Maspeth Makes a Difference (M.M.A.D.), a club run by Maspeth High School Assistant Principal Jesse Pachter, worked together to cover more than 25 pieces of graffiti in the neighborhood in just two days.
Using neutral paints, students in the club covered 18 pieces of graffiti on 57th Avenue between 74th Street and 80th Street.
“There is so much graffiti in the surrounding neighborhood,” Pachter said. “As a school, you want to take pride in the community that you service and I know that giving back to the community this way is something the community appreciates very much.”
Hearing about the work Maspeth High School is doing, members of the community have volunteered to help in any form they can. Through an event with the NYPD’s 104th Precinct on the Long Island Expressway service road and Grand Avenue, M.M.A.D. was able to cover 10 pieces of graffiti.
Additionally, the club is forming partnerships with many businesses in the area. In order to thank M.M.A.D. for maintaining and beautifying their community, businesses have been hanging up signs to show their support.
Seeing the gratitude these businesses have toward Maspeth’s beautification project made students appreciate the work that they were doing in Queens.
“My favorite part about being involved in this club is when people thank us, because it doesn’t always register in my brain that I’m doing much; it just seems like the right thing to do. It makes me happy to see that people appreciate what we do and that we are creating a cleaner and safer community,” said Diana Ivovic, a 12th-grader at Maspeth High School.
When Maspeth switched back to on campus learning from remote learning, Pachter was excited to see that many students signed up to help the neighborhood.
“My school’s Maspeth Makes a Difference club has made me love my community a whole lot more. It makes me very happy seeing all our hard work and being able to say “We did that,’” 11th-grader Johanna Tomescu said.
As the summer approaches, Pachter hopes to see local businesses and community members recognize and appreciate the work that his high school is doing.
“I think our school is beautiful and I want the surrounding community to be the same,” Pachter said.
