4 The QUEE NS Courier • october 16, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com JACKSON HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL WELCOMES MORE SPACE FOR STUDENTS BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 Students at one Jackson Heights middle school now have more room to learn. Local elected officials, Department of Education (DOE) and School Construction Authority (SCA) representatives, and members of the I.S. 230 community came together Oct. 9 to cut the ribbon on the middle school’s new annex. Located across the street from the middle school on 34th Avenue and 74th Street, the new building has classrooms, science labs, an art studio, a library with computers, bathrooms on every floor, an exercise room and a cafeteria. “This new annex will help alleviate overcrowding at the main I.S. 230 middle school building,” Councilman Daniel Dromm said. “In addition to providing muchneeded space, the building provides rooms for science labs, the arts and exercise. These rooms are essential to a well-rounded education.” I.S. 230 is located in School District 30, which is one of the city’s most overcrowded school districts, according to officials. The SCA also purchased two lots on 74th Street that are still under construction and will be used as outdoor play and exercise areas, according to Dromm. “This is an excellent beginning on the issue of middle school expansion in Jackson Heights,” said Isaac Carmignani, a co-chair of Community Education Council 30. “As our community grows, so does the need for middle schools for our children. This new school was a long time in the making and shows what can be done when government and the community work together.” THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano Melinda Katz adds ‘The World’s Borough’ tagline to new street signs BY QUEENS COURIER STAF editorial@queenscourier.com It’s official. Queens is where the world comes to live. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Dalia Hall, the Queens Borough Commissioner of the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), revealed the new Welcome to Queens street signs, which include the tagline describing Queens as “The World’s Borough.” The phrase is meant to reflect the cultural diversity in the borough, which is home to residents representing more than 120 countries and speaking more than 135 languages, according to a statement released by Katz. “You haven’t really seen New York City unless you have experienced the diversity 1-800-382-HOME(4663) for Housing www.sonyma.org that is in Queens,” said Katz, adding that the new signs with the slogans will help “to get that word out.” DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg praised the signs and said they “proudly highlight the level of diversity making Queens unique among the five boroughs and also nationwide.” The new signs were installed in 10 key locations that act as a gateway to the borough by Oct. 7. These include the Cross Island Parkway, Grand Central Parkway, Queensboro Bridge and Long Island Expressway. Each 72-by-42-inch sign has retro-reflective letters that make them easily visible to drivers. Katz’s office funded the fabrication and installation of the signs. All the signs were made in Maspeth. Photo courtesy of Melinda Katz’s office. Dalia Hall, the Queens Borough Commissioner of the city’s Department of Transportation presents Queens Borough President Melinda Katz with a replica of the new welcome sign when she visited the latter on Oct. 10.
QC10162014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above