For local schools: A long way to the top Riverdale’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper! Volume XVIII • Number 44 • October 27 - November 2, 2011 • FREE! Continued on Page 2 RKA Student Government members Rory Muldoon, Ashley Greaves, Evan Silverman and Ezel Peterson welcomed visitors and guided them around the school at last week’s open house for community leaders. By MIAWLING LAM It's a long way to the top for Riverdale’s public schools. New data reveals local schools have fallen out of the top 15 percent and are struggling to match the academic achieve- ments of their counterparts in Manhattan and Queens. As part of a special investigation last week, the River- dale Review sorted through countless pages of standard- ized test results to create a table of all New York City schools ranked according to performance. Using raw aggregates supplied by the NYC Department of Education, two ranking ladders were created—one, which sorted schools by the percentage of students per- forming at grade level, and another based on a school’s scaled mean scores. This year, P.S. 24 was ranked 94th in English Lan- guage Arts and 113th in math out of 711 elementary schools. Meanwhile, P.S. 81 was ranked 299th in math and 152nd in English. The latest rankings represent a fall from grace for Riverdale’s elementary schools, especially for P.S. 24, which was once declared the seventh-best-performing school in the city. According to the New York Times, P.S. 24 had the top reading scores in The Bronx in 1993, with 89 percent of its students performing at or above grade level. This year, however, only 71 percent of pupils at the Spuy- ten Duyvil school were deemed proficient in English, while 81 percent met the state’s bar for math proficiency. At P.S. 81, 64 percent met the state’s bar for math proficiency, and 64 percent of children were deemed to be performing at grade level for English. Figures also show P.S. 24 may no longer represent one of the crown jewels of The Bronx’s public schools. While it still boasts the best English scores in the borough, P.S. 307 in Kingsbridge Heights emerged as the top-performing Bronx school in math. A total of 86 percent of its students were deemed to be performing at or above grade level. Pupils need to achieve a score that falls within Levels 3 and 4 to be considered proficient. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he was saddened to hear of P.S. 24’s decline. “Hearing those numbers is very disappointing,” he said. “I remember when P.S. 24 was in the top 10, so not being in the top 100 is certainly disappointing. “Clearly they are above more schools than they are behind, but I would hope that our schools would be in the very top tier and they’re not, so I think we have to work harder to make sure they get back into the top tier.” Dinowitz said although curriculum was a major fac- tor in determining a school’s test scores, the number of experienced teachers in classrooms and the percentage of students with special needs also influenced results. “I’m sure that we can do better, and there are a lot of good people in the schools, so we need to acknowledge their efforts,” he said. Meanwhile, the rankings reveal that the Riverdale/ Kingsbridge Academy’s middle school is ranked in the top 30 percent in the city across both subjects. The school placed 77th in ELA and 97th in math out of a total of 331 schools. Despite cracking into the top 100, the school recorded a pass rate of just 45 percent for English and 62 percent on the math exam. In fact, The Bronx’s performance as a whole trails behind the rest of the city by so much that RKA is the sixth-best school in the borough for English and ninth- best for math. Among District 10 schools, it’s only second to J.H.S. 118 in Tremont. Elementary schools in Manhattan and Queens dominated the top 20 for both subjects, accounting for a whopping 16 of the 20 highest ranks. The Anderson School, otherwise known as P.S. 334, a highly competitive gifted and talented school on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, topped the English rank- ings, with more than 99 percent of its students scoring By MIAWLING LAM The Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy defied tougher gradu- ation requirements and earned an A on this year’s progress report card. The annual evaluations, released by the Department of Education on Monday, reveals H.S. 141 was one of just 128 high schools to receive the top grade this year. It also secured an A in 2010 and 2009. The school racked up 73.9 points out of a possible 100— slightly down from its score of 75.3 in 2010—on the back of recent graduation rates and student performance on Regents exams. Schools that score 70 points and above are awarded an A. RKA's percentile ranking also rose slightly, with the school assessed as being better or equal to that of 77 percent of the city’s high schools. Calls to the school were not returned as of press time, but following the city’s announce- ment, RKA principal Lori O’Mara took to social media to share the school’s news. “RKA HS earns an A on the NYCDOE Progress Report! Con- grats to our wonderful teach- ers, parents and students!” she posted on Twitter. A breakdown of the progress report shows the high school earned an A for student perfor- mance and a B for student prog- ress, a category that accounts for 60 percent of a school’s grade. However, a poor showing in school environment dragged down its overall score. The school earned just 6.5 points out of a possible 15—a D grade—after parents, teachers and students criticized the administration on the latest school surveys. For the first time ever, educa- tion authorities also included three new college-readiness measures on this year’s evalu- ations. The metrics detail the number of students who take on and excel in advanced courses, graduate ready for college and enroll in a college after high school. Data shows although 38 per- cent of RKA students graduate college-ready—nearly double the citywide average—the remaining 62 percent are likely to require remedial services. Citywide, only 22 percent RKA’s high school gets an ‘A’ Continued on Page 19
Transcript
For local schools: A long way to the top
Riverdale’s ONLYLocally Owned
Newspaper!
Volume XVIII • Number 44 • October 27 - November 2, 2011 • FREE!
Continued on Page 2
RKA Student Government members Rory Muldoon, Ashley Greaves, Evan Silverman and Ezel Peterson welcomed visitors and guided them around the school at last week’s open house for community leaders.
By MIAWLING LAMIt's a long way to the top for Riverdale’s public
schools.New data reveals local schools have fallen out of the top
15 percent and are struggling to match the academic achieve-ments of their counterparts in Manhattan and Queens.
As part of a special investigation last week, the River-dale Review sorted through countless pages of standard-ized test results to create a table of all New York City schools ranked according to performance.
Using raw aggregates supplied by the NYC Department of Education, two ranking ladders were created—one, which sorted schools by the percentage of students per-forming at grade level, and another based on a school’s scaled mean scores.
This year, P.S. 24 was ranked 94th in English Lan-guage Arts and 113th in math out of 711 elementary schools. Meanwhile, P.S. 81 was ranked 299th in math and 152nd in English.
The latest rankings represent a fall from grace for Riverdale’s elementary schools, especially for P.S. 24, which was once declared the seventh-best-performing school in the city.
According to the New York Times, P.S. 24 had the top reading scores in The Bronx in 1993, with 89 percent of its students performing at or above grade level.
This year, however, only 71 percent of pupils at the Spuy-ten Duyvil school were deemed proficient in English, while 81 percent met the state’s bar for math proficiency.
At P.S. 81, 64 percent met the state’s bar for math proficiency, and 64 percent of children were deemed to be performing at grade level for English.
Figures also show P.S. 24 may no longer represent one of the crown jewels of The Bronx’s public schools.
While it still boasts the best English scores in the borough, P.S. 307 in Kingsbridge Heights emerged as the top-performing Bronx school in math. A total of 86 percent of its students were deemed to be performing at or above grade level.
Pupils need to achieve a score that falls within Levels 3 and 4 to be considered proficient.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he was saddened to hear of P.S. 24’s decline.
“Hearing those numbers is very disappointing,” he said. “I remember when P.S. 24 was in the top 10, so not being in the top 100 is certainly disappointing.
“Clearly they are above more schools than they are behind, but I would hope that our schools would be in the very top tier and they’re not, so I think we have to work harder to make sure they get back into the top tier.”
Dinowitz said although curriculum was a major fac-tor in determining a school’s test scores, the number of
experienced teachers in classrooms and the percentage of students with special needs also influenced results.
“I’m sure that we can do better, and there are a lot of good people in the schools, so we need to acknowledge their efforts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the rankings reveal that the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy’s middle school is ranked in the top 30 percent in the city across both subjects.
The school placed 77th in ELA and 97th in math out of a total of 331 schools.
