FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com june 12, 2014 • The Queens Courier 3 In this CITI...FIRST MED is the PREMIERE Urgent Care in Queens and FIRST CHOICE in Urgent Care since 1983 Photo by Jaime Burger Danielle Burger knitted a sweater for her mom’s dog, Lilly FIRST+MED – BAYSIDE Winner 2013 Best Urgent Care 191-20 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11358 FIRST+MED FIRST+MED – GLENDALE 82-17 Woodhaven Blvd. 2013 THE QUEENS st Glendale, NY 11385 of 718-224-8855 718-805-9581 the Mon.-Fri.: 8am-9pm Mon.-Fri.: 9am-7pm MEMBER URGENT CARE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA Sat. & Sun.: 8am-7pm Sat. & Sun.: 9am-3pm QueensCourier.com Place IMMEDIATE MEDICAL CARE First Med Doctors are Certified Examiners for DOT Physicals Flushing school kicks bullying via martial arts BY CHRIS BUMBACA As schools nationwide implement anti-bullying tactics, the Veritas Academy in Flushing is combating bullying in an innovative and unique way. While most schools lecture their students about bullying, the Veritas Academy has started a new way to repel bullying in school: taekwondo. A moving-up ceremony was held the afternoon of June 9 in the school’s auditorium for students who participated in a Korean elective class, in which taekwondo was held three times a week after school as a supplement to the class. Most students graduated from a yellow belt to an orange belt, while a handful ascended from a white belt to a yellow belt. The class emphasized Korean heritage and tradition, and as much as the presentation was part of the antibullying campaign, it was also a celebration of Korean culture. The ceremony included a showcase of an early childhood bullyingprevention performing arts program performed by the Korean Traditional Dance and Music Team. The musicians and dancers taught kids about the signs of bullying through an engaging performance filled with music and emotion. The dance, integrated with taekwondo moves, told a story about a girl being bullied by her peers and how she was able to overcome the obstacle through self-fortitude and the help of others. “If students are educated and feel good about themselves and have self-esteem they won’t feel the need to bully,” founding principal Cheryl Quatrano said. “They’ll know what to do about it and help other students that are being bullied.” Aside from the self-defense aspect of taekwondo, there is a large mental facet of the art. Regina Im, the executive director of “Korea Taekwondo,” the taekwondo school that taught the program at Veritas, stressed the importance of self-change to her students and the crowd. She asked the children questions that correlated with the five main principles of taekwondo: respect, humility, perseverance, self-control and honesty, which are all traits essential in the battle against bullying. “Are we able to change others?” Im asked. “Are we able to change ourselves?” Astoria-based Stitchin’ Queens brings members with a love for crafts together BY ANGY ALTAMIR ANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 An Astoria-based group is knitting together women of all ages from throughout Queens who share a love for crafts. Stitchin’ Queens is a knitting, crochet, needlework and general craft group that gets together every two weeks at the Astoria Panera Bread, located at 38-01 35th Ave., to practice the craft, eat and socialize. The group originally began in 2007 under a different name and in 2012 Danielle Burger, who was a member of the group since it started, took over and changed the name. Since then, Burger has started to advertise the group and establish a Facebook presence as well, in order to attract new members. “I really enjoyed the group because you get to meet other people you wouldn’t otherwise meet,” said Burger, who moved to Rego Park from Astoria in 2008. “It’s not a place to come and put your head down and just knit or crochet. It’s a social experience.” Burger has also created a group on Ravelery.com, a website for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to share information and research projects, patterns and much more. Stitchin’ Queens, which varies in the number of members because some move or can’t make meetings, according to Burger, not only brings together people who share the same love for the craft but also opens doors for members to socialize and learn from each other. Cheryl Pasternack, 67, from Kew Gardens has been involved in Stitchin’ Queens since 2008 and found it to be a great outlet to pick up knitting once again since stopping in her college years. “I wanted to start knitting again and I knew that unless I got involved in a group I wouldn’t do it,” said Pasternack, who is currently knitting a sweater and hat for her nephew who will be born in August. “I am older than most of the people in the group and I find that it is amazing because it opened a whole new world for me.” Pasternack said the group members have helped her develop the skill being left-handed and also help her whenever she has issues with technology. Astoria resident Franchesca Bisignano, 26, has been knitting for the past three years and says she likes the environment of getting together with the members of Stitchin’ Queens and attends the meetings for the social aspect. “You get to interact and see what other people are working on,” Bisignano said. “It’s a great way to get ideas on new projects. It’s just amazing — the spectrum of women that you meet is so broad and its women that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. We get along so well, we have the same characteristics.” The next Stitchin’ Queens meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18. For more info visit www.facebook.com/stitchin.queens.
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