FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 17, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
This high school in Astoria ranks at the
top of the list of best NYC high schools
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/jenna_bagcal
Queens residents should look no further
Robbers looking for ‘easy targets’ in Corona and
Elmhurst, 110th Precinct boss warns residents
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
Property theft is driving crime upward
in the 110th Precinct, the force’s commanding
offi cer reported during the
May 110th Precinct Community Council
meeting.
Captain Nicola Ventre reported on May
10 an increase in reports of robberies,
grand larcenies and car theft in Corona
and Elmhurst. Community members at
the meeting also noted an uptick in gang
violence in the surrounding areas.
According to statistics from the New
York Police Department, robberies
increased 33.3 percent from 2017 to the
present. From April 30 to May 6, there
were 12 reported robberies in the confi nes
of the precinct.
“Be aware of your surroundings; perps
are looking for easy targets,” warned
Ventre, adding that robbers are particularly
targeting inebriated individuals leaving
local bars or those who use their cellphones
while walking on the sidewalk.
He added that people should be particularly
vigilant between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m.,
the timeframe when most of the robberies
have occurred.
Ventre noted that grand larcenies in the
form of extortion phone calls were also
on the rise. According to NYPD statistics,
grand larcenies went up in the 110th
from four reported in 2017 to 11 in 2018,
year to date.
He warned residents of the most common
scams, which included people impersonating
the IRS, family members or
the Chinese embassy, which the precinct
posted about on their Twitter account.
Ventre advised that people should never
give money over the phone.
Residents in attendance complained
that there has been an increase in gang
violence in the neighborhood, particularly
near 103rd Street and Alstyne Avenue
and in the nearby parks. Back in March,
QNS.com reported a deadly shooting in
the confi nes of the 110th that may have
been connected to gang activity.
Ventre directed residents to an interactive
crime map called the NYPD
CompStat 2.0, which shows the most
recent criminal activity within the precinct.
Users are able to see the exact location
of specifi c crimes in their neighborhoods
on a weekly basis.
Councilman Francisco Moya spoke
about how Corona has felt the eff ect of
the Department of Transportation’s Clear
Curbs initiative. On Wednesday, May 9,
businesses that are members of the 82nd
Street partnership in Jackson Heights held
a rally to voice their dissatisfaction with
the pilot program. Neighborhoods in the
vicinity of the 110th precinct on Roosevelt
Avenue have suff ered due to Clear Curbs.
“We are looking to have the plan
changed. Sixty percent of business in the
area are feeling the crunch,” Councilman
Moya said. He added that there was had
been no consultation with the community
prior to DOT instating the Clear Curbs
initiative and that they had to be “held
accountable.”
Photo via NYPD CompStat 2.0
Map of recent robberies in the confi nes of the 110th Precinct
than their own borough to get the
best public high school education in the
city.
Th e Baccalaureate School for Global
Education (BSGE) in Astoria was just
ranked the number one school in New
York City by U.S. News and World
Report. It was also ranked ninth among
all public high schools in the entire country.
Two other Queens high schools
were included in the U.S. News ranking:
Townsend Harris High School in
Flushing and Queens High School for
the Sciences at York College in Jamaica,
which placed seventh and ninth, respectively,
in New York. In terms of national
rankings, these schools also ranked 46th
and 63rd in the country.
According to U.S. News and World
Report, school rankings are determined
by students’ performance in state testing
and how well the institution prepares
students for college. Th is year, students
at BSGE scored 99 percent in both
math and reading, which is higher when
compared to scores at the district and
state levels.
Th e school also boasts a 100 percent
graduation rate and scored 100 in “college
readiness” of students based on statistics
from the 2015 to 2016 school
year. Students at Townsend Harris and
Queens High School for the Sciences
fared similarly in state testing scores.
BSGE opened in September 2002, and
quickly climbed the ranks as one of the
top public schools in New York City. In
April 2005, the school was authorized as
an offi cial International Baccalaureate
World School. One hundred percent of
the students tested passed the IB exams
from 2015 to 2016. Th ere are currently
487 students from grades 7 to 12 enrolled
at BSGE who come from several neighborhoods
across Queens.
In addition to enrolling students who
perform well academically, BSGE is
known for their diverse student body.
According to statistics that U.S. News
and World Report obtained from government
reports, 69 percent of the students
enrolled are minorities. 49 percent
of those students are Asian, 15 percent
are Hispanic, 2 percent are black, 2 percent
identify as two or more races and
1 percent are American Indian/Alaskan
Natives.
Each year, U.S. News and World Report
ranks the best public high schools, as well
as colleges and graduate schools across
the nation. Th e high schools are further
broken down by state, charter schools,
magnate schools and STEM schools.
Photo via Pixabay
The Baccalaureate School for Global Education was ranked top public school in New York City
/jenna_bagcal
/@jenna_bagcal
