Students Hit The High Seas for New Learning Initiative

Editor's Note: this story was first published in the latest edition of the Mount Hope Monitor, out now.

Students from PS 306 went fishing, part of a "Classroom Without Walls,"
 learning initiative. (Photo by F.G. Pinto)

By FAUSTO GIOVANNY PINTO

At noon on a recent Friday, while most students across the city were hitting the lunch line, the students at PS 306 were busy tossing out fishing lines and reeling in fish onto a boat bobbing in the Long Island Sound.

As part of a new learning initiative that takes kids out of the classroom and into the real world, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Special Education students at PS 306 set sail on a day-long fishing trip. It marked the culmination of this year’s Classroom Without Walls program.

Medical Facility Opens on Burnside Avenue

Verona Greenland (in red), MHHC's president and CEO, cuts to ribbon on the new building (Photo courtesy of MHHC)

Editor's note: This article appeared in the latest issue of the Mount Hope Monitor.

By JAMES FERGUSSON 

On Dec. 1, Morris Heights Health Center held a grand opening ceremony for its new 31,000-square-foot medical facility on West Burnside Avenue. The building, called Harrison Circle, will offer primary care services, behavioral health services, cardiology, mammography, digital x-ray, podiatry, and other types of care.

“We knew we had to expand our services in order to accommodate the increasing need for health care services within our community,” said Verona Greenland, Morris Heights’ president and CEO.
Harrison Circle is also home to 70 affordable apartments for seniors.

Attendees included Dr. Steven M. Safyer, the president and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center, and Adolfo Carrion, the former Bronx borough president who currently works for the Department of Housing Preservation and Urban Development (HUD), which helped fund the project. Also present was Fritz Jean, Mount Hope Housing Company’s president and CEO. Mount Hope partnered with Morris Heights on the senior housing.

The facility is on West Burnside Avenue and Harrison Avenue (Photo: J. Fergusson)

Online Now: July's Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is out on the streets and up on the Web. Stories include:

Roberto Clemente’s Pools Closed for Second Straight Year
There’s no relief in sight for Morris Heights residents looking to cool off this summer—for the second year in a row. While most public pools opened at the end of June, swimmers at Roberto Clemente State Park will have to go elsewhere. The park’s three pools—a wading area, diving tank and Olympic-sized main pool—are still undergoing renovation.

At PS 226: ‘Yes, We Can!’
President Obama’s poll numbers may be slipping, but the man – and his words – still resonate strongly at PS 226, an elementary school on Sedgwick Avenue. Students and teachers there recently unveiled a mural of America’s 44th President, whose face is set against a backdrop of the national flag and the text from his famous “Yes We Can” speech.

For regular news updates from the central west Bronx, you can also follow us on Twitter or become a fan of our Facebook page.

Online Now: The June Edition of the Monitor

The latest issue of the Mount Hope Monitor is on the streets and up on the Web.  Inside you'll find:

Pastor Moves On After 15+ Years at Fordham Church
Katrina Foster is moving on after 15 eventful years as pastor of  Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church on Walton Avenue.  She will be missed by many. 

Q & A: Verona Greenland
Recently, Verona Greenland, Morris Heights Health Center’s founder, president and CEO, sat down with the Monitor to talk about her career and the organization’s 30-year history. 

Local Man Sees Something, Says Something
On May 1, Lance Orton, a Morris Heights resident, was selling T-shirts in Times Square when he saw wisps of smoke coming from a parked S.U.V.  Since then, his life has been turned upside down. 

Carnival Raises $ for Teen Media Center
Students and teachers at MS 331, the Bronx School of Science Inquiry and Investigation, kicked off the start of the warm weather season with an outdoor fundraising carnival on May 28.

Youth Entrepreneur Gifts 30 Computers to MS 390
The 34-year old son of Trywa Watson, a math teacher who taught at MS 390 until her death from Lupus in 2007, has made a generous donation.

For more, visit http://www.mounthopemonitor.org/.   If you so choose, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is now online:

Stories include: 

On University Avenue, a Safe Haven for Kids and Teens
For decades, the former Hebrew Institute of University Heights lay empty, its windows and doors boarded up, its once elegant stone walls grimy with dirt and graffiti. But no longer.

