New Charter School to Open in Fordham Manor in Fall 2023

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Details of a new charter school that is to be located at 2720 Jerome Avenue in Fordham Manor were presented during Bronx Community Board 7 Education, Youth and Libraries Committee meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Jhennelle Robinson, committee chairperson, said, “One of our priorities was to have amenities for our growing community.” She added, “They’re building all these buildings, but with that comes families, and children, and we’re already strapped for [school] seats, so we need to continue to support any new schools or education programs coming in.” KIPP NYC public charter schools was founded in the South

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters during the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. Part five looks at housing and education. It’s no secret that the Bronx has challenges, that its richer neighbors to the North and South do not. It ranks last among New York counties in terms of health outcomes, has some of the poorest school districts, and some of the highest air pollution rates, but it also has people who care fiercely about it, people who want

By Síle Moloney & Miriam Quinoñes

A back-to-school giveaway was held at Gun Post Lanes bowling alley on Saturday, Sept. 26 on East Gun Hill Road in the Laconia section of the Bronx. The event included a special musical performance by old school, hip-hop artist, Melle Mel, who used the occasion to share some stories about his vast experience in the music industry, and to encourage local youth to stay in school. Melvin Glover, better known by his stage names, Melle Mel and Grandmaster Melle Mel, was born in the Bronx on May 15, 1961. He is a recording artist who was the lead vocalist

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Foundation for Excellence in Education (FLAG) Award for Teaching Excellence has opened its nomination process for this school year’s awards program. The program recognizes and celebrates extraordinary public school teachers in each borough who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. It is an extension from last year’s launch in Manhattan. One grand-prize winner from each New York City borough will receive a $25,000 cash prize, and each finalist will receive a $10,000 prize. In addition, each winner’s school will receive $10,000, and each finalist’s school will receive $2,000 for an arts-based initiative that the recipients will create

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With the deadline for the U.S Census now set for Oct. 16 at 6 a.m., several Bronx public charter schools are encouraging communities throughout the Bronx to ensure they fill out the census and get counted. Across the country, there are attempts to undercount communities of color and the most vulnerable. The future of the Bronx and of New York City depends on an accurate count of its residents, which will determine how much federal support it receives for the next decade. Now more than ever, the stakes of being counted have never been higher: Nearly $1 trillion in

By AURÉOLE RIBES

On Sept. 17, the “2020 Virtual Healthy New York Summit,” took place. The aim of the summit was to examine the ways in which COVID-19 has and will affect New York State’s health care policies, innovation, and future. During the three-hour summit, health care decision-makers, politicians, and policy experts examined obstacles encountered to date in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, while also discussing solutions and suggested improvements to health care policy. Jon Lentz, editor-in-chief of City & State New York, opened the annual summit, emphasizing how the topic of health care policy is ever present, before introducing

By DAVID GREENE

A full week after New York City public schools opened for class for the first time in six months, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, “the new normal” included temperature checks before entering a building, smaller classrooms, and teachers rather than students moving from classroom to classroom. After the first week of her children’s school reopening, Norwood resident and mother, Heather Guerino, said, “Now the schools are taking more precautionary measures within [them], but they should have done that before the coronavirus.” She added, “The coronavirus has forced a lot of people to have a new way of life, a new

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez has issued a statement regarding residents’ concerns in the Allerton community about the possibility of a substance abuse treatment center being opened in the neighborhood. Department of Buildings work permit signs at 2500 Williamsbridge Road had prompted concern among the community that a treatment center was going ahead. The assemblywoman said that she contacted the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports who confirmed that there was no such application pending at the site. Proud to stand with my community to demand answers on the use of 2500 Williamsbridge Road. Together we will make

By AURÉOLE RIBES

As a youngster in the Sixties and Seventies, Stephen Ritz and his friends would drill a hole in a quarter, put a fishing string through it, and play infinite pinball games at Larry’s Luncheonette on the corner of Gun Hill Road and Tryon Avenue in Norwood. They got away with it for a few weeks. Ritz recalls this little ploy with fondness and has an amalgam of other memories as well. He remembers learning basketball at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, building little tree houses in Reservoir Oval Park, biking down Gun Hill Road, and meeting the Duncan “YoYo”