46 The Queens Courier • kids & education • OCTOBER 27, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶KIDS & EDUCATION New playground unveiled at the Samuel Field Y in Bayside By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 After hours of hard work by volunteers at a building project last month, a brand-new playground was revealed to excited children and their families on Oct. 20 at the Samuel Field Y in the Bay Terrace area of Bayside. “I think the kids playing here are having the most fun time of their life,” said Luciana Vidal, seventhgrader and member of the Samuel Field Y. “I think they’re having a blast.” The playground was sponsored by Disney Citizenship and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing children with safe spaces to play, and inspired by local children’s drawings from a special Design Day earlier in the year. The play space features a variety of activities for children aged 2 to 12 coming from all walks of life. “I think that our playground will be a center of community,” said Jeri Mendelsohn, executive vice president and CEO of the Samuel Field Y. “It’s a playground where all children of all ages and ability levels can go and play together, from having a scavenger hunt that your kid in a wheelchair can be totally and completely immersed in and part of the play, to having elements of physical challenges for kids, where parents can meet and mingle. It brings a community together and we’re so grateful and excited.” The Samuel Field Y is a nonprofit, multi-service agency with sites in Little Neck, Bayside, Forest Hills Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS and 33 other areas which enhances quality of life for individuals, families and communal life through services for over 35,000 people of all ages, ability levels, stages of life and backgrounds. ST. FRANCIS PREP STUDENTS AND FACULTY TRAVEL THE WORLD TO OFFER SERVICE TO OTHERS This past summer, students and faculty from St. Francis Preparatory School followed in the footsteps of their school’s namesake, Francis of Assisi, and traveled to Kenya and Perú and to build bridges with their sister school, as well as support and comfort those in need, much like Francis did over 800 years ago. This first trip was to St. Francis Secondary School in Lare, Kenya. Three staff members, Christian Sullivan, Ellen Schuler, and Edward Woods traveled to Kenya to meet and work with students, faculty, members of the Franciscan community that runs the school, as well as Bishop Maurice Muhatia, Bishop of the Diocese of Nakuro. Joining Prep’s representatives were Dr. Joseph Pantaleo, who graduated Prep in 2003, and Dr. Meredith Woods. Both dentists, they spent several days providing dental education and screenings to the students and staff. This latter effort was part of Tomorrow’s Smiles Today. According to its Mission, it “promotes and provides oral health services in underserved areas throughout the world. Accomplishing this requires education, prevention, team building and provision of services.” Ellen Schuler, a Mathematics teacher at Prep remembers that, “We arrived in Nairobi Saturday at midnight after traveling for about 20 hours, and traveled Monday to the village of Lare. The adults in the village were curious at the mzunga, white people, driving with Brother Alex through the village in the new school van. The St. Francis (Lare) students were our gift! These students have no material wealth. However, they are bright and curious about the world. They asked questions about our view of world politics, about the impact of the political changes in England, about the impact a new American president will have on American/Kenyan policies. They were interested in how our government helps the poor with a keen interest on how poor children in America get food to eat.” Upon returning, Schuler became the moderator of Club Kenya at Prep. Their mission is to connect the students from our two schools via technology so they can share culture and experiences. Edward Woods is the Director of Technology at Prep, as well as an alum. For him, it was, “an amazing, humbling experience. Our “twin” school, St Francis Secondary School in Lare, Kenya, is truly inspirational. In spite of its remote location, academically it is ranked number three among high schools in all of Kenya. We met Franciscan Brothers, lay administrators, and teachers who are passionately committed to transforming the lives of their students. I will forever remember the smiles of the students: their joy, their pride, and their generosity are things I hope I can carry in my heart and bringb ack to our own students at St Francis Prep.” Christian Sullivan is Prep’s Director of Campus Ministry. He has been one of the driving forces behind establishing and building this partnership. For Sullivan, “the experience was transformational on a professional and spiritual level. Each day we learned about a different component of Kenyan culture, the Diocese of Nakuru, the educational and medical systems, and daily life for the students and staff at St. Francis (Lare). We observed classes, dialogued with faculty, visited local schools, and answered endless questions about SFP, New York, and the United States. We were transported in the new vehicle that Prep helped purchase with our Lenten donations. Some highlights included providing a special lunch for the student body, meeting with the Bishop of Nakuru, Maurice Muhatia, the showing of Finding Nemo to the freshmen class, and visiting Lake Nakuru National Park. The Franciscan Brothers of Galway and Fr. James Mgue, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, provided us with housing and amazing hospitality. Principal Philip Wanjohi and his team are achieving incredible results on a “shoe-string” budget. They are transforming lives and it is an honor for us to share our Franciscan name and mission with them.” Costancio Soto is a Foreign Language teacher at Prep. This past summer, he led a group of faculty, staff and students to Perú to visit The Hogar de San Francisco de Asís, in Chaclacayo. According to Soto, “The Hogar de San Francisco de Asís is a humble home of small miracles. Founded over 25 years ago by pediatrician Dr. Tony Lazarra, the Hogar serves the poorest families of Perú providing medical care for their children. Dr. Tony, embracing his Franciscan values, cares for approximately forty-five children; tending to their physical and emotional well being. The children, who span in age from only a few months to eighteen years, receive the medical attention they desperately need while continuing their education in the local schools of Chaclacayo. The Hogar is a refuge where they receive their meals, pray in community, and play together. It is a place where small miracles happen everyday and survives on the generosity of strangers, and the love and compassion of the human heart.” This trip was unique for Prep, in that a mother and daughter both participated. Students in a classroom at St. Francis Secondary School in Lare, Kenya Justine Kosinski is an Administrative Assistant in Prep’s General Office, while daughter Marissa is a senior. For the elder Kosinski, she chose to take on this charge to, “experience the unexpected, something other than the normal.” She got to “watch her daughter use the skills she raised her with firsthand; caring for the innocent and helpless.” Kosinski said there were, “lots of days in tears,” citing experiencing vs. merely hearing about third world issues, which at one point included a lack of running water for three days. For the younger Kosinski, she, “loves helping people.” The trip, “opened and expanded her horizons,” given she was “able to help others in a way that was different from the everyday.” She “enjoyed being with her mom, and being able to teach kids what her mom taught her.” During the nine day trip, Marissa took care of the same year-and-a-half old boy who had a cleft lip and palatte. In their time together, Marissa saw her charge walk and talk more, and grow in self-confidence vs. the very unsteady and needy young boy she first encountered. All in all, these trips demonstrate and animate what St. Francis Prep tries to instill in it’s students, that being a driving sense of service for those in need, and a respect for all creation. For more information, please contact: Dr. Christian Sullivan, Director of Campus Ministry, (718) 423-8810, x302, or csullivan@sfponline.org Or http://tomorrowsmiletoday.org/
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