Despite cracking into the top 100, the school recorded a pass rate of just 45 percent for English and 62 percent on the math exam.
In fact, The Bronx’s performance as a whole trails behind the rest of the city by so much that RKA is the sixth-best school in the borough for English and ninth-best for math. Among District 10 schools, it’s only second to J.H.S. 118 in Tremont.
Elementary schools in Manhattan and Queens dominated the top 20 for both subjects, accounting for a whopping 16 of the 20 highest ranks.
The Anderson School, otherwise known as P.S. 334, a highly competitive gifted and talented school on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, topped the English rank-ings, with more than 99 percent of its students scoring
By MIAWLING LAMThe Riverdale Kingsbridge
Academy defied tougher gradu-ation requirements and earned an A on this year’s progress report card.
The annual evaluations, released by the Department of Education on Monday, reveals H.S. 141 was one of just 128 high schools to receive the top grade this year. It also secured an A in 2010 and 2009.
The school racked up 73.9 points out of a possible 100—slightly down from its score of 75.3 in 2010—on the back of recent graduation rates and student performance on Regents exams.
Schools that score 70 points and above are awarded an A.
RKA's percentile ranking also rose slightly, with the school assessed as being better or equal to that of 77 percent of the city’s high schools.
Calls to the school were not returned as of press time, but following the city’s announce-ment, RKA principal Lori O’Mara took to social media to share the school’s news.
“RKA HS earns an A on the NYCDOE Progress Report! Con-
grats to our wonderful teach-ers, parents and students!” she posted on Twitter.
A breakdown of the progress report shows the high school earned an A for student perfor-mance and a B for student prog-ress, a category that accounts for 60 percent of a school’s grade.
However, a poor showing in school environment dragged down its overall score. The school earned just 6.5 points out of a possible 15—a D grade—after parents, teachers and students criticized the administration on the latest school surveys.
For the first time ever, educa-tion authorities also included three new college-readiness measures on this year’s evalu-ations.
The metrics detail the number of students who take on and excel in advanced courses, graduate ready for college and enroll in a college after high school.
Data shows although 38 per-cent of RKA students graduate college-ready—nearly double the citywide average—the remaining 62 percent are likely to require remedial services.
Citywide, only 22 percent
RKA’s high school gets an ‘A’
Continued on Page 19
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2 230th St. shopping plan delayedBy BRENDAN McHUGH
The future shopping center at West 230th Street and Broadway has gone through delay after delay over the past decade, and after being scrapped and restarted, has hit its first delay this time around.
The deadline for interested developers to submit proposals to the city’s Economic Devel-opment Corporation has been extended two weeks, from October 24, to November 7.
However, this may be the first good delay the project has ever seen.
According to EDC representative Kyle Sklerov, "There is significant interest in the Broadway Plaza site, and we have extended the deadline to allow respondents more time to finalize their proposals."
Sklerov added that developers re-quested the additional time because they needed more time to finalize their propos-als on the 80,000-square-foot lot that will include a pedestrian plaza in what is now Kimberly Place.
"Dotting the t’s and crossing the i’s pretty much," joked one developer, who asked not to be named. Other developers also confirmed that they were working on proposals, but only under the condition of anonymity because their companies try not to publicize their interest in sites.
Local community leaders were pleased to hear that developers were using the extended time to enhance and finalize proposals.
"We're happy the deadline has been extended," Community Board 8 chairman Robert Fanuzzi said. "Good proposals can get better and new proposals can come in. The community will come out the winner the more choices there are."
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who has been following the site since the first attempt at development, has high hopes that the delay will be positive.
"I would like there to be as many good proposals as possible," he said. "I want to see a lot of good quality stores in our neighbor-hood. The site should be used to the max with commercial development. If there are more choices, that can’t be a bad thing."
EDC has said the site is one of the last major commercial development op-portunities in the city. "This site has the potential to generate substantial private investment, thereby stimulating eco-nomic activity and creating good jobs in The Bronx," they said.
Earlier this year, Ceruzzi Holdings was set to purchase the land from the city after two years of delays, but they failed to close on the deal by a June 30 deadline and forfeited a $1 million purchasing price. They had agreed to pay $6.7 million total for the space after negotiating the city
down from $15 million in 2006.Debate over whether or not the site should
include housing has been linked to the proj-ect for years. A handful of proposals included housing the first time the city accepted bid-ders, though none of these proposals made it to the final round. The community board has yet to take a position on whether they support housing with the new request for proposals, saying they shouldn’t take a posi-tion before seeing what is offered.
Dinowitz has sparred with local groups on this issue because he has strongly opposed housing and would like to see the project be 100 percent commercial development. A local group, Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, submitted a proposal the first time and it did include housing.
in the top two bands.The prestigious school also boasted a
more than 99 percent passing rate on the latest math exam but missed on the top honors after P.S. 172 in Brooklyn recorded a 100 percent pass rate.
Under the methodology, schools that had fewer than 100 students or a single assessable grade were automatically eliminated, except those with classes with multiple grades and boasting at least 25 students in each grade.
Elementary schools were also separated from middle schools, again with the ex-ception of those that served kindergarten to eighth grade—which were ultimately counted as elementary schools.
Long way to the topContinued from Page 1
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3Short notice on P.O. closure hearing criticized
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1By BRENDAN McHUGH
The United States Postal Service gave only four days' notice for a public hearing on the possible closing of the Fieldston post office.
A letter acquired through Community Board 8 dated October 22 announces a meeting on October 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Gabriel’s School to discuss the possible closure of the 444 West 238th Street facility.
The lack of notice has infuriated local elected officials who have been fighting the move. The USPS plans to examine 17 Bronx offices for possible closure.
"I’m not sure how they expect to get reac-tion from the community when they don’t give enough notice," Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said. "That’s disgraceful."
Dinowitz added that he believes the USPS is giving short notice on purpose so they can go ahead and point to a poor turnout when they choose to close the office.
"It’s outrageous," City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell said Tuesday. "I learned about it Monday, and Wednesday is the hearing. They’re being contemptuous of the public."
A USPS spokeswoman said a notifica-tion was posted in the Fieldston office that was meant to alert "primary users."
"Our focus as far as input goes is on the customers who use this office on a regular basis. The customer notifica-tion alerted the primary users," Connie Chirichello said.
A number of residents who live along Waldo, Greystone, Riverdale and Oxford avenues all said they had no idea.
"Knowing the typical post office service in Riverdale, we’ll get a letter letting us
know about the meeting next week," Ox-ford Avenue resident Melissa Ward said.
"Customers who are not able to be at the St. Gabriel’s School at 590 West 235th Street in The Bronx can still have their voice heard through the completion of questionnaires—upon request—at the Fieldston station. Customer comments do not have to be made in person at a public meeting to be part of the public record."
Chuck Zlatkin, the legislative and politi-cal director for the New York Metro Area Postal Union, said the USPS is most certainly giving short notice on purpose and that the union has brought this up before.
"If it happened once that way, OK, but this seems to be standard operating proce-dure," he said. "This is a typical procedure because they want to limit the participa-tion of the local community."
He said the public hearings are noth-ing more than "show trials" and that the USPS will have no audio or video record of the hearing, just someone lackadaisi-cally taking notes.
Rep. Eliot Engel, who actually informed Dinowitz of the meeting during an event Sunday, blasted the USPS, calling the meetings a sham.
"I think it’s an outrage. Giving us four days is an insult," he exclaimed. "These hearings are really farces. They have to, by law, have them and go through them, but I have no expectation that anything good will come from them."
Engel said there is current legislation he co-sponsors that could provide much needed relief to the USPS, allowing them to save money and save many of their offices.