Jail for Dogfighting Ringleader
Mount Hope resident Alexander Estephane has been jailed for running a dogfighting ring out of the basement of his house on East 179th Street.

Sedgwick Houses Resident Murdered, Boyfriend Arrested
Maxine Collier was stabbed to death inside her apartment at 1535 University Ave. last month. Her boyfriend has been charged with her murder.

Bx18 Bus Saved
The MTA originally planned to discontinue the Bx18 bus, runs between Undercliff Avenue and the Grand Concourse. But following a public outcry the bus has been spared. In a statement, Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson called the decision a "big win for our community."

City Approves Local High School’s Move to the South Bronx
The city’s Panel for Educational Policy has voted to approve the Department of Education’s recommendation that University Heights Secondary School’s move to the South Bronx High School in Morrisania. Many students oppose the decison and have vowed to fight on.

Local Cop Tied to $1 Million Perfume Heist
Kelvin Jones, a 28-year-old police officer who had been recently assigned to the 46th Precinct, has been charged with attempting to steal $1 million worth of perfume from a warehouse in New Jersey.

Group Rallies Against Schumer’s Immigration Plan
VAMOS Unidos, a nonprofit that represents street vendors, held a rally at Fordham Lutheran Evangelical Church on March 20 to protest an immigration reform overhaul proposed that same week by New York Senator Charles E. Schumer and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Also, here's our Events and Announcements section.  Among this month's listings: The New York Opera Forum will perform Vaughner’s Das Rheingold at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church (2430 Walton Ave.) on Friday, April 16. Tickets are just $5.

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is out on the streets and online. This month stories include:

Beer at Burger King?
The restaurant chain recently announced plans to sell domestic brews such as Budweiser at select locations across the country.

Protests Continue Over H.S.’s Relocation
Undeterred by the gathering blizzard, more than 40 University Heights Secondary School students rallied on Thursday, Feb. 25 to protest their school’s planned transfer from Bronx Community College's campus.

Roberto Clemente’s Opening Hours Could Be Slashed
Governor David Paterson and State Park officials have proposed closing 55 parks and historic sites across the state, and reducing services at another 24, as they look for ways to dent the state’s $8.2 billion budget deficit.

African Group Looks to Buy E. Tremont Ave. Building
The office building at 151 E. Tremont Avenue could become a thriving hub of African culture, unless the recession sinks this deal too.

Op-ed: The Bx and the Census – Perfect Storm for an Undercount?
Soon millions of Americans will receive the 2010 census form in the mail. While we generally dread government forms, we should welcome this one.

Op-ed: Join the Fight to Prevent MTA Service Cuts
Thousands of west Bronx residents use mass transit every day and those services are vital to the quality of life we all share.

Man Dies in Elevator Shaft Fall
A 34-year-old man died on March 1 after falling down an elevator shaft at 1749 Grand Concourse, an apartment building known as the Lewis Morris.

Davidson CC Launches Healthy Eating Initiative
Davidson Community Center has received a $200,000 grant to launch a healthy eating initiative aimed at battling obesity and diabetes.

Click here for a PDF of the print edition.

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The January edition of the paper is now online.  Stories include:

BCC to Expel University Heights Secondary School
Improvements to University Heights Secondary School, including new grips on the stairs and working water fountains, spelled bad news for students as they returned to school after the holiday break on Monday.
The renovations were made as part of Bronx Community College’s expansion plan that will leave this high school homeless.

Pro-Lifers Rally Against Scandal-Hit Doctor
Dr. Pierre Renelique used to practice obstetrics and gynecology in Florida. That was until the Florida Board of Medicine revoked his license early this year following a botched abortion. Now he’s working in University Heights.

This month's issue also includes a roundup of our main stories from 2009.

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Monitor hit the streets on Monday. This month, stories include:

DOE Close to Finalizing Plans for New Building
Next September, the Department of Education will likely move PS 204, an elementary school in Morris Heights, into a new building on Macombs Road at West Tremont Avenue.

