STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
PAL honors Brooklyn-born vice admiral
BOROUGH WIDE
Standing O salutes Vice Admiral
David Kriete, a Brooklyn native and
former Police Athletic League student,
who was honored by the organization
at its Duncan Center in Manhattan
on May 14.
Vice Adm. Kriete, who grew up in
Sunset Park and now serves as deputy
commander of United States Strategic
Command, took a tour of the center and
spoke with kids, answering questions
about his experiences.
Following remarks by chairman
Robert M. Morgenthau — a U.S. Navy
veteran, and former Lt. Commander
and Executive Offi cer in World War II —
the league presented
Vice Adm. Kriete
with an honorary
plaque.
The Vice Admiral
was honored by
the gesture.
“It is great to be
back in New York,
and I was honored
to be with Mr. Morgenthau.
I was impressed by the young
people and their thoughtful questions,
and appreciative of the great work being
done by the center staff. The visit back to
PAL was a highlight for me,” he said.
The visit was part of an executive outreach
trip by Kriete, who participated in
engagements in Brooklyn and Manhattan,
including a visit to his alma mater,
Brooklyn Technical High School, as
well as NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Veterans Future Lab, the VA
Center, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and
Navy Junior Reserve Offi cer Training
Corps units.
Growing up, Kriete attended PS 94,
The Henry Longfellow Elementary
School, IS 220, and Brooklyn Technical.
He played baseball for many years
with the Police Athletic League (68th
and 72nd Precincts), the American Legion
Liberty Post, and the Bay Parkway
League. Both of his parents were
born and raised in Brooklyn. His father
worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during
World War II when he was too young
for military service. Later, his father
served in the Army in Korea.
SUNSET PARK
They’re the tops
Three cheers for Maimonides
Medical Center, which was recently
ranked No. 1 for outstanding patient
outcomes in angioplasty and stents in
emergency cases in a New York State
Department of Health report.
The report is good news for Brooklynites,
says the hospital’s president.
“This marks the ninth year in a row
that our interventional cardiologists
have set the bar at the highest level,”
announced Maimonides President and
CEO Kenneth Gibbs. “The families of
Brooklyn have what are literally the
best cardiac experts in the state right
here at Maimonides.”
The New York State report shows
mortality rates for angioplasty in
three categories: emergency cases,
non-emergency cases, and all cases.
Maimonides is the only hospital in the
state to achieve signifi cantly low rates
in all three categories for the threeyear
period reported, and achieved the
lowest mortality rate in the state for
COURIER L 34 IFE, JUNE 7–13, 2019 PS
emergency cases.
And the fi ndings confi rm what most
boroughites already know, says a Maimonides
top doc.
“The state report confi rms what
most Brooklyn residents already know:
in a cardiac emergency, no hospital
does angioplasty better than Maimonides,”
said Dr. Robert Frankel, director
of Interventional Cardiology.
“We attribute our extraordinary outcomes
to our team approach — we work
together every day, challenging ourselves
and each other, to provide the
very best care.”
MILL BASIN
Three cheers for Logan Passe, a
9-year-old Mill Basin boy who was
honored by the Challenged Athletes
Foundation on May 30!
Logan was born with congenital
tibial hemimelia, forcing doctors to
amputate both of his legs when he
was just 22 months old. Never one
to let his physical limitations stop
him, Logan was fi tted with prosthetic
legs, allowing him to compete
in swimming, surfi ng, and wheelchair
racing competitions.
“I like racing, because I like to go
fast,” he said.
After his amputation, Logan’s father,
Ken, was determined to keep
his son active, bringing him to surf
lessons and swim meets in Long
Beach.
“He started swimming when
he was fi ve, and he never wants to
get out of the water,” said the elder
Passe.
Logan now hopes to hit the court
to compete in wheelchair basketball,
said his father.
“Just this Sunday, we tried it out,
and honestly I am so amazed how
he was able to pick it up so quickly,”
said Ken Passe.
Throughout his young life, Logan
has been supported by the
Challenged Athletes Foundation, a
nonprofi t which helps people with
physical challenges lead active and
healthy lives.
“They’ve been great,” said Ken
Passe. “They’ve opened doors because
of the network of other families
that are apart of the organization.
We’ve been able to connect
Logan with other kids and meet
other parents like us.”
The foundation held its 13th annual
“Heroes, Heart and Hope”
Gala on May 30, highlighting Logan’s
story to raise attention and
funds for children just like him.
Standing O salutes Logan on the
honor, and the Challenged Athletes
Foundation for its work on behalf of
people with physical limitations!
— Aidan Graham
PARK SLOPE
A great fellow
Three cheers for Park Slope
middle school teacher Lynn
Shon, who netted a $20,000 prize
from a city-based fellowship for
exceptional service to not only to
her school and students, but to the
teaching profession in general.
“She’s just a spectacular
teacher,” said John Ewing,
president of Math for America,
which presented Shon with the
award. “She’s really reached out
in a profound way to other teachers.”
Shon, a science teacher at MS
88, earned the lucrative prize for
excellence as a fellow with Math
for America, an non-profi t organization
that offers public school
teachers in New York City $15k
grants and access to evening
workshops that give instructors
the opportunity to learn and
share teaching skills.
Amid the seventh-grade science
instructor’s numerous and
admirable obligations — including
serving as a TeachStrong
ambassador, a Department of
Education model teacher, and a
Billion Oyster Project teacher
fellow — Shon worked with numerous
community organizations
to develop STEM curricula
for projects that promoted climate
literacy and environmental activism,
in addition to co-authoring a
plan to integrate School District
15, which includes Park Slope,
Sunset Park, and Gowanus.
“As teachers we have the
collective responsibility and
agency to strengthen our communities
and democracy; that is
why STEM education matters,”
said Shon. “I am so humbled to
receive the MƒA Muller Award
because it is communities like
MƒA that have enabled me to
align my pedagogy, curricula,
leadership, and activism with
my values. — Colin Mixson
HONORED: Nine-year-old Logan Passe, who lost both legs, was honored by the Challenged
Athletes Foundation on May 30. Challenged Athletes Foundation
Foundation honors kid amputee
LoveHaightPhoto
Math for America