The USPS had a net loss of $3.1 billion in the third quarter this year, Chirichello
said, and the service relies only on sales of postage, products and services to fund its operations. "Total mail volume declined to 39.8 billion pieces compared to the same time last year, which was 40.9 billion pieces, a decrease of 2.6 percent thus far."
They are examining 3,000 offices throughout the country—34 are in the city, with half of those in The Bronx.
The Bronx offices are: Botanical, Castle Hill, Clason Point, Cranford, Dreiser Loop, Einstein, Esplanade, Fieldston, Hillside, Hunts Point, Melcourt, Morrisania, Spuy-ten Duyvil, Stadium, University Heights, Van Cott and West Farms. In Westchester, Yonkers South and Sandford Sta in Mount Vernon will be studied.
The bill, H.R. 1351, would use the surpluses in its pension accounts to cover the costs of prefunding its retiree health benefits. In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, a law that, among other things re-quires the Postal Service to prefund its retirees’ health benefits, a requirement that no other independent government agency or private company needs to fulfill. This prefunding requirement alone costs the Postal Service approximately $5.6 billion per year over ten years. The bill would allow the Postal Service to use the $6.9 billion surplus paid into the Federal Employees Retirement System and the additional billions of excess dollars the Postal Service contributed to the Civil Service Retirement System to help pay for the prefunding requirement.
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4 Around the schools...Gifted and Talented Programs
The DOE reminds parents that this Friday, October 28, is the deadline for submitting test request forms for G&T programs in the city schools. To submit the form online, go to schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/ApplyOnline. An informational handbook is available at that website. For more information, call 718-935-2009.
P.S. 24The legendary Boo
Bash is this Saturday, October 29, from 5 to around 9 p.m. at the school. Costumes are optional but encouraged. If possible, families with children in kindergarten through grade 2 are asked to attend between 5 and 7 p.m., but no one will be turned away from the music, dancing, games, Spooky Spuyten Duyvil Graveyard, Mad Science Laboratory, Tunnel of Terror or bouncy castles. Admission fees, which support the school, are $12 per adult, $6 per child or $30 per family. Event tickets are $1 each.
The Riverdale Y is starting Glee Club, a new after-school class on Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. P.S. 24 former music teacher Joan Schwartz will teach show tunes and folk songs, and stu-dents will give a performance at the end of the session. For more informa-tion, call the Y and ask for Jacob at 718-548-8200.
P.S. 81The Halloween parade is next Monday,
October 31. Students in kindergarten through second grade get to wear their costumes to school and parade around the building. Following the procession, second-graders will present a fall show including autumn-themed songs. Parents are welcome to attend.
M.S./H.S. 141—Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy
RKA hosted an open house for com-munity leaders last week. Representa-tives from the offices of Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz were there, as were members of Community Board 8 and state Senator Jeffrey Klein, who visited several class-rooms. Community Superintendent Sonia Menendez, School Network Leader Bob Cohen, local principals and representa-tives from area cultural institutions also attended. Eleanor Edelstein from Council-man Koppell's office joined Principal Lori O'Mara in a ribbon-cutting to dedicate the school’s new Mac Lab, which was made possible by funds secured by the councilman.
Friday morning tours are available through December 16 for parents of prospective middle school students who live within the RKA school zone. The starting time is 8:30 a.m. To register, contact parent coordinator Julie Prince at [email protected].
High school open house events for eighth-graders and their families are scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, and Wednesday, November 16, at 8:30 a.m. To register, contact parent coordina-tor Julie Prince at [email protected] starting the first week of November.
Horace Mann SchoolAn admissions open house is scheduled
for Sunday, October 30, at 1 p.m. Potential Middle Division families will meet in the Recital Hall and potential Upper Division families will meet at Gross Theatre.
The USC Shoah Foundation Institute has certified Sandy Rubenstein, a Lower Division faculty member, as a specialist in testimony-based education. Rubenstein attended a three-day workshop last summer as part of a Master Teacher Program geared toward Holocaust and tolerance education. The institute trains secondary school teachers in
the use of nearly 52,000 video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses.
Upper Division science teachers Dr. Jeff Weitz—a River-dale resident—and Dr. Stephen Palfrey presented a workshop
called Social Media and School at “ed-campnyc,” part of Columbia University’s School@Columbia conference.
College Of Mt. St. VincentDr. Rob Jacklosky, chair and professor
of English, was recently named as one of ten finalists in the Aspen Writers’ Foun-dation and Esquire Magazine 2011 Short Short Fiction contest. Dr. Jacklosky’s story, “Baby Envy,” will be performed at an Es-quire Magazine party for a live audience of contest judges and literati next week. He and the other finalists will participate in a writing workshop taught by Colum McCann, bestselling author of “Let the Great World Spin.” The contest winner will be awarded a full scholarship to an advanced summer fiction workshop dur-ing Aspen Summer Words this June.
Manhattan CollegeThe college was chosen for a Good
Neighbor Award by the Methodist Home for Nursing and Rehabilitation at the home’s 160th anniversary gala held at the New York Botanical Garden last week. Manhattan was recognized for enriching the lives of Methodist Home residents by helping to develop a variety of programs throughout the years. In one program, mechanical engineering students in a senior design course created customized products to aid mobility for the home’s residents. Recent creations include a pump that enables residents to fill a glass of water from their bedside pitcher and an indoor gardening table.
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By MIAWLING LAMThe city will conduct a comprehensive
traffic study outside two of Riverdale’s public schools in a bid to combat con-gestion around the area’s gridlocked streets.
The Riverdale Review can reveal the Department of Transportation last week kicked off a 12-week study of roads sur-rounding P.S. 24 and M.S/H.S. 141 amid growing traffic concerns.
Signal timing, signage, road markings and loading zones will be analyzed in the hope of improving traffic flow and children’s safety.
Locals claim traffic-calming measures are desperately needed along the five-block stretch of Independence Avenue between West 232nd and West 237th streets because student lives are being put at risk.
Department of Transportation spokes-man Montgomery Dean said the study was launched after the agency received a letter from local elected officials.
“DOT has initiated a study of signal timing, signage, markings and loading zones along this corridor at the request of Assembly Member [Jeffrey] Dinowitz,”
he said.“Once those studies are completed in
the next 12 weeks, we will inform the Assembly Member’s office of our find-ings and work on any changes that may be needed.”
Community Board 8 member Robert Press first raised the issue at last month’s general board meeting when he revealed that motorists were double-parking, triple-parking, blocking traffic and reck-lessly darting in and out of the four-way stop sign intersection outside the two schools.
He said while traffic conditions have always been hazardous, the situation was exacerbated after Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy changed their arrival and dis-missal times.
Under the changes, which came into effect in September, all RKA students now start and finish school within 10 minutes of their younger counterparts.
This year, RKA students attend school from 8:20 a.m. to 2:40 p.m., while P.S. 24’s school day runs from 8:10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Kindergarteners are dismissed at 2:20 p.m.
Last year, middle school students at-
tended school from 8:41 a.m. to 3:31 p.m., while hours for high school pupils ran from 7:50 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
The changes were designed to beef up RKA’s extended-day program, principal Lori O’Mara said.
Parents, residents and members of Community Board 8 have spent the past month thrashing out possible solutions to the traffic chaos.
In a letter to the city, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, along with Council-man G. Oliver Koppell and state Senator Adriano Espaillat suggested a list of seven traffic-calming measures.
Among the recommendations were the installation of stop signs, the creation of a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, yet another change in arrival times, an extended school-bus loading area and new pave-ment markings.
Meanwhile, parents from P.S. 24 and M.S./H.S. 141 called for the creation of a Children’s Safety Zone,while Press recommended that West 235th Street be converted into a one-way street.
CB8 traffic and transportation commit-tee chair Daniel Padernacht said his group would submit their own recommenda-tions within the next few weeks.
