By Gina Martinez
College Point is finally getting a middle school.
This week City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) and the city Department of Education announced the new 507-seat junior high school opening in 2018. JHS 336, set to be designed and constructed by the School Construction Authority, will be located on the former site of St. Fidelis School at 124-06 14th Ave.
The school will open with a new incoming class of sixth-graders in September 2018 and be fully open in 2019 for sixth-, seventh- and eight-graders.
“This long-awaited middle school is a huge win for the students and parents of College Point who have asked for this for years,” Vallone said. “This new school is a critical investment in our children’s educational future. As we approach its official opening in 2018, our office will ensure the community and the DOE are engaged along every step of the way to establish the best possible school for the students throughout College Point.”
College Point residents have pushed for a middle school in their district for years because students have been forced to travel outside their neighborhood to attend junior high school. Vallone said opening a middle school in College point has been a priority since Day One for him. College Point middle schoolers have had to travel to either PS 185 in Flushing or PS 194 in Whitestone as their nearest options, Vallone said those schools are already overcrowded and the new school would offer a relief.
While Vallone acknowledged the 500-seat school is small, he said it is a good start and it will give College Point an educational option parents did not have before and that they deserve.
Anne Marie Kanable, parent of a student at PS 129, is relieved to have a middle school nearby.
“College Point is a growing community and it is about time we have a local middle school for our children,” she said “I am so relieved to not have to worry about what middle school my child would end up in and how far we would have to travel.”
Vallone is asking residents to attend an upcoming Community Education Council for District 25 on May 3 at 7 p.m, at 30-48 Linden Place. Vallone said the meeting will offer residents more information on the new school and will be a chance for resident to offer comments to the CEC on potential zoning.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
