Success Academy Far Rockaway fourth grader, Dylan Sukh,
testifies at the the Panel for Education Policy’s (PEP) meeting held
in February. Photo courtesy of Success Academy
Older Americans Month 2020: Make Your Mark
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2020 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Success Academy Queens
scholars and parents claimed
victory on May 21, after
months of advocating for
their children’s right to use
public school space.
More than 20 fourth-grade
Success Academy scholars
testified at the Panel for Education
Policy’s (PEP) online
meeting held May 20 before
the panel voted to approve
two temporary middle school
co-locations proposed by the
Department of Education.
“We need to prioritize
students,” said Isaac Carmignani,
a member of PEP.
“These are all our students.”
Success Academy Far
Rockaway Middle School
was approved for a two-year
co-location with M.S. 53 and
Village Academy in Building
Q053, where Success Academy
Far Rockaway is currently
located.
Meanwhile, Success Academy
Hollis Middle School
will open in August in Building
Q238, which houses I.S.
238 Susan B. Anthony Middle
School.
“This is a win for our
Queens kids and families,
but it is also a larger win
for parents’ right to choose
a school that’s best for their
child,” said Eva Moskowitz,
founder and CEO of Success
Academy. “Our families are
public school parents and
they have the right to be educated
in under-utilized public
buildings. It is a simple
matter of social justice.”
Success Academy Queens
parents have been actively
advocating for middle school
space over the past 10 months.
With current fifth- and-sixth
graders from Success Academy
Springfield Gardens and
Success Academy Rosedale
already doubled up in the
one existing Queens middle
school, there was no room for
the 200 expected graduates
for 2020-21.
In September, approximately
4,000 parents, scholars
and teachers gathered in Roy
Wilkins Park in Jamaica for
the ‘Kids Over Politics’ rally.
Collectively, they sent over
2,000 emails to Mayor Bill
de Blasio, met with Queens
elected officials to secure
their support, held press conferences
on the steps of City
Hall, and conducted public
hearings on the co-location
proposals.
In November, Success
Academy parents had rejected
de Blasio’s proposal
of a small, aging Catholic
school deeming it “inadequate
and not comparable to
Department of Education
facilities.”
After PEP’s approval of
the two temporary middle
school co-locations, Giselle
Valiente-Sukh, parent of Dylan
Sukh, a fourth-grader
at Success Academy in Far
Rockaway, said it’s a relief
to know that her son has a
school to attend in August.
“Finally, it really is ‘kids
over politics,’” said Valiente-
Sukh. “I’m grateful to all the
Success Academy parents
who advocated on behalf of
these scholars.”
Sukh, who joined his
mother and advocated for a
school by speaking not only
at the PEP’s meeting, but
also at the February meeting
and two public hearings on
the co-location proposal, expressed
joy.
“I’m happy I will have a
middle school next year. I
didn’t want to leave Success
Academy,” Sukh said.
The two co-locations are
temporary, which means the
city must still provide permanent
space.
While relieved to have a
place for their children next
year, parents vowed to stay
the course until the city fulfilled
its legal obligation to
find permanent space for the
students.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
PEP approves Success Academy
co-locations in Far Rock, Hollis
Each May, we celebrate Older
Americans Month. This year’s
theme of Make Your Mark encourages
older Americans to
make a difference and contribute
to their communities. Here in New
York City, older adults are helping
their communities by showing
incredible strength, resiliency,
and adaptability that is helping
fellow New Yorkers stay strong.
In the last two months, more
than 17,000 older New Yorkers
in our network have participated
in virtual programming, which is
helping older adults stay connected
with each other and providing the
necessary comradery, inclusion and
emotional support they need during
this crisis.
During the early stages of the
pandemic, the City Department for the
Aging (DFTA) began to transition its
in-person services to phone-based and
virtual services that could be accessed
safely at home. Currently, more than
half of DFTA’s network – about 170
senior centers and clubs – are providing
phone-based and virtual programs,
including fitness, cultural, and arts and
crafts classes to help older adults stay
active and engaged.
Many of these programs are being
offered through video conferencing
platforms like Zoom, which prior to
COVID-19, not many of us had used.
Some wondered whether older New
Yorkers could adapt and be able to use
remote, virtual programs. As usual, older
New Yorkers defied expectations. For Iris
Galloza, a member of Neighborhood
Shopp’s Casa Boricua Senior Center in
the Bronx, having to learn Zoom did
not stop her from keeping in touch with
fellow center members. She learned Zoom
and now attends virtual programs offered
by Casa Boricua a few times every week,
which has helped lift her spirits during
the pandemic.
“The people at Casa Boricua are my
family. The first couple of weeks of not
being able to go to the center were hard. I
felt so sad,” Galloza said. “But now
we have classes and activities on
Zoom. Seeing each other has made
a huge difference.”
Earlier this month, Galloza and
other Casa Boricua Senior Center
celebrated Cinco de Mayo virtually
by having a talent showcase,
where they sang and performed
traditional Mexican music.
“I’ve learned a lot of new
technology in the last two
months,” Iris said. “I had never
used Zoom before, but now I use
it all the time.”
To connect even more older
New Yorkers with virtual programs
and services, the City is distributing
10,000 free tablets to older New York
City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
residents. Along with our partner, Older
Adults Technology Services (OATS),
we are providing a step-by-step tablet
manual guide, online courses on email
and internet searches, and a helpline
where tablet recipients can call for
technical support.
We New Yorkers, regardless of age, have
had to learn to adapt to this new digital
normal and connecting remotely. And
as they’ve done before, older Americans
are leading by example. By logging in
virtually, they are staying connected
with each other and helping provide the
emotional support and inclusion needed
to stay strong during this crisis.
Thank you, older New Yorkers, for
continuing to Make Your Mark on our
beloved City.
To learn more about virtual programs
being offered by DFTA, call Aging Connect
at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469).
Older adults from Casa Boricua, a senior center in the Bronx,
during a Cinco de Mayo celebration held on Zoom.
NYC Department for the
Aging Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
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