“I think the 20-mile-per-hour zone is a good idea with all the schoolchildren that go through there,” he said.
“I support extending the bus zone, but I’m personally not in favor of a one-way on that street. I don’t think there’s strong enough evidence to support that that ac-tion will correct the problem.”
The Department of Transportation conducted a traffic study of the area last year but concluded that traffic-calming measures were not necessary.
By BRENDAN McHUGHAn Irish name may be added to Tib-
bett Avenue.The traffic and transportation commit-
tee of Community Board 8 unanimously voted in favor of adding "Frank Durkan Way" to Tibbett Avenue between West 240th and West 238th streets, adjacent to Gaelic Park.
More than a dozen people came to last week’s meeting to share an anecdote about Durkan’s sincerity and commitment to Gaelic Park and to the Irish community, and dozens of other people and organiza-tions sent letters.
"He died a rich man in his heart," said Martin Lyons, a longtime friend of Dur-kan’s and the organizer of the effort.
Frank Durkan Way wouldn’t become the actual name of the street—it would be an honorary distinction only, marked by a second street sign above the Tibbett Avenue sign.
Community board rules indicate that for the name addition to succeed, the full board must vote in favor of the resolution in two consecutive months. After that, the City Council member must introduce the resolution in the Council, and the reso-lution must pass there as well. The City Council votes on name issues in batches, so the next vote may not take place until
the spring of 2012.Manhattan College, the Gaelic Ath-
letic Association, Riverdale Steakhouse and dozens of other local and citywide organizations have lent their support for the change, many of them citing Durkan as the voice for the Irish community for the past 50 years.
Durkan, an attorney, died in 2006. Ac-cording to his obituary in the New York Times, he was a "fierce and clever defender of Irish nationalists."
A scion of the O’Dwyer political dy-nasty, he was the nephew of William O’Dwyer, the mayor of New York in the late 1940s.
The main support for Frank Durkan Way came not from his courtroom hero-ics, but from his unwavering support for the Bronx Irish community and Gaelic Park.
"There is no other person I could think of that should have his name near Gaelic Park," said Tony Creaney, a community board member.
When asked why the group of sup-porters did not want to rename West 240th Street instead of Tibbett Avenue, Lyons said they wanted to save 240th Street for someone else of even greater importance, though who that may be is still unknown—even to them.
Street renaming sought for Frank Durkan
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RMHA to hold annual meeting
The Riverdale Mental Health Associa-tion's annual meeting, Thu., Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m., 5676 Riverdale Ave., Second Floor, Bronx, will present compelling firsthand accounts of RMHA's groundbreaking Riverdale PROS/Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services program. Riverdale PROS was launched in January to help participants overcome barriers posed by mental illness and to identify and reach life goals in employment, education, socialization and personal relationships. Director Rita Liegner, vocational specialist Susan Herschaft and clients of the program will discuss an innovative approach geared to increasing independence, reducing the need for emergency and inpatient psychiatric services, improving employ-ment and housing prospects and enabling participants to develop specific learning skills and strategies.
'Riverdale Pros is among the newest of RMHA's unique approaches to increasing the esteem, productivity and self-suf-ficiency of people we treat,' said RMHA Executive Director Robert Brewster. 'We are very proud of PROS and look forward to sharing with the community several compelling examples of the achievements of individuals in the program and the importance to everyone who lives and works in the community we serve.'
Riverdale PROS (http://rmha.org/programs-and-services/pros/) is staffed
by psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, mental health counselors, employment specialists, career counselors, peer special-ists and volunteers. Its services include clinic treatment such as counseling and therapy, medication management and symptom monitoring, and comprehen-sive rehabilitation, support, education, mentoring and advocacy programs. The public is welcome to attend this free RMHA event and refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Nadia Chaudhury, [email protected], (718) 796-5300 x 106.
Thursday discussions with Rabbi Steven Burton
The Thursday discussions with Rabbi Steven Burton will begin on October 27, 2011 at 10:30 A.M. at Congregation Shaarei Shalom's conference room at 5919 Riverdale Avenue.
Enjoy intelligent, probing conversa-tion with your neighbors about politics, religion and whatever else is on the agenda.
Rabbi Burton is an exciting discussion leader and these meetings have been a mainstay of the community intellectual life. Conversations with Rabbi Burton are open to the entire Riverdale community and all are welcome.
Congregation Shaarei Shalom is a Reform Jewish synagogue. It offers a contemporary and participatory worship experience and prides itself on its inclu-
siveness of all members of the Riverdale community, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, race, age or creed. It is dedicated to embracing the diversity within the Reform Jewish movement.
For further information about the congregation, services, membership, its Religious School, or any of the many adult program offerings, please contact the congregation at: (718) 798-0305, e-mail the Congregation at: [email protected] or visit its website at: www.shaareishalomriverdale.org.
Upcoming activites at Marble Hill Senior Center
The following programs are scheduled at the Marble Hill Senior Center in the upcoming week: On Thursday October 27th Barbara Denson will conduct a Botanical Craft class beginning at 1:45 PM. On Friday October 28th at 1:00 PM multi-instrumentalist Paul Phillips will perform at the Center's monthly birthday party. All programs are free and open to those aged sixty and older.
The Marble Hill Senior Center is located at 5365 Broadway between West 228th and West 230th Streets. A hot lunch is offered at noon Monday through Friday for adults aged 60 and older. For more information call 718-562-8551.
ARC to hold seminarARC is very pleased to remind you of our
first seminar of the season and to invite all member buildings to send representatives of their Boards of Directors to attend. As part of their paid annual membership, directors representing member cooperatives are all welcomed and encouraged to attend.
We very much look forward to see-ing you at this special event, which will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 7:30 P.M. in the meeting room of St. Gabriel's Church(on Netherland Avenue, just south of 235th Street; free parking available in lot)
Our invited speakers are: Congress-man Eliot Engel, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Councilman G. Oliver Koppell
This combination of voices from our legislative representatives should offer a rare opportunity for members of co-op boards to hear at one time, under one roof the latest information on the cur-
rent and future state of cooperatives in New York.
Questions about co-op issues will be taken from the floor.
If your building is not a paid member at this time, nonmembers are welcome to attend at the rate of $25.00 per person. Checks should be made out to 'Association of Riverdale Cooperatives' and brought with you on October 27th.
Riv. Temple to honor the memory of Fred Jones
Come honor the memory of Fred Jones during a special service at Riverdale Temple on Friday night, October 28, at 6:45 p.m.
Fred was a long time Music Director and Cantorial Soloist at the Temple from the early 1960's to 1993. Sadly, he passed away on October 2nd.
Please join us at Riverdale Temple 4545 Independence Avenue Riverdale, NY 10471 for this service in memory of Fred.
Elder George's storytelling at Kingsbridge library
Join Elder George as he examines through storytelling the experiences of individuals and groups and the principals that enable survival in various environ-ments. Featured will be a story about Teenagers Camping Out in February.
The storytelling will be held on Friday, Oct. 28, 1 p.m., at the Kingsbridge Branch Library, 291 West 231st Street.
Elder George is a former members of The Pearls of Wisdom, a touring ensemble of Elders Share the Arts (ESTA) that shared stories of their life experiences, and for-mer president of a New Jersey chapter of Toastmasters International. He has a broad range of life experiences to draw from as a former Merchant and Naval officers, entrepreneur, husband and father, and other areas of experience that accrue to senior citizens.
For more information, call the library at 718-548-5656.
Lecture for seniors on preventing falls
On Friday, October 28, the Simon Se-nior Center will have a lecture at 10:30 a.m. on 'Falls are Preventable: Tips and techniques to help prevent the risk of falls, how to stay strong, achieve better balance, and remain independent.' Free Balance Screening Assessment provided by Fox Rehabilitation. The entire community is invited to attend. For more information, contact Toby at 718-548-8200 ext 223. The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue.
