One Brooklyn
October 8, 2015
BROOKLYN, NY, October 8, 2015: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams detailed over $13 million invested in 70 schools throughout Brooklyn, focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and technology initiatives, from his Fiscal Year 2016 funds; the figure represents the largest apportionment of his capital budget. He made the announcement last Wednesday inside the auditorium of PS 193 Gil Hodges in Midwood, which is set to receive a $250,000 allocation to outfit their STEM/Technology Exploration/Demonstration Lab, a multidisciplinary learning space for a diverse student population where 25 percent of students do not speak English as their first language. Borough President Adams highlighted the impact that education projects he is funding will have across Brooklyn in schools ranging from elementary to higher education, including public, charter, parochial, and private institutions.
“The educational opportunities we create in Brooklyn should reflect the knowledge and skills necessary for the jobs of today and tomorrow in our borough, jobs which are rooted in STEM,” said Borough President Adams. “Projects like mobile labs and hydroponic classrooms will foster creativity and problem solving ability needed to prepare students for high-quality career opportunities. My administration will continue to move boldly forward in education, unafraid to challenge old paradigms and try new approaches to maximize our youngest Brooklynites’ full potential.”
“It was a great pleasure to host this announcement with Borough President Adams; the PS 193 family is so grateful to be a part of this groundbreaking work,” said Tami Flynn, principal of PS 193 Gil Hodges. “We look forward to creating our ‘Gil Hodges STEM/Technology Exploration/Demonstration Lab’ so that our students will be afforded the technological resources to better prepare them for college and career readiness. Through these enhancements, we can better serve our entire student population and further promote Borough President Adams’s vision to grow and create One Brooklyn.”
“Improving our public school system, especially in the areas of science and technology, will make a life changing impact on countless youth in our borough,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. “I applaud Borough President Adams for announcing these significant allocations in my district today, which will bring my district and the entire borough of Brooklyn one step closer to breaking down barriers to our youth’s success.”
In nearby East Flatbush, Borough President Adams funded projects at four schools: $35,000 for interactive smartboards at Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, $46,000 for a technology and engineering laboratory at MS 763 Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy, $64,000 for interactive smartboards and whiteboards at the School for Democracy and Leadership, and $120,000 for an auditorium upgrade at International Arts Business School.
“Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy would like to thank Borough President Adams for his hard work and dedication towards providing technology in schools, ours especially,” said Angela DeFilippis, principal of MS 763 Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy. “We are a STEM school and not only do we aim to teach students about technology, but we want our students to be familiar with the most advanced technology via hands-on and project-based learning. The 21st century classroom is meant to teach and prepare students about our society’s evolution with technology. Borough President Adams’s budget allocations will help ensure our students are prepared and ready for 21st century enterprises and industries.”
Two high schools in Flatbush were supported by Borough President Adams’s budget: High School for Service and Learning at Erasmus, which received $50,000 toward a library upgrade, and Midwood High School, which garnered $350,000 for auditorium seating.
“The ABCs of our schools must include more than arithmetic, biology, and chemistry: our students also need art, books, and computers,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene. “All of our children deserve to receive a well-rounded education. Investing in our schools is the best way to ensure that our students succeed. I commend Borough President Adams for allocating funds to our schools. May it be a happy and healthy school year for students and teachers.”
In Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, PS 92 Adrian Hegeman was granted $370,000 by Borough President Adams for a computer lab upgrade. He allocated funds to two schools in Crown Heights: $40,000 for TV broadcast studio and digital lounge equipment upgrades at New York WEB Center, and $350,000 for a computer lab upgrade at PS 335K Granville T. Woods. Furthermore, Borough President Adams designated funds to go to four schools in Brownsville: $69,000 for technology upgrades to Kappa V, $150,000 for school outfitting to Central Brooklyn Ascend Charter School, $150,000 for technology and auditorium upgrades to IS 392 School for the Gifted and Talented, and $200,000 for an early childhood technology lab to PS/IS 323.
Borough President Adams provided grants to three East New York schools: $125,000 for a multi-sensory room at Spring Creek Community School, $130,000 for mobile STEM labs at East New York Family Academy, and $200,000 for a school library at Passages Academy – Belmont. He also apportioned $100,000 for technology upgrades to PS 279 Herman Schreiber in Canarsie.
