech
cancer center on June 10, which
will serve Brooklyn as a one-stop
treatment hub featuring the latest
in cutting-edge medical tech, according
to one executive.
“The facility has everything
onsite,” said
Mike Zeller,
senior administrative
director of
NYU Langone
Hosital’s
new
t reatment
center.
The new
f a c i l i t y,
called the
Perlmut -
ter Cancer
Center,
gives Langone
doctors
the ability to provide Brooklyn
cancer patients with a comprehensive
variety of treatment options,
and all under one roof, according
to Zeller.
Previously, patients undergoing
radiation therapy at the Second
Avenue medical center were
forced to then travel to Bay Ridge,
or other hospitals outside the borough
to seek chemotherapy, outpatient
oncology, and other forms of
treatment.
In addition to a suite of four exam
rooms, and 21 infusion chairs, the
cancer center is equipped with
a small arsenal of top-of-the-line
medical tools, including the latest
model of Varian linear accelerator,
essentially a high-accuracy radiation
gun, which ensures your tumors
get melted — and the rest of
you doesn’t, Zeller said.
“The challenge with radiation
therapy is controlling the amount
of radiation exposure, these new
machines are precise in targeting
the tumor and not harming the
surrounding organs and tissues,”
Zeller said.
Other patient amenities include
a pharmacy and social workers,
along with health and recovery
counselors. — Chandler Kidd
COVERED: Nurse manager of OB/GYN Sheila Cox and senior director of Nursing for maternal child
health Sonia Alleyne took the gifted blankets from Cookie Falack, president of his namesake Downtown
department store on June 10. The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Downtown kids department store
gifts blankets to Brooklyn moms
NEXT IN LINE: Assembly
Member Felix
Ortiz shows off the
new radiation laser
at NYU Langone cancer
treatment center.
STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
TOP OF THE LINE: Dr. Alec Kimmelman
shows off a radiation gun at NYU
Langone Cancer treatment center.
Photo by Trey Pentecost