RSS announces Real Life Solutions Classes!
Fall season begins November with:Therapeutic Yoga for chronic pain,
disability, sleeplessness or stress. taught by Nancy O'Brien, a therapeutic yoga instructor.
Zumba, simple to follow dance move-ments done to Latin and International music, Rhea Linda, certified instructor.
Class schedule: • Therapeutic Yoga: 6 Tuesdays, No-
• Zumba: 6 Mondays, November 7th- December 12th, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Fee: $35.00
Registration Required. Call 718-884-5900 and bring or mail check made out to Riverdale Senior Services. Validated parking available
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Take the Hudson Rail Link and Metro-North to Grand Central Terminal. You’ll save up to 20 minutes each way over other bus services, while relaxing in new, clean and comfortable buses and train cars.And there’s frequent service, with trains every 30 minutesduring the morning rush. Hudson Rail Link buses accept both MetroCard and a discounted bus/rail UniTicket. For more information, call 511, or visit mta.info. Ride the Link.
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'Curtains' to be shown at Riverdale Y
The Riverdale Y's Riverdale Repertory Company will present a number or two from their up-coming production of CURTAINS. This Tony-award winning musi-cal "whodunnit" boasts colorful characters, a zany script and memorable songs and dances.
This show will be featuring 35 adult members from River-dale, Yonkers, Manhattan, New Rochelle, White Plains and more. Show dates and times are: Saturdays October 29 & November 5 at 8PM, Sundays October 30 & November 6 at 3PM & 7PM, Wednesday, November 2 and Thursday, November 3 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $18 online, $20 at the door and $12 for Stu-dents and Seniors at all times.
The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue. For more information go to our website at www.RiverdaleY.org or call 718-548-8200 ext 200.
Local composer and performers at HIR concert
The community is invited to hear the music of Riverdale compos-er Stephen R. Cohen in a chamber concert at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale on Sunday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the social hall. Light refreshments will follow.
The varied program includes solos and duos for clarinet, piano and voice. Clarinetist Harvey Bien will perform three spiritual melo-dies-'nigunim'-in contrasting moods. Pianist Jonathan Dzik will accompany three vocalists-tenor Michael Abelson, soprano Nancy
Samotin and soprano Lianne Aha-roni-performing Cohen's settings of poems by John Donne, Robert Browning and others. Pieces for solo piano are a passacaglia-a form of variation-performed by pianist Daphne Palka and several works including Homage to Ives performed by pianist Bernard Katzman. Dzik will accompany clarinetist Angela Occhionero in a sonata for clarinet and piano. Bien, Dzik, Katzman, Palka and Samotin hail from Riverdale, and all but Katzman are members of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Community Choir, led by Mae-stro Dzik.
The suggested donation for admission is some multiple of $18. The artists have donated their talent for this performance, so all proceeds will help defray the cost of an upgraded security system for the synagogue.
Generico's Pizzeria and Cafe to open
Generico's Pizzeria and Café, the former Jasper's, announces their official grand opening and ribbon cutting for November 5.
According to owner Luigi Marcoccia, 'This is a day we have waited for with great expecta-tion. Ribbon cutting ceremonies are slated for 4:00 p.m. followed by music and menu specials to commemorate the event.'
A special performance will include acclaimed entertainer Pat Farenga, known for his Frank Sinatra renditions. Farenga's mu-sical tribute, 'Old Green Eyes Pays Tribute to Old Blue Eyes,' will highlight a planned 'Evening of Nostalgic Songs and Laughs.'
Generico's which opened
mid-May, took over the legend-ary Jaspers. As owner Luigi Mar-coccia stresses, 'The sign on the door may have changed but the legendary Jasper's pizza hasn't changed! We invite our neigh-bors in the Riverdale community to join us on this special day.'
Marcoccia and co-owner Alex Shkreli, both have roots in the neighborhood. Shkreli, is the for-
mer owner of Aria Hair and Beauty Spa on 235th Street and Johnson Avenue. Marcoccia spent four years at Manhattan College, graduating with a degree in finance.
Generico's is located at 3535 Riverdale Avenue. For more information on the special ceremonies contact Alex at 914-621-6290 .
Halloween Party at Amalgamated Nursery School
A Halloween Party will be held at the Amalgamated Nursery
School on Sunday, October 30, 2011, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The party will be held in Vladeck Hall, 74 Van Cortlandt Park South (corner of Hillman Ave. and Van Cortlandt Park South).
Fun for the whole family! This annual party will feature arts and crafts such as decorating pump-kins, photo frames and cookies. Activities include Creepy Crawly Maze, Bone Dig and more. Food and beverages will be for sale. $8 children's activity fee; adults ac-companying children are free.
For more information, please call 718-543-8688.
Bonus packages are issued to individuals 21 years of age or older. Offer subject to change
without notice. mohegansun.com
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Thursday, October 27RiverdaleTHURSDAY DISCUSSIONS10:30 a.m. Congregation Shaarei Shalom5919 Riverdale Avenue
Enjoy intelligent, probing conversation with your neighbors about politics, religion and whatever else is on the agenda. Rabbi Burton is an exciting discussion leader and these meetings have been a mainstay of the community intellectual life. Conversations with Rabbi Burton are open to the entire Riverdale community and all are welcome. For info, call 718-798-0305.
Do you want to learn how to open a new e-mail account? Do you need help opening or sending attachments? Do you want to practice your typing skills or need assistance in applying to a job online? Come to the Riverdale Library and get assistance on the computers. Practice your new skills at your own pace. Ask questions and learn from doing. For info, call 718-549-1212.
Marble HillCRAFT CLASS1:45 p.m. Marble Hill Senior Center5365 Broadway
Barbara Denson will conduct a Botanical Craft class. A hot lunch is offered at noon Monday through Friday for adults aged 60 and older. For more information call 718-562-8551.
KingsbridgeGAME ON4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Come have some fun playing the latest XBox 360 games with Kinect at the Kingsbridge Library! For ages 12-18. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
KingsbridgeHALLOWEEN ARTS & CRAFTS4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Arts & Crafts for 5-12 year olds. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
Spuyten DuyvilHALLOWEEN STORIES4 p.m. Spuyten Duyvil Branch Library650 West 235th Street
Presented by the children's librarian. For ages 6 to 12 years old. For more information, call 718-796-1202.
RiverdaleRMHA ANNUAL MEETING19:30:00 Riverdale Mental Health Association5676 Riverdale Avenue
RMHA's annual meeting will present compelling firsthand accounts of RMHA’s groundbreaking Riverdale PROS/Person-alized Recovery-Oriented Services program. The public is welcome to attend this free RMHA event and refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Nadia Chaudhury, [email protected], (718) 796-5300 x 106.
Friday, October 28Marble HillBIRTHDAY CELEBRATION1 p.m. Marble Hill Senior Center5365 Broadway
Multi-instrumentalist Paul Phillips will perform at the Center’s monthly birthday party. A hot lunch is offered at noon Monday through Friday for adults aged 60 and older. For more information call 718-562-8551.
KingsbridgeSTORYTELLING1 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Join Elder George as he examines life through storytell-ing. He will tell stories of life experiences of individuals and groups and the principals that enabled survival in various environments. Featured will be a story about camping out in February. Adults, teens and children are welcome. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
KingsbridgeTEEN ADVISORY GROUP4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Let your voice be heard in the Kingsbridge Library's Teen
Advisory Group! TAG meetings will be held on Friday afternoons from 4-5 pm. If you are a 7th -12th grade student, you are eligible to join. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
Sunday, October 30Van CortlandtHALLOWEEN PARTY11 a.m. Amalgamated Nursery School74 Van Cortlandt Park South
Fun for the whole family! This annual party will feature arts and crafts such as decorating pumpkins, photo frames and cookies. For more information, please call 718-543-8688.