University Ave. Residents Demand Building Repairs

In the room where Luis Correa’s six children sleep, black mold creeps along the walls, and frigid air blows in through broken windows. Throughout the house, the linoleum floors buckle under the weight of footsteps.

Doctors Calm Swine Flu Vaccine Fears
Will the swine flu vaccination paralyze me? Will it give me seizures? These were among the myths about the H1N1 vaccine that doctors from Morris Heights Health Center tried to dispel at a recent community meeting.

New Name, New Headquarters for CAB
The Citizens Advice Bureau has a new name: BronxWorks. The name was announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 13 for the organization’s brand new administrative headquarters at 64 East Tremont Ave.

‘Day of Outrage’ Shines a Light on Gun Violence
One by one, six tearful mothers and fathers stepped up to a podium on Nov. 23 in a candlelit room at the Bronx County Courthouse. With trembling voices, they told the crowd about their murdered children.

Health Column: What’s Your Status?

According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, there were 721 AIDS related deaths in New York City in 2008, and 30 percent were Bronx residents.

Bronx News Network Papers Take Home 3 Ippie Awards!

Mount Hope Monitor editor James Fergusson and Norwood News Managing Editor Alex Kratz 

with their Ippies. (Photos by Jordan Moss)

BxNN is proud to announce that the Norwood News and the Mount Hope Monitor took home 3 awards at the New York Community Media Alliance's 8th annual Ippies awards dinner Thursday night.

Norwood News managing editor Alex Kratz was recognized with an honorable mention for his article, "Armory Could Bring More Than a Shopping Mall," which explored community benefits agreements in other cities and what the lessons were for NYC development projects like the Armory. Read Alex's story by clicking here.

Mount Hope Monitor editor James Fergusson won first prize in the photo category for his shot of a group of youngsters participating in a "lie-down" to remember the victims of gun violence. View the photo here (first photo shown). James also took third prize in the education category for his article about the lack of gyms in Bronx public schools. Click here to read James' article.

The New York Community Media Alliance is the only association of ethnic and community media in New York City. (Jordan Moss, BxNN's executive editor, is a founder of the organization.) For more information about NYCMA and to subscribe to Voices That Must Be Heard, a weekly e-mail roundup of top stories in NYC's ethnic and community newspapers (all stories in other languages are translated into English), go to www.indypressny.org.

Also, we'd like to congratulate Norwood resident and City Limits investigations editor Jarrett Murphy for taking the second place award for his in-depth look at public Housing in NYC.

City Limits Investigations Editor Jarrett Murphy

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is now online:

Stories include:

PS 204 Teachers, Parents: Current School Building Not Up to Par
Teachers and parents suspect that the academic success of their school, on West 174th Street in Morris Heights, is hurting their chances of moving to a new location a few blocks away.

Historic Theater Reopens
It was a sight unseen along the Grand Concourse for more than two years: a buoyant throng of people waiting in line outside the iconic Loew’s Paradise Theater. Braving a steady rain and defying a dreary economy, nearly 3,000 people turned out for reopening on Oct. 24.

CEO Promises New Day for Embattled Housing Company
Mount Hope Housing Company was founded in 1986. Its mission: to provide safe, affordable housing for local residents, and in the process fight back against the urban decay. Today, the organization manages more than 30 apartment buildings, and provides an array of services, such as GED classes. It is, in the words of one community leader, one of the area's "Fortune 500 companies." But all has not been well these past few years. Tenants say the buildings have been neglected, and repair requests ignored. They say Mount Hope has been contributing to the problems it seeks to combat.

Cuts to After-School Programming Draws Protest
When school started this past September at three local schools, hundreds of kids, and their parents, had to face the reality that the afterschool program they’d once counted on no longer had room for them.

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

The October edition of the Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

Protesters Say Dogfighting is the Pits
About 20 animal-right protesters held a rally on Sept. 29 opposite the Bronx Supreme Court on East 161st Street, to bring attention to a trial that was due to start that morning, involving five men charged with dogfighting offenses.
The men were arrested in June 2008, when police raided a suspected dogfighting ring at a house on East 179th Street.

