FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 24, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
oped
A LOOK BACK
This gem out of the Ridgewood Times archive shows what was once Banzer’s Cypress Hills Park and Hotel near the Brooklyn/Queens
border in Glendale. The 13-acre site near Cypress Hills Street was a popular weekend picnic destination and featured a six-acre lake
for boating. The site was sold in 1929 and transformed into a cemetery. Send us your historic photos of Queens by email to editorial@
qns.com (Subject: A Look Back) or mail printed pictures to A Look Back, The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All
mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.
letters & comments
Working toward college
access for all
BY CARMEN FARIÑA
Like many New Yorkers, I
was the fi rst in my family to
go to college.
It didn’t even occur to
me until midway through
high school, when one of
my teachers told me I’d need
to go to college if I wanted
to follow my own dream of
becoming a teacher. She made college a reality for
me. I know fi rst-hand how important it is to have
teachers who make college a reality for their students.
More than 50 years aft er my teachers put me on
the path to college and a great career, we’re making
College Access for All a key part of our Equity and
Excellence for All agenda for New York City schools.
No matter their neighborhood or ZIP code, every
student should have the opportunity to go to college
when they graduate high school.
Th e numbers are clear: we’re seeing results and
we’re closer than ever to achieving this vision.
Our high school graduation rate is at a record high
of 72.6 percent. A record high 55 percent of our students
are enrolling in college or other postsecondary
programs.
In the fi rst year of College Access for All, New
York City made the CUNY application free for over
30,000 students; made the SAT exam available free
during the school day for all high school juniors; and
brought over 20,000 middle school students on trips
to college campuses. We also launched or expanded
a number of citywide events including our fi rst-ever
College and Career Month; citywide parent workshops
on applying to college in a number of languages;
and College Application Week, Financial Aid
Awareness Month and College Decision Day.
Last week, we released the annual New York City
School Survey, and we heard about the changes that
our students, families and teachers are seeing. For
example, 82 percent of our high school students said
that school staff helped them consider which colleges
to apply to, up from 75 percent the year before. 93
percent of parents said that their child’s school kept
them on track to college and careers, up from 92 percent
the year before.
Th is fall, we’ll expand College Access for All programs
to reach over 600 middle and high schools.
At the middle school level, this means more students
visiting college campuses – over 40,000 next year –
and more family events on what college means and
how to get there. At our high schools, this means
new funding, college coaches and teacher training
to boost graduation and college enrollment rates.
Across the city, it means increased opportunity for
our students every day.
Yet none of these changes are possible without the
strength of our educators, communities and, most
importantly, families.
As the school year approaches, I encourage families
to start thinking about your child’s plans for college
and careers, aft er they graduate high school.
Encourage your child to do the same – such conversations
will give them goals to reach for, with your
support. When school’s back in September, reach out
to your parent coordinator and ask them about how
college can be a reality for your child.
Our city is home to generations of future leaders –
if we work together to support them, I know that they
will realize their full potential.
Carmen Fariña is chancellor of New York City
public schools.
CONGRATS FOR CIVIC
CONGRESS AWARDEES
We off er sincere congratulations
to the most recent recipients of New
York State’s highest civilian honor —
the Liberty Medal Award, presented
by Senator Tony Avella. Queens
Civic Congress (QCC) President
Kevin Forrestal and his wife Jackie
were among the new awardees,
along with QCC Secretary Sey
Schwartz and QCC Vice President
Henry Euler. In addition, Walter
Mugdan, president of Udalls Cove
Preservation Committee, received
the prestigious award.
Th ese fi ve join several other QCC
members honored by Senator Avella
and the New York State Senate in the
past three years. Th e Liberty Medal
was established to recognize community
residents who have been
active in their communities and provided
decades of volunteer services.
We are enormously proud of all of
these members and other honorees
who have done so much to maintain
the quality of life here in Queens. We
also thank Senator Avella, a former
QCC vice president, for recognizing
these activists and making their stories
public.
Rich Hellenbrecht, executive vice
president, Queens Civic Congress
STATUE REMOVAL
DOOMS US TO
REPEAT HISTORY
Monuments and plaques of confederate
notables like Robert E. Lee
and Stonewall Jackson have been
taken down. In my opinion, plaques
and monuments tells a story of
American history and not so much
to honor some. Th at includes the
good and the bad which have troubled
and anger and divided America.
If we deny history we are doomed
to repeat it and future generations
will truly suff er.
You fi ght racism and hate of people
diff erent than ourselves with love
and understanding. History cannot
be changed but we can learn to live
in peace and in harmony with one
another and teach our children to do
the same.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
A HEALTHY DOSE OF
STATUE SARCASM
Trump is right! Th e removal of
confederate statues is destroying
the “beauty,” history and culture of
our great country. Where will racist
tourists now go to take their vacation
photos? Perhaps they can visit
Germany and pose next to statues
honoring Hitler. Maybe a side
trip to Cambodia to pick up some
cute souvenirs commemorating the
genocide of millions of people by
Pol Pot. Or maybe a quick jaunt to
Uganda to pick up some “kitschy”
T-shirts at an Idi Amin gift shop.
Th e world misses those “very fi ne
people.”
Robert LaRosa, Whitestone
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