Abraham Lincoln High School and Rachel Carson High School in Coney Island were awarded $500,000 each by Borough President Adams for softball field upgrades and science lecture room upgrades, respectively. Additionally, he assigned $480,000 toward culinary program upgrades to William E. Grady High School in Brighton Beach and $750,000 toward marina construction to Kingsborough Community College in Manhattan Beach.
“Borough President Adams is a supporter and friend of Kingsborough Community College, and it is my pleasure to represent President Farley Herzek at this special event,” said Lavita McMath Turner, director of government and community relations at Kingsborough Community College. “We couldn’t agree more with the Borough President’s decision to invest resources in science, technology, engineering and math in the borough’s public schools. At Kingsborough, we have also invested significant resources to increase the number of STEM-related opportunities available for our students, because these are indeed the areas of growth with the greatest potential for entry into the middle class.”
IS 234 Arthur W. Cunningham in Homecrest received $242,000 from Borough President Adams for mobile STEM labs. He apportioned funding for two schools in Gravesend: $75,000 to the High School of Sports Management for their mobile STEM project, and $500,000 to PS 686 Brooklyn School of Inquiry for the BSI STEMLab. In Bensonhurst, Borough President Adams distributed $175,000 for library renovations to PS 247 The College Partnership Elementary School, and $350,000 for a science lab to IS 96 Seth Low. In addition, he allotted $60,000 for computer lab upgrades to IS 201 The Dyker Heights School in Dyker Heights.
“The Brooklyn School of Inquiry, together with our partners from the Center for Technology and School Change at Teacher’s College/Columbia University, are thrilled that Borough President Adams is supporting our effort to build a teaching and learning STEMLab on the roof of the PS/IS 237 campus,” said Donna Taylor, principal of PS 686 Brooklyn School of Inquiry. “We have also received support from Council Member Greenfield and look forward to other Brooklyn council members joining us to support this work that will benefit so many students.”
Borough President Adams contributed $100,000 to P77K in Borough Park for a multi-sensory room, as well as $96,000 to Sunset Park High School in Greenwood Heights for technology upgrades. He gave $35,000 for technology upgrades to the Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School in Windsor Terrace, in addition to funds for three South Slope schools: $100,000 for a Wi-Fi project at PS 10 Magnet School for Math, Science and Design Technology; $150,000 for technology upgrades at MS 443 New Voices School of Academic and Creative Arts; and $161,000 for technology upgrades at PS 295 Studio School of Arts and Culture.
Park Slope had two schools that received grants from Borough President Adams: PS/MS 282 Park Slope School, which accepted $35,000 for their coding and technology initiative, and PS 321 William Penn, which obtained $150,000 for solar roof panels. He granted $125,000 for technology upgrades to PS 38 The Pacific School in Boerum Hill, and $114,000 for technology upgrades to PS 29 John M. Harrigan in Cobble Hill. Borough President Adams also allocated $115,000 for gym renovations to the Brooklyn Secondary School for Collaborative Studies in Carroll Gardens.
Two Downtown Brooklyn institutions benefitted from Borough President Adams’s budget: Brooklyn International High School, which received $134,000 for computer cart upgrades, and New York University (NYU), which secured $1,025,000 for clean room facility equipment. St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights was also assisted with $280,000 he awarded for A/V lighting upgrades to the Maroney Theater.
“Capital investment into the creation of Brooklyn’s first Clean Room Facility demonstrates that Borough President Adams truly understands that one of the best ways to keep the momentum of the innovation economy going in Brooklyn is to invest in the borough’s academic institutions,” said Katepalli Sreenivasan, dean of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. “We are grateful for the support and look forward to continuing to partner with the Borough President’s office.”
