By Bill Parry
PS 150 in Sunnyside will have a new auditorium.
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) joined Principal Carmen Parache alongside students, faculty, administration and parents at the school Sept. 27 to celebrate $400,000 in new funding secured in the city’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget to renovate the school’s auditorium.
PS 150’s school band and chorus welcomed Van Bramer to the event with musical performances.
“I am proud to have secured $400,000 in this year’s budget for PS 150’s long-awaited auditorium renovation,” Van Bramer said. “An auditorium is a place for a school and its community to come together, whether it’s for student performances, PTA meetings or educational assemblies. The dedication and talent I’ve seen from the students and teachers of PS 150 is a testament to the importance of renovating this essential space.”
Additionally, Van Bramer also allocated $100,000 in city funds that will go toward technology upgrades at PS 150.
“We are so grateful for Council Member Van Bramer’s ongoing support to our school. In addition to getting $100,000 for technology, he worked extra hard to get us the $400,000 for a much needed auditorium,” Parache said. “Our school excels in the arts. To have a renovated auditorium only confirms to staff and students that our work is important and meaningful. Our students will be performing on a professional stage. We thank our parents for always looking at ways to enhance our school.”
Van Bramer and the PS 150 arts program have a history together.
In 2013, the councilman and the school held a “curb your dog” poster contest to remind owners to clean up after their pet to remedy a quality of life issue that had become a problem in the neighborhood. A 7-year-old PS 150 student designed the winning poster and copies of is were distributed to stores, restaurants and public places throughout Van Bramer’s district, which includes Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and parts of Maspeth and Astoria.
“It turned into a great civics lesson,” Parache said at the time. “It proved to them that they’re a part of the community and that elected leaders listen to them.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