Van CortlandtHALLOWEEN FESTIVAL4 p.m. Van Cortlandt ParkBroadway and West 246th Street
Take a haunted tour the passageways of the pool’s old bathhouse and get the scare of your life! Admission is free. For more information please visit www.nyc.gov/parks/rangers or call 311 and ask for the Urban Park Rangers.
RiverdaleCONCERT7:30 p.m. Hebrew Institute of Riverdale3700 Henry Hudson Parkway
The community is invited to hear the music of Riverdale composer Stephen R. Cohen in a chamber concert. The varied program includes solos and duos for clarinet, piano and voice. For more information, call 718-796-4730.
Monday, October 31KingsbridgeANIME NIGHT4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Want to see the hottest new anime? Come check out what's on screen at the library. Bring your friends, your pocky, and your anime and manga fandom! For ages 12-18. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
Tuesday, November 1RiverdaleTODDLER STORY TIME11:30 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library5540 Mosholu Avenue
Toddlers from 18 months to 3 years old and their par-ents/caregivers can enjoy interactive stories, action songs, and fingerplays, and spend time with other toddlers in the neighborhood. For more information, call 718-549-1212.
Wednesday, November 2Spuyten DuyvilEXERCISE PROGRAM10 a.m. Spuyten Duyvil Branch Library650 West 235th Street
This exercise program based upon the Arthritis Exercise Program previously given at the library uses gentle movements to help increase joint flexibility, range of motion & maintenance of muscle strength. The class meets for eight weeks, one hour per session, Wednesdays from October 5 through November 23, 2011. Registration is required as space is limited. For more information, call 718-796-1202.
KingsbridgeTODDLER STORY TIME11:30 a.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library291 West 231st Street
Stories, Songs, Fingerplays, Flannelboard Illustrations for toddlers ages 18-36 months for parents/caregivers. For more information, call 718-548-5656.
Saturday, November 5Spuyten DuyvilCONCERT2 p.m. Spuyten Duyvil Branch Library650 West 235th Street
Michael Dale, a Riverdale resident and a French teacher at the Horace Mann School, will sing original compositions to his own mountain dulcimer and guitar accompaniment. For more information, call 718-796-1202.
The Riverdale community is invited to the official ribbon cutting. There will be a night of nostalgic songs and laughs fea-turing acclaimed performer Pat Farenga, in his fabulous musical tribute to Frank Sinatra. For info, call 718-601-9000.
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Y0064_H3327_THPSMK_1583 File & Use 10262011*Actuarial analysis of the 2012 bid reviewed by Oliver Wyman Consulting Actuaries, September 2011. Benefits, premiums and/or copays may change on January 1, 2013 Touchstone Health HMO, Inc. is a Medicare-approved Health Maintenance Organization with a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug contract with the federal government.
Available 24/7 at 877-215-3354 (TTY 711)
CALL US NOW!
ATTENTION Medicare Beneficiaries In The Bronx!
NEWS FROM TOUCHSTONE HEALTH
Touchstone Health is committed to providing our members with access to quality care through our network of participating providers.
We work hard to maintain these important and valued provider relationships. However, there are times an agreement cannot be reached and the provider terminates their participation in our network.
Recently, Touchstone Health received a termination notice from Montefiore Medical Center effective, Jan 1, 2012. Although extensive efforts were made to salvage the relationship, we were unable to reach an agreement.
We’d like to remind Medicare Beneficiaries that Touchstone Health has a robust network of other providers in the Bronx and we’d be happy to help you find a provider in your area.
And with up to 24% more in monthly health benefits than Original Medicare, Touchstone Health may be your best choice.*
Find out more about Touchstone Health and our network in the Bronx.
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The Riverdale Repertory CompanyPresents
A Musical Comedy WhoDunIt
Directed by Laurie Walton
Performances are:Saturdays, Oct. 29 and
Nov. 5 at 8:00 pmSundays, Oct. 30 and
Nov. 6 at 3:00 pm & 7:00 pmWednesday, Nov. 2 at 7:30pmThursday, Nov. 3 at 7:30pm
Let’s Get PersonalNow for the month of November when you join the Y*, you will get 3 FREE personal training sessions besides all the Y can offer you!�Fully equipped fitness facility
�Group fitness classes including yoga
�Massage therapy
�New synergy salt pool with UV light
�T’ai Chi & Martial Arts
�Full basketball court
�Babysitting
It’s your community – It’s your Y!
5625 Arlington Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471718-548-8200www.RiverdaleY.org
*Offer is for new members only. Not to be combined with any other offer. Offer good until Nov. 30, 2011
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By PAULETTE SCHNEIDERLaGuardia Arts high school is a 45-
minute subway commute for Jharrel Jerome. The Norwood freshman says it’s well worth the trip, but he hasn’t found any schoolmate neighbors to share his daily journey to the special public high school right near Lincoln Center.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Sheehan was lucky to find a fellow LaGuardia student living right in her Riverdale building. While the girls are a duo on the bus and subway in the morning, they solo on the way home because of different class schedules. “When I take the 1 train, everyone lives in Brooklyn and Queens, so they take the downtown train—I’m all alone,” Sheehan lamented.
But a Riverdale Children’s Theatre initiative is adding more diverse Bronx voices to the city’s competitive arts high
schools—they’re offering a free audition seminar at Hunts Point Middle School for students hoping to attend Professional Performing Arts High School, Talent Un-limited High School, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School or Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
This year, out of 9,000 applicants, 664 students were selected for admission to LaGuardia after getting through a rigorous audition. Requirements may be somewhat less demanding at the other schools, but every applicant should come prepared—there’s plenty of competition.
Youngsters who grew up with neigh-borhood children’s theater programs are a step ahead when they audition, so RCT is reaching out to those who yearn to be performers but have never been
onstage—teens who’ve had “a love of it or a dream of it, but never an opportunity to prepare for it.”
“Kids come in and they say, ‘This is my dream. This is where I want to go to school,’” said Becky Lillie Woods, RCT’s artistic director.
“We get a lot of that. They’re laying everything on the line for these auditions, and they may have never done a show before,” added Derek Woods, the group’s executive director.
Sheehan recalls that her elementary school, St. Gabriel’s, did put on school plays at one point. “I did their plays from kindergarten through fifth grade. Then, they cut it because of the budget cuts. And that’s when I turned to the Y.”
Between her roles in Riverdale Rising Stars Junior productions and some pre-audition coaching from Becky Woods, she was in good shape for her auditions.
Jerome, a student at St. Brendan’s through eighth grade, had no perfor-mance opportunities at his school and no neighborhood after-school programs to develop his dramatic talent. So when the school told students about the audi-tion seminar last year, Jerome jumped at the opportunity.
“I’ve been aspiring to be an actor since I was seven,” he said. “I just hadn’t really worked on being one, and I knew this was it.”
Jerome promptly made up for lost time. With some coaching from Derek Woods on the tough monologue he chose, he acted his way into LaGuardia’s drama program.
Seasoned, attentive professionals wel-come students to the RCT seminar, this year geared primarily for those planning
to major in drama, musical theater or vo-cal studies. The cast of coaches features Tony Award-winning actress Michele Pawk, Emmy Award-winning actress Ali-son Bartlett, P.S. 7 music teacher Linda LoPresti, dancer and choreographer Krys-tal Hall-Glass and consummate theater professionals Becky and Derek Woods.
Sheehan joined the team last year to describe the nuts and bolts of the audition process and to answer questions. She and Jerome may be on hand this year to give first-hand descriptions and to calm and inspire participants.
