CEC 24 Eyes Youth Activity & Nutrition
Board members, administrators and parents hosted two presentations on school nutrition and sportsmanship during the Community Education Council District 24 (CEC 24) meeting held last Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Middle Village’s P.S./I.S. 49.
Members of the Harlem MagicMasters, a local entertainment basketball team, delighted parents, board members and children with a lively presentation about their organization.
Curtis “Tiny” Johnson spoke about the different events Harlem MagicMasters can offers schools and communities. A Queens native, Johnson began his basketball career at St. John’s University where he played for the Red Storm. He has played for the ABA, CBA and has been with the MagicMasters for nearly a decade.
At 7’5″-tall and sporting size 22 sneakers, Johnson joked about his nickname while delivering a fun yet informative message about his team’s purpose.
“We do basketball events all around the country,” he explained. “We use entertainment and the vehicle of basketball to push campaigns of academics, sportsmanship and anti-bullying and teasing.”
The Harlem MagicMasters offer a variety of events and programs to local schools, each geared toward the individual school’s needs and purposes. In addition to entertainment basketball shows and assemblies, the MagicMasters also conduct basketball clinics to teach students the basic fundamentals of the game. They also host Family Fun Nights, in which parents and faculty members get to join team members on the court for a fun game.
Perhaps one of the standout features of a MagicMasters event is the chance to educate students. “The most important part of our performance is what we call Motivational Speakers,” stated Rudy Johnson, team VP of Sales. The Motivational Speakers portion of the program addresses three main topics: the importance of education, the value of adults as mentors, and a campaign against bullying.
“We really push academics in our programs,” stated Curtis Johnson.
Every team member is also a college graduate, including Johnson, who graduated St. John’s with an impressive 3.0 GPA. As part of their antibullying message, a 4’6″-tall female player on the team will often recall her own personal experiences as a victim of bullying and teasing.
“Those types of things are really important to us,” Johnson stated. “The program gives us the chance to impact communities, to walk hand in hand with a community and help with whatever efforts they are trying to push.”
Rudy Johnson echoed these sentiments: “If there’s a particular topic or issue going around in your school, district or community, we’ll be happy to incorporate that topic into our message.
Johnson was joined by teammate Kenny “The Blender” Rodriguez.
“They call me ‘The Blender’ because I mix it up and do all kinds of tricks,” he stated. Rodriguez, a former Harlem Globetrotter, demonstrated how to spin the basketball on one finger.
“We like to put smiles on kids’ faces,” he explained, “It makes them happy. They can have a good time and be positive.”
School meals makeover
Christina Sorrento, District 24 school food dupervisor, was on hand to speak with parents and school administrators about changes and new additions to the school lunch program.
Sorrento announced the creation of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new “Free for All” initiative in which all students eat for free at certain middle schools. The program was implemented this year to encourage students’ interest in school lunches.
According to Sorrento, the program is targeted at middle schools because students in this age group often opt to spend money on chips, soda and junk food.
“The children eat in elementary school, but once they start middle school, we start losing participation levels,” she explained. “We’re trying to get them back eating healthier with healthier snacks.”
The middle schools in the district that participate in the mayor’s “Free for All” program include I.S. 5 in Elmhurst, I.S. 61 in Corona, I.S. 73 in Maspeth, I.S. 77 and I.S. 93 in Ridgewood, I.S. 125 in Woodside and I.S. 227 in Corona.
According to early data, Sorrentoreporteda4percent increase in Schoolfood participation throughout the district from September through Oct. 31.
“It has increased participation dramatically in our middle schools,” she stated.
Sorrento also announced the creation of new menu items for the coming winter months. The new offerings include butternut squash ravioli, mini blueberry pancakes, turkey burgers, mini empanadas and the return of the old-fashioned hot grilled cheese sandwich.
Student feedback is a vital part of creating and selecting new menu items. Students are encouraged to participate in class trips to the Schoolfood Laboratory, a food tasting and testing facility located in the DOE Building on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. Sorrento is part of a menu advisory team and appreciates students’ recommendations.
“I represent, as a supervisor, what the students are looking for,” she explained.
On class visits to the laboratory, students are given the chance to test new products, participate in menu and nutrition activities and offer their recommendations on new food items.
“We really value their opinions because our menus are based on their food tastings,” Sorrento stated, “We really want to make sure that we capture their likings.”
Students from P.S. 49 recently had the opportunity to visit the food laboratory. Joann Tabeek, a parent and student council cofounder at P.S. 49, thanked Sorrento for hosting the students.
“This really lets kids have a voice,” Tabeek stated. She and her student council co-founders Fiona Kearney and Patricia Audrin helped organize the food lab trip in conjunction with last year’s Spirit Committee.
“They learned a lot and had a better understanding of food,” Kearney stated. “They were able to be involved, and we greatly appreciated that.”
Audrin echoed Kearney’s praise:. “It was a great benefit to the children, as they got to share their questions and meet an actual decision-maker. … It really empowered them.”
Sorrento encouraged parents and parent coordinators to speak with school principals and administrators about coordinating a trip to the Schoolfood labs.
Other school issues
District 24 Community Superintendent Madelene Taub- Chan spoke about a new school quality snapshot initiative implemented by NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina. The City Quality Snapshot and School Quality Guide is part of the Chancellor’s vision for New York City schools and will replace existing school progress reports.
“This is a user-friendly report that provides a concise picture of the quality of the school in a family-friendly format,” Taub- Chan explained.
The new school quality reports will present detailed data and better reflect schools’ advancement and development.
“It provides a more robust set of information about each school, so that the school’s progress over time can be easily tracked,” Taub-Chan stated.
The reports are public documents and will be available to online. Each school’s individual report will be available on the school’s website or on www.schools.nyc.gov.
The council also unanimously passed a resolution at the meeting requesting that the NYC DOE keep the current admission policy in place for New York City specialized high schools. The resolution also requests that state legislators not repeal a 1971 law regarding New York City specialized high schools admissions.
The Community Education Council of District 24 generally meets on the fourth Tuesday each month at 7 p.m. at schools throughout the district’s confines. For more information, call 1-718-418-8160.