In Vinegar Hill, Borough President Adams provided $52,000 to PS 307 Daniel Hale Williams for a mobile STEM lab. He also funded a $242,000 project for repairs and improvements to the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School’s home port in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
“Urban Assembly New York Harbor School is grateful to Borough President Adams for his generous support of the school’s unique career and technical education programs in marine science and technology,” said Jeffrey Chetirko, principal of Urban Assembly New York Harbor School. “By allocating funds to make much-needed capital improvements to Harbor School’s homeport at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, as well as the development of the Billion Oyster Project’s student-maintained oyster nursery in Wallabout Channel, Borough President Adams will enable high school students from Brooklyn and the other boroughs to acquire the skills and experience to pursue careers in the maritime industry and to become stewards of this City’s greatest natural resource, New York Harbor.”
PS 414 Brooklyn Arbor in Williamsburg received $65,000 from Borough President Adams for technology upgrades; that neighborhood also saw PS 132K The Conselyea School garner $125,000 for STEM classroom upgrades as well as JHS 50 John D. Wells and Success Academy Williamsburg, which are co-located in the same building, acquire $500,000 toward an outdoor sports and recreational facility. In Greenpoint, he assigned $70,000 to PS 110 The Monitor School for computer lab upgrades and $100,000 for STEM labs to PS 31 Samuel F. Dupont. Borough President Adams additionally gave $175,000 for auditorium upgrades to PS 147 Isaac Remsen and $400,000 to Progress High School for their one-to-one laptop initiative.
“I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to Borough President Adams and Deputy Borough President Reyna for their generosity and continued support of PS 147,” said Principal Sandra Noyola of PS 147 Isaac Remsen. “We are very grateful for the $175,000 in capital funding and are looking forward towards working with them to put these monies to good use for our school community. Elected officials like Borough President Adams and Deputy Borough President Reyna make a world of a difference for our children and school communities during these lean fiscal times.”
Ten schools in Bushwick were given funding by Borough President Adams. The list of allocations in that neighborhood includes: $52,000 for a mobile STEM lab at PS 75 Mayda Cortiella; $52,000 for a mobile STEM lab at PS 151 Lyndon B. Johnson; $52,000 for a mobile STEM lab at PS 299 Thomas Warren Field; $52,000 for a mobile STEM lab at PS 377 Alejandrina B. De Gautier; $100,000 for science lab upgrades at the co-located Academy for Environmental Leadership and Academy of Urban Planning; $100,000 for technology upgrades at PS 123 Suydam; $104,000 for mobile STEM labs at IS 349 Math, Science and Technology; $104,000 for mobile STEM labs at PS 376 Felisa Rincon de Gautier; and $104,000 for mobile STEM labs at PS/IS 45 Horace E. Greene. He also designated $150,000 to go to the Highland Park Community School in Cypress Hills for the Mae Jemison S.T.E.A.M. Makerspace.
Borough President Adams allocated capital funds to eight schools in Bedford-Stuyvesant: $52,000 to PS 44 Marcus Garvey for a mobile STEM lab, $52,000 to PS 256 Benjamin Banneker for a mobile STEM lab, $100,000 to Mott Hall IV for technology upgrades, $104,000 to MS 35 Stephen Decatur for mobile STEM labs, $158,000 to PS 373 Brooklyn Transition Center for technology upgrades, $208,000 to PS 23 Carter G. Woodson for mobile STEM labs, $350,000 to PS 40 George W. Carver for a rooftop greenhouse, and $588,000 to PS 297 Abraham Stockton for mobile STEM labs and library upgrades. He also financed $52,000 toward a mobile STEM lab at PS 270 Johann DeKalb in Clinton Hill.
Following remarks by recipients, Borough President Adams presented each of them with an honorary check with the seal of Brooklyn Borough Hall and an oversized check, made out to “One Brooklyn,” for STEM education.
PHOTOS
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams joins Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna, teachers, and school administrators from across Brooklyn in the auditorium of PS 193 Gil Hodges as he announced over $13 million invested in 70 schools throughout the borough; he held an oversized check made out to “One Brooklyn” for STEM education.
Photo Credit: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams joins students from PS 193 Gil Hodges in raising up an oversized check in the amount of $13,314,000 made out to “One Brooklyn” for STEM education; he visited their school to announce the investment from his Fiscal Year 2016 funds in 70 schools throughout the borough.
Photo Credit: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
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