14 The Courier sun • april 11, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com EXPANDING EDUCATION Come fall, Queens will have 15 new schools BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Education is expanding throughout the borough with 15 new schools opening this fall, announced Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “With our new schools and school leaders, we’ll continue to provide our children with the opportunities they deserve,” said Bloomberg. Of the 15, two will be elementary schools, six middle schools, one school will house grades 6 through 12, three high schools, one transfer high school and two career technical and educational (CTE) high schools. One CTE school opening in Long Island City, CTE Energy Tech High School, is partnering with LaGuardia Community College, Con Edison and National Grid to give students unique internships and apprenticeships opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as a rigorous curriculum, all to prepare them for a future in the booming technology and energy industry. “We want to give students opportunities to participate in hands-on problem solving, getting to know the industry, getting out and seeing what the work feels like,” said Hope Barter, Energy Tech’s principalto be. The new CTE school will share a building with I.S. 204, and despite some opposition from parents on the co-location, Barter thinks the tech students’ undertaking can only benefit the neighborhood and the city. “Having another engineering program is an incredible opportunity for our teens and for the community,” she said. “As a product of the New York City public school system, I know firsthand the importance of a solid technical education,” said Ken Daly, president of National Grid New York. “Our partnership with the Energy Tech High School supports National Grid’s ‘Engineering Our Future’ initiative to build a qualified and skilled workforce.” Energy Tech and other city CTE schools, from grades 9 through 14, will give students not only high school diplomas, but also associates degrees. Mainstream schools are also spreading across the city, including the new Hunters Point Community Middle School, where students will be given the opportunity to participate in interest-based programs as well as work through an accelerated curriculum. “Everything is going to be very engaging,” said Sarah Goodman, the middle school’s principal. “I think we’re going to provide a combination of things that are really important – a strong set of foundational skills, and a curriculum in classrooms and advisories that are going to expose kids to ideas, ways of thinking and possible career paths.” Community leadership and organizational skills will also be one of the school’s focuses under Goodman’s leadership. “The range of schools that’s opening is going to give students such a range of programs to choose from,” said Barter. “We’re all doing something different, and it’s always exciting to give students choices and options.” Citywide, 78 new schools will serve nearly 10,000 students. Once the schools reach full capacity, that number will grow to 32,000 students. “The schools announced today will help us continue to ensure that all students – no matter their zip code – have access to high-quality education in New York City,” said Walcott. No prescription required JUDGE RULES FOR REMOVAL OF MORNING-AFTER PILL AGE LIMITS BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] A recent federal ruling has made Plan B, also known as the morning after pill, more accessible, removing the prescription requirement for girls under 17 years old. In his decision, issued on Friday, April 5, U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman said that the emergency contraceptive “would be among the safest drugs sold over the counter,” adding “the FDA permits drugs that it has found to be unsafe for the pediatric population to be sold over the counter subject only to labeling restrictions.” Individuals and groups advocating reproductive-rights filed the lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its commissioner, Margaret Hamburg. Korman also said in his ruling that the FDA “engaged in intolerable delays in processing” a citizen’s petition seeking to make Plan B available over the counter to all ages. The issue of access to Plan B has been controversial since it was approved for non-prescription use. The pill must be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Some worry about its use as a regular birth control method, A federal judge ordered the FDA to make Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, available without a prescription to all ages. while others are concerned that it will lead to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. But supporters of Plan B view its availability as a basic right females should have over their bodies. “National Women’s Liberation NWL believes that any female old enough to get pregnant is old enough to decide that she doesn’t want to be pregnant. This decision to grant immediate access to the morning-after Photo courtesy Teva Women’s Health, Inc. pill is a huge step forward in the fight for women and girls to be able to control the course of their lives,” Stephanie Seguin, one of the suit’s plaintiffs and a member of NWL told the women’s rights group. The FDA reportedly has 30 days to appeal the ruling. The ruling is “an ongoing legal matter for the agency” said an FDA spokesperson, and it has no additional comment at this time. Youth can get on the ‘Y Road’ BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] The southeast Queens community is coming together to help put their youth back on the right road – the Y Road. The Jamaica YMCA, in partnership with Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), is launching a new program, the Y Roads Initiative,geared towards giving youth ages 16 to 24 the little push they may need to get their lives going in a productive direction. It is designed to support roughly 300 young people who are neither employed nor in school and gear them towards a fruitful life. “We want to build a plan for each student,” said Clare Dwyer, the Y Roads Center Director, “and figure out how we can get them to be successful.” OBT staff and the YMCA have collaborated over the last several months to create a comprehensive one-stop service facility, building off of the Y’s strengths in youth work, counseling service and leadership development. Y Roads will additionally provide job training and a GED model within a simulated corporate work environment. Emergency housing units are available to participants, as well as mental health and lifestyle counseling, and recreational programming and childcare services. “We really feel like the all-encompassing pieces are coming together,” said Dwyer. “Now we can offer all of the pieces, and that’s really what makes Y Roads special.” PHOTO COURTESY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow has a reputation of giving youth the tools they need to be successful, and its new partnership with the Jamaica YMCA will provide southeast youth with opportunities to put their lives on the right track. The program will be held at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning on Jamaica Avenue. OBT has raised half a million dollars, which puts it 2/3 of the way towards its funding goal, and is enough to open the doors to the public. “We think we have something that works,” said Peers. “This is really exciting. I think Jamaica has a really good advantage. This is where we want to be, we’re ready to roll.”
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