“Just being able to work a mono-logue with someone who understands the different parts of it who can give a little feedback—that’s going to help,” said Derek Woods, who insists that the help is not presented as a “critique” but rather as a “tip”—perhaps to select a dif-ferent monologue or song or to suggest a deeper understanding of the material, empowering the applicant to give a more meaningful performance.
“They’re already nervous,” Becky Woods said. “We want to take what they’re showing us and make it better….Just the opportunity to get up and try it out is going to give them so much of a better feeling.”
But Derek Woods puts the matter into perspective. “The audition doesn’t define you,” he said. “If they don’t get into these high schools, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to be an actor. It just means they’re not ready or at that level at this point.”
The upcoming RCT audition seminars for Bronx eighth- and ninth-graders are on Monday, November 7, and Monday, November 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at M.S. 424—the Hunts Point Middle School, 730 Bryant Avenue. To register, visit riverdale-theatre.org.
RCT holds arts high school audition seminar for Bronx kids
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Classical concert at Church of the Mediator
The Fall Classic concert will be held at Church of the Mediator this coming Saturday October 29. The concert will feature performances by: Conflitti Di Voci, Monica Niemi, Tili Mahanor, and Anthony Purdy.
The concert begins at 7 p.m. Admis-sion is $10.00. Church of the Mediator is located at 260 West 231 Street, Bronx 10463 at Kingsbridge Avenue. For infor-mation call 718.548.3312
All are welcome.
Halloween festival at Van Cortlandt Park
Halloween Festival: Ghoul Pool will be held on Sunday, October 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. in Van Cortlandt Park. Meet at Van Cortlandt Pool (Enter the park at W. 246th St. and Broadway).
Take a haunted tour the passageways of the pool's old bathhouse and get the scare of your life! Admission is free.
Public transportation: Take the 1 train to the 242ndStreet. Walk north on Broad-way. Enter the park at W.246th Street and follow the signs to the Pook.
Take the Bx9 bus to the 242nd Street. Walk north on Broadway. Enter the park
at W.246th Street and follow the signs to the center.
For more information please visit www.nyc.gov/parks/rangers or call 311 and ask for the Urban Park Rangers.
Simon Senior Center to hold open Sunday
On Sunday, October 30 the Simon Senior Center will have an Open Sun-day. Please join us for a morning activity with lunch to follow at 11:45 am. Then we will see the Riverdale Reps' Y show of Curtains. For more information regard-ing this event, please contact Toby at 718-548-8200 ext 223. The Riverdale Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue. The entire community is welcome.
Seniors finally to get Social Security COLA increase
Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) welcomed the announcement that seniors will get their first cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits since 2009. The 3.6 percent raise will help about 55 million beneficiaries during these difficult finan-cial days. Rep. Engel is the author of the Guaranteed 3% Cost Of Living for Seniors Act which would guarantee a minimum three percent increase annually in COLA
for Social Security recipients.'It is good news for seniors around the
country to be able to see an uptick in their Social Security benefits. Seniors need to keep up with the growing cost-of-living, especially in New York, and not having a COLA increase can be devastating,' said Rep. Engel.
Due to the way the COLA is calculated, seniors did not receive a COLA increase in their monthly benefits during 2010 or 2011. There previously had never been a year without an increase, since automatic adjustments for inflation was installed in 1975 and responsibility for the COLA was taken away from the Congress. The Social Security Act of 1973 specifies the formula to determine the COLA. (http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/latestCOLA.html)
The COLA formula is currently based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which reflects the purchasing patterns of people who earn at least half of their in-come from wages. Rep. Engel's legislation would mandate using another index of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). This is geared towards capturing inflation among those over 62, and is a better indication of seniors' spending habits. The CPI-E would have provided seniors a COLA in both 2010 and 2011.
The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would base the Social Security COLA on a consumer price index that uses the CPI-E. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has tracked the CPI-E since the early 1980's. For example, a senior who retired with an average monthly benefit of $460 in 1984 would have received almost $12,856 more over the past 27 years with the CPI-E.
Boro Pres. Diaz conducts 'Well Being' Survey
If you live or work in the Bronx, the Borough President's office wants to hear from you.
The office of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is conducting a 'well being' survey, which aims to hear from Bronx residents and those who work in our borough on a variety of topics important to the Bronx.
The survey takes only a few minutes, and the office is giving away a prize to one individual who completes the survey.
You can take the survey, in English, at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BronxBP2011
The survey is also available in Spanish at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BronxBienestarYVida
The survey closes on October 31.
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JOEL PAL CECILIA McNALLY Production Manager Office Manager
ROBERT NILVA MIAWLING LAM Marketing Director Associate EditorNote our New Address:
5752 Fieldston RoadBronx, New York 10471
(718) 543-5200FAX: (718) 543-4206
STAFF: Robert Lebowitz, Brendan McHugh, Richard Reay, Paulette Schneider, Lloyd Ultan, Daniel R. Wolf
ANDREW WOLF, Editor and Publisher
No confidence in Van Cortlandt Park leadershipTo The Editor:
Memorial Grove Restoration — Start, Stop – Start, Stop – and Stop again!
Despite recent progress, I am con-cerned that we are not making any positive headway with this project which is impacting the respect we owe our fallen heroes — the servicemen of WWII and the Korean War. It is going on six years since the deplor-able and neglected condition of the Memorial Grove at Van Cortlandt Park (West 246th Street and Broad-way) was brought to the attention of the NYC Parks Department. After years of wrangling with NY State politicians, NYC officials, and local neighborhood nonprofit organiza-tions to restore the memorial, funding was finally allocated four years ago through the dedicated support of Councilman Oliver Koppell and the tireless efforts of Bob Bender, Chair-man of Community Board 8 Parks Committee. It has taken some two and a half years for the NYC Parks Department to select a contractor and establish a restoration start date of April 11, 2011 with a plan to complete restoration in January 2012.
Well, I am sad to report that April 2011 had come and gone, and restoration of the Memorial Grove was not begun in earnest and completion in January 2012 is merely a dream. The NYC Parks Department has provided numerous reasons for restoration delays, including a recent stop order issued over a half of a year after the planned start date due to the contractor’s sub-contractor not meet-ing certain requirements. Sounds like just more bureaucratic red tape! We need more public outcry to push these efforts along and influence our elected officials to get involved and drive the Memorial Grove Restora-tion to completion.
We, the Memorial Restoration Group, hold an annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the site of the Memo-
rial Grove and this year’s ceremony will have a presentation to honor a very special person. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, November 13 at 12:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend and show your support. This year’s ceremony will feature ROTC Honor Guards from Manhattan Col-lege, Fordham University and SUNY Maritime College. In addition, the ceremony will include an annual planting of 39 American flags by Boy Scout Troop 240 commemorating the 37 servicemen in the Grove.
The memorial is located at Broadway and West 246th Street (opposite 6305 Broadway). We are looking forward to having you in attendance on Sunday, November 13, at 12:30 p.m.
Herb Barret
To The Editor:The Palestinians hope to have
holy sites like the city of Bethlehem as well as Jewish holy places like the Cave of the Patriarch in Hebron declared as Palestinian heritage sites along borders that they will define.
U.S. withdrawal from UN agencies will hurt U.S. influence throughout the world.
This bid at UNESCO is just an-other attempt by the Palestinians to bypass peace negotiations with Israel, to orchestrate international pressure against Israel and to isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state.
Many nations are urging the Palestinians to pull back but President Mahmoud Abbas has so far refused.
Foreign aid from America should be linked to our national interests. Ongoing blank checks to countries and entities that continue to defy American security and other con-cerns cannot continue.
