WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 21, 2017 19
Forest Hills high school seniors march to mail college applications
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A group of high school seniors in
Forest Hills took to the streets
on Dec. 15 to show their neighbors
that they are heading to college.
At the seventh annual College March
hosted by NYC Outward Bound, more
than 100 soon-to-be graduates from
Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning
School (MELS) in Forest Hills marched
from the school to a postal truck to
send their college applications. The
students were cheered on by family
members, school faculty and the junior
class, who will participate in the
march next year.
NYC Outward Bound is a nonprofit
that has a partnership with the
Department of Education to help
support public schools and promote
high-quality teaching and high levels
of student achievement. For more
information visit their website, www.
nycoutwardbound.org.
The students were also joined by
state Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, who
was a guest speaker at the event and
marched alongside them. Addabbo
acknowledged that college is not
for everyone, but for those that do
make the decision to continue their
education, it is his obligation to support
them.
State Senator Joseph P Addabbo, Jr. marches with high school seniors from Metropolitan Expeditionary
Learning Center to a postal truck to mail college applications.
“The seniors are our future, and if
they’re taking that path of going to
college and contributing, I appreciate
that,” Addabbo said.
Addabbo also added that he visited
MELS earlier in the week and had some
encouraging conversations with students
who voiced their concerns about the environment
and immigration. In talking with
seniors during the march, the senator said
that many of them remembered attending
the event as juniors the year before.
With the current junior class also
coming to show their support this year,
Addabbo believes the march is serving
as motivation for the students.
The College March has expanded
across the nation, with 11 cities and
more than 2,300 students participating
this year, according to a
press release from NYC Outward
Bound. In New York, eight schools
throughout the boroughs held
similar marches. Since most of
Photo by NYC Outward Bound Schools
the seniors are filing their college
applications online now, some of
those who participated sent letters
of appreciation to those that helped
them throughout high school
instead.
“As you begin this next journey in
your life, do not forget all the people
who helped you get to where you are
today,” Addabbo said. “Congratulations
to you all and best of luck to you
in the future.”
Ridgewood Reservoir added to State Register of Historic Places
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY
The Ridgewood Reservoir may
soon be receiving more protection
thanks to the eff orts of
a local nonprofi t that has been taking
Brooklyn and Queens students on
fi eld trips to the site.
At a hearing on Dec. 7, the New
York State Historic Review Board
voted unanimously to add the Ridgewood
Reservoir to the New York
State Register of Historic Places.
As a registered historic place, the
reservoir would receive measures
of protection from federal or state
projects through a notice, review
and consultation process. For more
information about these protections,
visit www.parks.ny.gov.
NYC H2O, a nonprofit that provides
education programs on New
York City’s water system and ecology,
wrote the Historic Register application
for the reservoir. They’re also
seeking similar designation on the
National Register of Historic Places.
“The Ridgewood Reservoir is a majestic
place that deserves to be listed
on the National Historic Register as a
cultural and ecological treasure to be
discovered by generations to come,”
said Matt Malina, executive director
of NYC H2O, at the hearing. Since
2014, NYC H2O has brought 3,000
Brooklyn and Queens students on
free water ecology and engineering
fi eld trips to the reservoir.
Malina added that advocating for
the future of the site would not be
possible without support from local
elected offi cials, community leaders
and organizations. Congresswoman
Nydia M. Velázquez, who wrote a letter
in July to outline her support for
the reservoir being designated as a
wetland, also testifi ed at the hearing.
“For years, our community has
been fighting to preserve the
Ridgewood Reservoir, and today’s
accomplishment is an important
milestone,” Velázquez said. “The
reservoir is a piece of living history
that transcends generations of New
Yorkers.”
Located in Highland Park, the reservoir
was fi rst constructed in 1858
and held 154 million gallons of water
to provide for the growing population
of Brooklyn. It served as a water
supply for Brooklyn for 100 years
until the borough was linked to the
New York City water system. It was
then used as a backup water supply
until it was decommissioned in 1990.
For more history about the Reservoir,
visit www.parks.ny.gov.
While it was inactive, the reservoir
became naturally reforested, transforming
into a wetland with more
than 100 species of birds, some of
which are listed as threatened or of
special concern. In 2004, then-Mayor
Michael Bloomberg transferred
ownership of the land from the
city’s Department of Environmental
Protection to the Parks Department.
Speculation grew that the Parks
Department would redevelop part
of the Ridgewood Reservoir for new
athletic fi elds, prompting a movement
along local residents to have the site
preserved. Plans for developing one
of the reservoir’s three basins were
ultimately abandoned, and the Parks
Department improved pathways
and lighting around the site, giving
residents more secure access to the
reservoir.
The application to list the site on
the National Register has been submitted
to the National Park Service,
and could be approved as soon as
April of 2018.
Photo by Anthony Giudice/QNS
The Ridgewood Reservoir will receive added environmental protection
as a registered historic place.
