Education

UPDATE Applications Open for Fourth Annual Brandon Hendricks Scholarship

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Applications for the fourth annual Oyate Group  Brandon Hendricks Scholarship have officially opened, with an award of $20,000 going to each of two applicants for the first time in the scholarship’s history, organizers announced on March 2.   Previously, as reported, the organization offered $5,000 in total in scholarship funds. Founded in honor of Brandon Hendricks, a 17-year-old, rising basketball star, who, as reported was fatally shot in crossfire at 1726 Davidson Avenue in the Morris Heights section of The Bronx on June 28, 2020, the scholarship, according to Oyate Group officials, provides graduating seniors the opportunity Brandon never received,


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The Bronx Fights Rats: DSNY to Collect Compostable Material from All Bronx Public Schools

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Coming quickly on the heels of last month’s announcement of the roadmap for citywide curbside composting service, NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) announced on Monday, March 6, that all NYC Department of Education (DOE) schools in The Bronx will receive five-nights-per-week collection of compostable material. This means less rat food out in the black bags each night, cleaner streets, and cleaner air – led by students. “Just like with recycling decades ago, young people are our best ambassadors for composting,” said DSNY commissioner, Jessica Tisch. “They see the difference it makes to compost at school, and they tell their parents


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Montefiore Einstein Announces $100 Million Contribution to Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Montefiore Einstein announced on Thursday, March 2, that an anonymous donor is making a $100 million contribution to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Representatives from Montefiore-Einstein say the gift, one of the largest in Einstein’s history, will support biomedical research that includes basic, clinical, and translational research programs serving the nation and the world. They added that it will also provide direct financial support to students, ensuring greater access to what was described as “the vibrant and innovative learning environment that Einstein provides.”   Reacting to the news, Philip Ozuah, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine, the


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The Bronx Celebrates Dominican Heritage Month; Borough Leaders Honored in Santa Domingo

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson held her annual Dominican Heritage Month celebration on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Grand Slam Banquet Hall, 478 East Tremont Avenue in Tremont, with live entertainment by Folkloric Dance Group/Folklorico and DJ Lex, with special greetings by consulate general of the Dominican Republic, Eligio Jaquez.   Gibson honored various community leaders, including president of the New York State Latino Restaurant Bar & Lounge Association and owner of Mon Amour Coffee & Wine, Jeffrey Garcia; winner of the Best Animated Short Film at Bridge Fest and children’s book author, Luz Maria Mack; president of Dominicanos USA, Eddie Cuesta.   The recipient of the youth


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Op-Ed: Bronxites Will Create New Kingsbridge Armory

By ELISABETH ORTEGA-BAILEY
I live on Aqueduct Avenue with my 4-year-old son, Nori, and my husband, Nelson, close to the landmark Kingsbridge Armory that is now 514,000-square-feet of nothingness, thanks most recently to a failed plan to fill it with nine ice hockey rinks.   I’m 34, in my second year at Bronx Community College, and have been organizing around the Kingsbridge Armory with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) since I was 16 and attending DeWitt Clinton High School.   Nelson and I often joke that in order to live in New York City, you need both a job and a


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Family of Angellyh Yambo Launch Foundation in her Memory on her 17th Birthday

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
Angellyh Yambo was a 16-year-old high school student with dreams of becoming a doctor when she was shot and killed as she walked home from school with friends in Mott Haven on April 8, 2022. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, on what would have been Angellyh’s 17th birthday, her family and friends gathered at her mausoleum in Woodlawn cemetery to mark the official launch of The Angellyh Yambo Foundation.   During the emotional event, different colored balloons were released into the air marking the exact moment of her birth, 17 years earlier. Later, the family confirmed that the foundation’s website was


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UPDATE Parents & Supporters of St. Brendan School Ready to Fight as Archdiocese Closes 12 Catholic Schools

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & SARA MARTINEZ
Norwood parents are gearing up for a fight to keep beloved St. Brendan Catholic School open following an announcement on Feb. 15 that the Norwood school, founded in 1908, will close its doors at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, along with 11 others across the City. Meanwhile four, additional Catholic schools in The Bronx will merge into two.   The news follows the previous closure of six Catholic schools in The Bronx in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to declining income, as reported at the time. Of the twelve impacted schools set to close this year, six


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Ischia Bravo Sworn in as First Woman and First Latina to Serve as Bronx County Clerk

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
At a ceremony attended by many local elected officials, judicial dignitaries, and well-wishers, Ischia Bravo, former district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was sworn in as the first woman and first Latina to hold the position of Bronx County clerk and commissioner of jurors on Feb. 9. The ceremony took place at Gould Memorial Library on the campus of Bronx Community College in University Heights, with Bravo sworn in by Rolando T. Acosta, presiding justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.   Among those in attendance for the occasion were NYS Attorney General


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