St. Pat’s for All Parade marks 20 years of Irish pride
BY STEPHEN LEPORE
A special anniversary
commemoration will mark
the St. Pat’s for All Parade
— the city’s most inclusive
celebration of Ireland — in
Sunnyside and Woodside on
March 3.
The St. Pat’s For All
Parade celebrates its 20th
anniversary, as revelers from
around the city and the world
parade through Sunnyside
and Woodside to celebrate the
culture and contributions of
the Irish. The parade stands
out as welcoming all those
who want to enjoy the wearing
of the green regardless
of race, gender, creed or
sexual orientation.
The official parade
begins at 2 p.m. on March 3,
but the celebration kicks off
two days earlier on March
1. The parade will host a
special 20th anniversary
event which is billed as a
reception and concert to
benefit the parade. The
event will be held at the Irish
Arts Center in Manhattan.
The St. Pat’s For All Parade celebrates its 20th anniversary on March 3. Photo by Josef Pinlac
Tickets are available on the
parade’s website.
The march was the first St.
Patrick’s Day Parade in the
city to encourage members
of the LGBTQ community to
participate under a banner.
Even as the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade in Manhattan now
permits LGBT organizations
to march, the St. Pat’s for
All Parade continues this
tradition, growing into one
of the largest St. Patrick’s
Day celebrations in New
York City.
As in previous years, the
event will celebrate two big
contributors to Irish culture
as grand marshals. Both of
this year’s honorees come
from the arts in Fionnula
Flanagan and Seán Curran.
Flanagan is an actress
currently starring in “The
Ferryman” on Broadway
who previously performed
in a film that celebrated the
women who most influenced
famed Irish author James
Joyce, in addition to
appearances on “Lost,” “Law
and Order: Special Victims
Unit” and various “Star
Trek” series. She’s a native of
the Irish capital of Dublin.
Curran is a renowned
choreographer and director
for opera and theater, as well
as an award-winning original
cast member of “STOMP!”
His 30 works for
Seán Curran Company
are characterized by
collaborations across artistic
genres. Founded in 1997, the
company has toured to nearly
100 venues in the U.S., Europe
and Asia and has presented
home seasons in New York
City as part of the Brooklyn
Academy of Music 2015 and
2018 Next Wave Festivals and
at The Joyce Theater.
Record number of NY students taking AP Exams
BY STEPHEN LEPORE
New York City students took
part in and passed advanced
placement exams at a record
rate in 2018, Mayor Bill de
Blasio announced in Elmhurst
on Tuesday.
A total of 55,011 young
people took an AP Exam in
2018, up 11.4 percent from 49,364
in 2017. The number of students
that passed at least one exam
in 2018 was up 10.7 percent.
Every borough saw an increase
in students both taking and
succeeding at the exams, which
are a part of Mayor Bill de
Blasio and Schools Chancellor
Richard A. Carranza’s “AP
For All” initiative. All ethnic
groups also saw increases.
The chancellor and mayor
made the announcement
Tuesday at Civic Leadership
Academy, which has tripled
the number of AP courses
it offers through the AP for
All initiative, alongside state
Sen. Jessica Ramos and City
Councilman Daniel Dromm.
“For too long, the city
wasn’t doing its part to provide
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza visit the Civic Leadership Academy in
Elmhurst. Courtesy of the Mayor’s offi ce
access to Advanced Placement
programs, sending a message
to students that they weren’t
college material,” said de
Blasio. “We came into office to
shake things up and remind
all students of their potential.
Our AP for All programs are
moving mountains for students
in every neighborhood with
a record number of students
testing and passing AP courses
and allowing more bright
young minds to earn college
credit for their futures.”
“AP for All is working,”
added Carranza. “With our
Equity and Excellence for
All agenda, we are raising
expectations, strengthening
instruction, and creating a
college-going culture among
both our students and our
educators, and we’re seeing the
impact not only in AP results
but in graduation and college
enrollment rates. ”
The program seeks to
increase participation and
performance at AP exams with
a particular focus on black
and Hispanic students, as
part of the city’s “Equity and
Excellence for All” agenda. The
city supported new AP classes
at 152 schools during the 2017-18
school year, with the initiative
reaching 252 schools. The goal
is for students at all high schools
in New York City to have access
to at least five AP classes.
Progress has been shown
since the program began,
with the number of students
taking AP exams rose 92.1
percent since the initiative
launched in 2016. The number
of students passing has gone
up 64.9 percent. The diversity
standards have also raised: in
2018, 19.4 percent Hispanic and
7.1 percent more black students
took at least one AP exam than
in 2017. Since 2013, Hispanic
participation has risen 58.7
percent and black student
participation is up 60 percent.
28 TIMESLEDGER, MARCH 1-7, 2019 QNS.COM
/QNS.COM