Avery Steinberg
Bypassing real peace negotiations
High School TragedyThe headlines over the past week tell a disturbing story: we are
nine long years into Mayor Bloomberg’s control over our public schools and yet our schools are still failing – big time.
Only a quarter of our high school graduates are prepared for either college (and we’re not talking about Harvard here, folks, but the community college level) or careers. But, we are told by the fraud-sters running the Department of Education that 62% of high school seniors are graduating on time. Graduating from what? Here’s the truth of the matter. Mayor Bloomberg has turned our high schools into diploma mills, mass-producing worthless certificates.
For The Bronx, the news is particularly bad. Here is where the Bloomberg strategy has really fallen down. By demolishing the network of neighborhood-based high schools, supplemented by the elite borough-wide programs at the legendary DeWitt Clinton and Walton High Schools, we are left with nothing.
And the administration specifically set out to destroy these schools, manipulating their populations and deliberately overcrowding them in order to insure their failure.
They did it at Walton, and Columbus, and at Lehman and Ken-nedy and now the crosshairs are on DeWitt Clinton, a school of historical greatness with thousands of loyal alumni.
We recall interviewing the late Marty Richman, a well-known civic leader in the northwest Bronx. When we asked about his high school career, he spontaneously broke into song: “DE WITT C-L-I-N-T-O-N!” Other than his family, he loved his alma mater above all things.
Who will sing of Clinton in the future when there is no Clinton? Last year, the Department of Education deliberately rigged the pupil population, sending over hundreds of “over-the-counter” enrollees for whom the school became the school of last resort, as the school was deliberately starved of resources. Predictably, scores fell.
This was not a failure for lack of trying or expertise. The principal of the school, Geraldine Ambrosio, is considered one of the very finest in the system. One seasoned observer said she is “experienced, caring, knowledge-able, and guided by a drive to do what is best for her students and the school.” But she has been set up to fail by an administration that cares more about deceptively pumped-up numbers than actual learning.
We know that the Clinton Alumni Association stands at the ready to roll up their sleeves and help. Clinton can be saved. But does Michael Bloomberg care? Regrettably, the answer is almost assuredly “no.”
Even as you read this, bureaucrats from the Department of Educa-tion are busy measuring the space in the landmark building, chomp-ing at the bit in their desire to turn the “Clinton Campus” into an inane collection of six or eight meaningless small high schools.
Bloomberg has created hundreds of these, dozens have already failed, and scores more ready to join the list. But who will sing of their years at any of these forgettable mini-schools, the few good ones, or the many awful ones?
Our high schools are failing for one reason and one reason only. Bloomberg’s stewardship of the elementary and middle schools (remembering that all of this year’s freshmen class were educated totally since Bloomberg assumed control of and responsibility for the schools) has left students ill-prepared to do high school level work. Failure feeds upon failure in an administration that mistakes test prep for learning, and so casually cheats by inflating the scores and deceiving parents and students by telling them that all is well.
There is no easy road to a good education. We need high stan-dards that begin in kindergarten. There is ample evidence that the die is cast by the time students are in the second or third grade. Our weak elementary schools, in almost every neighborhood, doom their students long before they ever even think of high school. But studies indicate that performance as early as just second or third grade is a highly accurate predictor of success in high school.
We need to restore the historic ties between neighborhoods and their schools. But the Bloomberg administration having already destroyed all zoned local high schools, and is now working at eliminating zoned middle schools, even has the zoned elementary schools targeted as well.
It is time for the legislature to do its job, the one they botched so totally in 2009, and begin to unravel mayoral control and put the public back into our public schools. Then maybe on some future day we can again have schools worth singing about.
The R
IVER
DA
LE REV
IEW • Th
ursd
ay, Octo
ber 27, 2011
19RKA’s high school gets an ‘A’
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UNESCO should not hold vote for ‘Palestine’To The Editor:
Next Monday, UNESCO is expected to vote to accept Palestine as a full mem-ber. Under legislation passed by the US Congress 15 years ago, this will trigger an automatic cutoff of U.S. funding, harming U.S. influence throughout the world.
Moreover, if Palestine should be ac-cepted as a full UN member, it will work to have holy sites like the city of Bethlehem and Jewish holy places such as the Cave of the Patriarch in Hebron declared as Palestinian heritage sites along borders that they will define. This essentially means that Jewish people will not be able to safely access these sites.
This bid at UNESCO is another attempt by the Palestinians to bypass peace nego-tiations with Israel, to orchestrate interna-tional pressure against Israel and to isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state.
UNESCO must cancel this vote planned for next week as it will damage US interests abroad, prevent US funding from reaching those who need it, and further delay es-sential peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Ariella Nadler
Goodbye Columbus To The Editor:
Goodbye Columbus and thanks for the memories. Your feat was indeed historic -- some say equivalent to landing on the moon-- but we don't think you once considered the human toll.
You see it's really not about how you got here. It's what you did after you arrived. We don't want to quibble over words, however what you called a voyage of discovery we call cultural genocide. You've always had your protectors, some still wearing robes.
Today as their credibility fades so does your own, so forgive us if we don't show you to the door. The memories are still painful even after 519 years.
Given your legendary greed its a wonder you weren't installed down in Wall Street instead of on your lonely pedestal high above Central Park. Nevertheless your presence here forces us to ask this question as we create a New World of our own in the 21st century: Do we want to follow you back into the darkness or with new values based on dignity and respect for all peoples, move towards the light?
Robert S. Gratz
of students who entered high school in 2006 were fully prepared for college four years later.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he was pleased with RKA’s performance but called into question the city’s grading system. RKA’s middle school, M.S. 141, was awarded a C grade just last month.
“I place very little weight on the report card grade. But having said that, I’d rather see one of our local schools get an A than get a D,” he said.
“Frankly, I don’t think any grade less than an A should be acceptable for our schools in our community, but what do these grades really mean?”
Dinowitz said he also took heart in RKA’s percentile and was glad the city introduced the new metrics.
“It’s good news that our local school is doing significantly better than the
city, but it is a problem that such a low percentage of kids graduating city schools are college-ready,” he said.
“If they’re not college-ready, why are they graduating?”
“I want to see our local schools in the very top percentile. I’m pleased that they are doing better than most schools, but I want them to be the number-one school.”
Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott said the additional “college readiness” rubrics were designed to reward high schools whose students successfully en-gage in rigorous coursework and graduate college-ready.
Schools were not held accountable for the new measures this year, but they will be integrated into schools’ progress report scores and grades from 2012.
“Our message to schools is clear: Stu-dents need to be meeting a higher bar and doing more rigorous work if they are going to be ready for life after high school,” Walcott said.
“It’s important that our principals, teachers, students and families are on the same page in this effort and understand the goal is not just graduating, but gradu-ating college- and career-ready.”
Overall, tougher graduation require-ments and tighter standards for scoring Regents exams meant fewer city schools re-ceived the highest two grades this year.
Under the new breakdown, 33 percent of the city’s schools received A’s, 32 percent B’s, 24 percent C’s, 8 percent D’s and the bottom 4 percent F’s.
Citywide, 90 percent of schools either changed by one grade or received the same grade as last year. Three schools’ grades rose by three grades or more, and six schools
saw a decline of three grades or more.Of concern is that only 29 percent of
high schools in The Bronx scored an A compared to 38 percent in Manhattan and 34 percent in Queens.
Chief Academic Officer Shael Polakow-Suransky said he was confident that New York City students would meet whatever standards the state set.
As part of the stricter standards, stu-dents who graduated in 2011 had to score a 65 or higher on four out of five Regents exams. In previous years, the passing benchmark was 55.
“As we continue to raise classroom standards and prepare schools for tougher graduation requirements, it looks like our students are rising to the challenge,” Polakow-Suransky said.
“We can’t wait for the state to toughen its tests or align its policies to college-readiness standards.”