Middle School Moves From Basement to High-Rise
This July, the Jonas Bronck Academy, moved from a Riverdale basement to one of the fanciest office buildings in the entire borough.

Muslims Mark the End of Ramadan
Local Muslims turned out in force on Sunday, Sept. 20, to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr at Mount Hope Masjid, a mosque on Mount Hope Place, just east of Jerome Avenue.

Editorial: Jury Still Out On Cabrera
On Sept. 15, Fernando Cabrera achieved something few would have thought possible a few months ago: he defeated Councilwoman Maria Baez. “You did it and God did it,” a jubilant Cabrera told his supporters that night. Perhaps. But Cabrera wouldn’t have come close to an upset without the support of the Bronx Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, and several powerful unions.

Health Column: The Flu Vaccine - What You Need To Know
There are TWO different kinds of flu this year: the seasonal flu, which happens every year and H1N1 (a.k.a. swine) flu. You should speak to your doctor about getting vaccinated against both kinds.

New in the Mount Hope Monitor

July's edition of the Monitor is now online. Stories include:

A New Community Center in Mount Hope
The wait is nearly over. Mount Hope Housing Company’s $16 million community center on East 175th Street will soon open to the public. On June 25, the organization held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the end of construction.

Push to Close Schools on Muslim Holy Days Gains Momentum
We’re in favor! That was the message city council members sent out on June 30 when they voted to approve a bill to add two Muslim holy days to the public school calendar. Only Councilman Oliver Koppell voted against.

Plans for Health Center ‘Up in the Air’
St. Barnabas Hospital has halted plans to construct a health center at 2050 Grand Concourse near Burnside Avenue, according to a representative. “Right now the project is on hold because of the economic climate,” said Steven Clark of Andover Communications, who spoke on behalf of St. Barnabas.

Suspected Drug Dealer Injured in Police Chase
A 22-year-old man was seriously injured on June 23, after falling from a 5th floor window in the apartment he lives in at 2295 Morris Ave. Ernest Bostic, who was being chased by the cops, landed on the roof of a barber shop, four stories below. He was taken to St. Barnabas in a critical condition. A doctor later extracted several bags of crack cocaine from his mouth, police say.

Street Talk - Michael Jackson
We asked readers if they thought history would be kind to Michael Jackson.

Arrest in Bronx Leads to Protest in Chinatown

Community activists rallied in Chinatown last Sunday, in support of Bronx resident Jian Zhong Chen, 46, who claims he was falsely arrested and imprisoned in the Bronx on March 23 on charges of menacing and possession of a weapon.

Chen (pictured), who speaks little to no English, said that the police did not allow him to use a 911 translator to explain himself. He was arrested near 184th Street and Jerome Avenue as he was running errands in his new neighborhood. More here in the Mount Hope Monitor.

Also in the Monitor this month:

Food pantries in the west Bronx have experienced an uptick in foot traffic as the recession deepens and more people lose their jobs.

A middle school on Webster Avenue has won the Chase “Multimedia in the Classroom” award for the fourth year in a row.

Local leaders react to one man's plan to drain the Harlem River.

The Citizens Advice Bureau been selected by the New York Times Company as one of 10 semi-finalists for the 2009 Nonprofit Excellence Awards.

December's Mount Hope Monitor

The latest edition of the Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

Following Election, Cautious Optimism Among Bronx Africans
At 1:30 p.m. on a recent Friday afternoon, the Islamic Cultural Center on the corner of Walton and Tremont avenues teemed with activity as the faithful arrived to pray.

A Quiet Start for the Tenant Protection Act
A new law designed to protect tenants from being unfairly pushed out of their apartments, has fallen beneath the radar since it came into being last March.

Nelson Castro: A New Force in Bronx Politics
The 86th District, a chunk of the west Bronx that includes Mount Hope, Fordham, and University Heights, has a new assemblyman: Nelson Castro, a Dominican-born 36-year-old who cut his political teeth working for elected officials in Washington Heights.

Residents Blame Precinct for Parking Woes
Cars circle the block, linger, and double-park outside stores and homes, vying for parking space within the two-block radius of the 46th precinct at 2120 Ryer Ave. It is an involuntary game of musical chairs residents have played for the last 20 years.

