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New school planned in Woodside
February 23, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Jason Pafundi
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) was joined by State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Woodside) and Lorraine Grillo, president of the School Construction Authority, in announcing plans for a new school in Woodside. The 440-seat elementary school will be built on four lots on 57th Street and 39th Avenue and is expected to be completed in time for the opening of the 2015 school year.
Van Bramer and other electeds have worked extensively with the SCA to address overcrowding in Community Education Council 30, which contains Woodside and Sunnyside. continue reading…
I.S. 227 kids prepare for ‘Seussical’
February 16, 2012 at 7:45 pm
Jason Pafundi
Students from grades 5-8 at Louis Armstrong Middle School in East Elmhurst have been hard at work rehearsing for their upcoming performances of the musical “Seussical.”
Led by Kate O’Neill, director and choreographer, the students rehearse two days per week for two hours. O’Neill said the entire rehearsal process will last four months.
O’Neill and her staff — Anthony Femino, musical director; Kate Thomason, set and prop designer; Tallin Lamonoca, sound design — brainstormed last spring about what musical to select for the following year’s performance. The decision came down to the Stephen Sondheim musical “Into the Woods” and “Seussical.” After reading both scripts with Femino, O’Neill realized “Seussical” would be a much better match for their students. continue reading…
Kochkareva, Russian singer, prepares for competition, album
February 16, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Jason Pafundi
Singer Tatiana Kochkareva had only been to the United States once before she moved from her native Moscow to attend the University of Miami on a full scholarship to study jazz.
Just a few years later, the Astoria resident is preparing to release her third album while rehearsing for the upcoming WNYC Battle of the Boroughs competition at the Green Space, where she will represent Queens.
While in Moscow, Kochkareva, who has only a slight accent, said she knew she wanted to study jazz, and she did a lot of research into universities with well-known jazz programs. She got accepted to a couple of places before choosing Miami. continue reading…
Sunnyside dog owners don’t pick up, residents say
February 16, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Jason Pafundi
Something stinks.
And if you’re walking along 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside, there is a good chance that what you smell was left behind by a dog.
Numerous residents have complained recently to the Dept. of Sanitation and to Community Board 2 about the number of spots around Sunnyside where dog owners have left behind their dogs’ waste. continue reading…
Van Bramer kicks off ‘Respect For All’ week
February 16, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Jason Pafundi
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) visited his alma mater, Bryant High School in Astoria, on Monday, Feb. 13, to kick off Respect for All week, an annual city-wide initiative by the Dept. of Education to promote respect for diversity through skits, art projects, readings and performances.
Van Bramer spoke to students at an assembly about the importance of treating everyone as equals. He used his own experience at Bryant High to accentuate the need to be accepting to all people. continue reading…
