44 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • JUNE 24, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
44 k TiHdE QsU E&EN Se CdOUuRIcERa • tJUiNoE 2n4, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
St. Mel’s Early Childhood Center kicks off sports and fi tness programs
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
St. Mel’s Early Childhood Center in
Flushing kicked off an energizing sports
and fi tness event with their mascot,
“Wildcat,” in the school’s playground on
Tuesday, June 15.
Th e event began with a presentation of
a $5,000 check from PHIT America that
will fund an additional climbing structure
Queens College mourns death of former President Saul Cohen
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens College is mourning the loss
of former College President Saul Cohen,
who, on June 9, died at the age of 95 at
home surrounded by his family.
Cohen served as president of Queens
College from 1978 to 1985. In a statement,
Queens College President Frank Wu said
Cohen’s “exemplary service to the college
is legendary.”
“I have heard him spoken of many
times with great admiration and appreciation,”
Wu said. “Th rough his persistent
advocacy, he was responsible for securing
funding for key capital projects, many of
which we are still reaping the benefi ts of
today, including the Benjamin Rosenthal
Library, the Copeland School of Music
Building, science facilities and Townsend
Harris High School.”
Cohen, a Massachusetts native, earned
his doctorate from Harvard
University in 1955.
Prior to his arrival
at Queens College,
he was the director
of, and a professor
in, the
Graduate School
of Geography
at Clarke
University in
Worcester, MA,
before becoming
a dean. Aft er leaving Queens
College, Cohen was a professor
of geography at Hunter
College for 10 years. In
1993, he was elected
to the New York State
Board of Regents.
Th ere, he chaired the
Elementary, Middle
and Secondary
Committee when it
established new academic
standards for the school.
In learning a little about
Cohen’s life, Wu came across
his advocacy for minority
students, he said.
“While at Clarke University,
he was particularly interested,
and successful, at bringing
minority students
into the
geography
program,”
Wu said. “Th is was sparked by an experience
early in the civil rights movement,
when there was a debate among
members of the Association of American
Geographers over whether it should hold
its meetings in segregated southern cities.”
According to Wu, Cohen said they
should not and became convinced that it
was important to “attract Black students
to quality programs so they in turn could
make a dent in the quality of teaching of
later Black students.”
Wu said Cohen’s “outstanding commitment
to education and higher education
will long be remembered.”
Cohen’s graveside funeral was held on
Friday, June 11, at Mt. Eden Cemetery
— a fi nal resting place to those of the
Jewish faith — at 20 Commerce St. in
Hawthorne. Shiva was be observed at 7
Poplar Road in Larchmont, from Sunday,
June 13, through Th ursday, June 17, from
2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.; and Friday,
June 18, from 2 to 5 p.m.
to the school’s existing playground
equipment. Th e school was selected for
the PHIT America grand prize in their
Romero Britto Coloring Contest from
over 3,000 entries.
PHIT America also launched Amplify
Education Th rough Fitness or AMPED,
a running and walking fi tness program at
the school.
St. Mel’s Principal Amy Barron was
joined by Jim Baugh, founder of PHIT
America, Neil Th akur, eastern section
community coordinator of the United
States Tennis Association and Father
Joseph Fonti, the pastor of St. Mel’s
Roman Catholic Church.
Students also participated in sports lessons
as the school welcomed new sports
curriculum programs, sponsored by the
United States Tennis Association and the
Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
During the event, the students received
their fi rst golf and tennis lessons from
instructors, and they had the chance to
run and walk on the school’s playground
track.
“PHIT America is so proud to expand
St. Mel’s eff ort to improve the physical
and mental health of their children,” said
Baugh, who founded PHIT Americato
greatly improve the physical and mental
health of 50 million children in the U.S.
by providing all kids with increased physical
activity programs.
“Our goal is to get these kids more
active, healthier and learn lifetime sports,”
Baugh added.
According to PHIT America, UNICEF
has ranked U.S. children last in physical
health out of 38 countries. Th e British
Journal of Sports Medicine has U.S. kids
ranked 47 out of 50 developed nations
in fi tness.
“Our charity is fi ghting the ‘inactivity pandemic’
which is hurting our children. Over
90 percent of all kids are not active to CDC
physical activity standards,” Baugh said.
“PHIT America has already helped over
1,000 schools and 600,000 children become
more physically active and healthier.”
According to Barron, it’s time to get
their kids up and moving, which will
improve their learning, memory and critical
thinking.
“Studies show a positive correlation
between high physical activity levels
and academic achievement in children,”
Barron said. “In addition, physical activity
reduces stress levels in our kids, keeping
them healthy, physically and mentally
strong and happy.”
Courtesy of Queens College
Former Queens
College President
Saul B.
Cohen
Courtesy of St. Mel’s Early Childhood Center
St. Mel’s students join Neil Thakur, United States Tennis Association’s eastern section community coordinator, along with Father Fonti, Principal Amy
Barron, Jim Baugh, founder of PHIT America, and school mascot “Wildcat.”
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