New Businesses Brighten Up an Ogden Avenue Block
A previously rundown block on Ogden Avenue just south of the Cross Bronx Expressway has been transformed with the recent opening of two businesses: Sal y Pimienta (”Salt and Pepper”) Bar and Restaurant and E & C Fresh Market, a supermarket.

Residents Shap Up Obama Merchandise
These days, it seems like every store and every street vendor in the area is selling some sort of Obama merchandise.

November's Mount Hope Monitor Now Online

The November edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

A Brighter Future for University Woods?
It was once the worst park in the city. Today, it’s become a symbol of what local residents can achieve with hard work and a little imagination. Here's a related editorial.

Mitchell-Lama Buildings Continue to Vanish
Since 2006, 15 Bronx apartment buildings have been taken out of the Mitchell-Lama affordable housing program.

Crime Watch
On Nov. 7 last year, Jacqueline Irizarry of Crotona Park was viciously attacked and then thrown off the roof of a six-story apartment building at 110 E. 177th St. Police pronounced her dead at the scene. A year has now passed, and no arrests have been made.

Residents Air Concerns About Housing for Mentally Ill
At a public hearing on Oct. 29, Morris Heights residents voiced their concerns about an apartment complex that will soon go up in their neighborhood.

Online Now: the July Edition of the Monitor

July's Mount Hope Monitor is now online. Stories include:

Community Center Coming This Summer

Open Hydrants Draw Fire

Among Immigrants, a Reluctance to Call 911

Dogfighting Ring Smashed

We're skipping August, so the next paper will come out Sept. 1.

Online Now: June's Mount Hope Monitor

The June edition of the Mount Hope Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

Women's Homeless Shelter to Open on Jerome

At Paradise Theater, Hip-Hop Stars Cut the Cussing

Bronx Dominicans Make Their Voices Heard

New Bank on Burnside

A Bloody Memorial Day Weekend in the Four-Six

Also inside (but not online) is the second edition of Bronx Youth Heard, a newpaper written by high school students enrolled in the West Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative. Classes, held on Wednesday afternoons from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., start again in the fall. Click here for information on how to apply. And follow this link to read about the previous semester.

May's Mount Hope Monitor

.
The May edition of the Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

Drug Dealer Turned Mentor
Local man, Jamel Allah, a former heroin dealer, now spends his free time mentoring Bronx youth.

Cheap Co-ops Coming to Featherbed Lane
Rarely do the words "affordable" and "co-op" appear in the same sentence - especially in New York. But at 150 Featherbed Lane, a local development company is trying to turn conventional wisdom on its head.

Morris Heights Non-Profit Under Fire
In October 2006, CBS ran a story about "fed up" tenants at 1694 Davidson Ave. The building's elevator, tenants said, had been broken for the past six months, making it difficult for the elderly and infirm to get around.
Well, as of last week, the elevator was still broken. According to the super, Juan Fernandez, it's now been out of action for two years.
The building is owned by HPD, but managed by Bronx Heights Neighborhood Community Corporation, a non-profit staffed mostly by volunteers.
Bronx Heights manages 10 HPD buildings in the Morris Heights section. In theory, they should be collecting rent for the city, while putting aside a small percentage (8 percent) to maintain the buildings, pay the supers, and pay Con-Edison and other bills. In practice, however, the buildings (like 1694 Davidson Ave.) aren't been maintained, the supers aren't being paid, and the bills are being ignored (62-66 W. Trement Ave. has an outstanding water bill of more than $300,000).
Bronx Heights' new treasurer, Monica McDermott, says the organization's bank accounts are empty; that there's no money to pay Con-Edison, no money to pay the company that provides oil, etc. She thinks money has been "misappropriated." HPD also sees something amiss: they're suing Bronx Heights (although they wouldn't give me details, citing an on-going case).
The bigger story here, and one I didn't have time to explore this month, is that several former and current Bronx Heights' board members (along with local residents) say that people have been stealing from Bronx Heights for years - maybe decades. "It’s like a cash cow for everyone," says McDermott. "People come in and take a piece of the pie and then they move on." McDermott thinks HPD have got "egg on their face" for ignoring the situation for so long.
We'll have more on this story next month.

February's Mount Hope Monitor is out

The February edition of the bilingual Mount Hope Monitor hit the streets today.

Stories include:

School's Closure Draws Protest
The DOE has decided to close PS 79, citing poor performance. On Feb. 1, parents and teachers came together to protest the decision in an early morning rally outside the school's gates.
"We're protesting the fact that we're being called a failing school," said teacher Leslie Collier. "The parents had no say in this. [Schools] Chancellor [Joel] Klein has shoved it down their throats."
The school, on 181st Street at Creston Avenue, recently received an "F" in the DOE's new scoring system. Collier said the grade was hugely unfair as "there are a lot of schools in the city of New York truly doing worse that us."

Bronx Pastor, Jessie Woodhouse, dead at 99
A look back at the life of Jessie Woodhouse, a popular Bronx pastor who died in January at the age of 99. Woodhouse founded the First Bible Church of the Lord's Mission, a non-dominational church on Bush Street near Burnside Avenue.

Drug Bust at Sedgwick Houses
On Jan. 9, six people were arrested following a lengthy investigation into drug dealing at Sedgwick Houses, a housing project just north of the Cross Bronx Expressway, near the Harlem River.
The investigation was a joint effort by the DEA and the NYPD. According to the indictment, uncover officers started buying crack cocaine at the project in April last year. At first, the buys were small, a bag here, a bag there, presumably to gain the dealers trust. Over time, they grow larger. In November, an officer bought 59 grams in a single sale. Because the accused are being charged federally, and because one of the buys involved more than 50 grams, they're looking (if convicted) at a minimum of 10 years each in a federal prison, without the possibility of parole.
Local residents say they're thrilled the building at the center of the investigation (140 W. 174th Street) has been cleaned up. But they worry someone will try and take the dealers' place. After all, the supply's been cut off, not the demand. Said one officer at the 46th Precinct: "This is prime drug dealing real estate."

Morris Avenue Resident Trades the Bronx for Baghdad
Pfc. William Perez, 29, of Morris Avenue, is four months into a 15-month deployment of Iraq. In January he was back in the Bronx on a two-week leave. First things first, he proposed to his girlfriend. Then he sat down with the Monitor to talk about his experiences in the Iraqi capital.

- Pick up the paper at local banks, schools, churches, and businesses. Or e-mail mounthopenews[at]gmail.com, and we'll send you a copy for free while supplies last. The new paper's not online as we're in the (very) early stages of building a new Web site.

Wanted: Aspiring Young Reporters

Call us biased, but we feel journalism is a powerful way to learn about and influence one's community. Young people rarely have had access to learning about journalism, especially considering the shortage of quality high school newspapers. This means the Bronx is not getting reporters trained at the grassroots into the pipeline of professional journalism.

We're working to change that.

Starting in January, the Norwood News, in conjunction with the Mount Hope Monitor, will run a youth journalism program for Bronx high school students in their sophomore, junior or senior years. (The program is made possible through a generous grant from the New York Foundation.)

Students will learn the fundamentals of reporting, writing, and photojournalism through classroom instruction and, most importantly, through hands-on reporting in their own neighborhoods.

Students will learn how neighborhoods work (or don't), who has power, who doesn't and why. We'll teach them about the First Amendment and how it applies to them and every citizen. And they'll learn how to record and edit audio and photo slide shows for the Web.

Best of all, students' work will appear in the pages of the Norwood News, as well the Monitor and the Highbridge Horizon. Participants will also contribute to a student blog created especially for this project. This program - the West Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative - will give youth a powerful voice in their own communities.

Classes will start in late January or early February and run on Wednesdays, after school, for 12 weeks. We're looking for students of all academic abilities, but students should be highly motivated, love to write, be naturally inquisitive, and care about what's going on in their communities. To request an application, e-mail James Fergusson, the program coordinator, at mounthopenews@gmail.com or call (718) 324-4998. The application deadline is Dec. 10.

We look forward to hearing from you!