Nominations are currently being accepted for The Patrick F. Daly Award.
This award is presented to two educators who exemplify the values of fallen principal Patrick Daly, who was gunned down 31 years ago in Red Hook, Brooklyn, while searching for a student who had left the school building. Anyone who wishes to nominate a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal or principal may do so. The award will be given in Mr. Daly’s memory, honoring his legacy of service to the community, his steadfast commitment to his students and his leadership. Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 30. Fill out the nomination form on the Borough Hall website: Borough President Vito Fossella announced the first-ever Staten Island High School League Basketball Championship for Girls during a press conference in the gym at the Michael J. Petrides School.
There will be 13 high school teams participating in the tournament next season. “I think it’s going to be great and I hope the girls here will enjoy it,” said Borough President Fossella. "It’s about not just the game itself, but about meeting others. Even though you may attend Notre Dame Academy, it’s important that you have friends at Moore, or Susan Wagner, or New Dorp, for example. It’s about coming together as a community, but making it fun and allowing you all to shine.” For many years, there has been a championship tournament for high school boys, which was often attended by players from the girls’ teams. "A few months back, right in this gym on a cold and blustery night, I remember coming to the championship game and this place was packed and rocking," he said. "It speaks to the popularity of the championship process and of the game itself. It’s just a fun, joyous occasion that we need for the girls, too.” The players were called to the podium to say a few words. “This is very exciting to do it for the girls,” said Danielle Willamsen, who who will be a a senior at St. Joseph-by-the Sea in the coming academic year. “Knowing the boys had this all these years, it’s exciting for us. Especially as a senior to go out with a bang like this. I’m sure it’s going to be a great atmosphere and I can’t wait." Borough President Vito Fossella congratulated the students of P.S. 58 who won the junior Mayor’s Cup trophy in the Minecraft Education Battle of the Boroughs Challenge earlier this month.
Mia Chung, Queenie Gao, Layla Leitner, Olivia Sopeltseva and Katherine Wong are members of the Girls Who Code Club at P.S. 58. In May, the team won the qualifying boroughwide round of the Minecraft Education Challenge at Wagner College to advance to the finals at the Intrepid Museum. “You have made Staten Island proud, you have made your families proud and you have made your teachers proud,” said Borough President Fossella as he welcomed the students into his office at Borough Hall this morning. The Minecraft Education Challenge asked students to build "a safe, connected, resilient, and sustainable borough that moves NYC forward without leaving anyone behind." Tottenville High School had also won the boroughwide challenge for the grade 6-12 division to advance to the citywide finals. Olivia said she had her fingers crossed behind her back as the winners were announced. “When they said Staten Island, I jumped out of my chair,” she said. The students selected as “Exceptional Readers” in this year’s Readers Are Leaders Challenge were treated to an on-field experience at the Staten Island FerryHawks game on Saturday.
They took a group photo with Frankie the FerryHawk, stood on the field for the singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and welcomed the players as they ran in from the dugout to their positions. “Readers Are Leaders" challenged fourth-grade students in Staten Island's public, parochial and private schools to read a minimum of five books at grade level or above during a five-week period from Feb. 20 through March 24. Students then submitted a report or project on their favorite book that they read during the period. Each school picked one “Exceptional Reader,” who received an award from Vito last month. The program was started by then-Councilman Vito Fossella in 1996 and since its inception, fourth-grade students have read more than 780,000 books for the annual challenge. That's over 29 billion words read by Staten Island students! The challenge was sponsored by Community Media of Staten Island and the FerryHawks. As part of the expansion of the Highway Emergency Local patrol program, Borough President Vito Fossella was on hand to help cut the ribbon on two new trucks which will offer free roadside emergency assistance to motorists in distress during peak weekday travel hours on the Staten Island Expressway.
The expansion into Staten Island was announced today by Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams. The HELP trucks, which will be staffed by trained and certified civilian employees of the NYPD, will patrol both directions of the SIE between Lily Pond Avenue and the Goethals Bridge from 6 a.m.to noon and from 2 p.m. through 8 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays to assist motorists who have mechanical difficulties or have been involved in minor accidents. “Today marks a day where Staten Island joins the other boroughs in receiving adequate relief while experiencing vehicular distress traveling on the Staten Island Expressway,” said Borough President Fossella. “As Staten Islanders, we know the frustration when there is an incident of a vehicle breakdown or even a minor accident on the expressway. The entire flow of traffic on the Island is affected and its impact can disseminate throughout local neighborhood streets. The new HELP truck will not only provide aid to the motorist in need but also will also help those who are sitting in traffic as a result of the incident. We thank Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, and the NYPD for expanding the HELP truck program to Staten Island.” Vito stood with Assemblyman Michael Tannousis and Council Member David Carr to condemn the burning of an American flag outside of a Midland Beach home on June 14.
“We hear all the stories in other parts of the city and state where things happen and there are no consequences,” said Borough President Fossella at a press conference. “Well, on Staten Island, when these things happen there needs to be a consequence. You will get caught and you’re going to pay the price. Let’s all remember that we live in the greatest country in the world and the flag represents that.” They were also joined by Bob and Linda Ollis, the parents of Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis. "We must stand with the flag because of the sacrifices of people like Michael Ollis and because of those wearing the uniform on the frontlines today," Vito said Borough President Vito Fossella named Anthony Aquaro, 102-year-old World War II veteran and NYC's oldest living firefighter, and his wife of 79 years, Gloria, as honorary “Borough Presidents of the Day” at an intimate gathering in his office. Mr. Aquaro served in the United States Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1945. He and Gloria married in 1944 while he was on leave. After the war, he was a firefighter with Engine Co. 69 in Brooklyn for 26 years. Noting the coincidence that the ceremony took place on D-Day, Borough President Fossella called Anthony and Gloria two of the “greatest from the greatest generation.” “Anthony served not only his country during the war, but he served his city as a firefighter,” said Borough President Fossella. “So, he wears two hats of service -- and that tradition is being carried out by his colleagues here in the Fire Department. We just thought it would be wonderful to take a moment to honor these two individuals and what they represent – family, faith, country, service. This touches our hearts. Anthony and Gloria, you really are role models for us.” When Mr. Aquaro was called upon to speak, he said he was at “a loss for words.” “In my wildest dreams, I never thought this could happen to me,” Mr. Aquaro said. “I can’t tell you how I feel so deep in this heart of mine to the people who got involved in this, particularly Vito. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.” The couple also took a few moments to watch the Tottenville High School Symphonic Band who were performing as part of our Lunch At The St. George Plaza Concert Series. To Anthony and Gloria Aquaro, we say thank you for inspiring us. Borough President Vito Fossella commended officials at the City Department of Transportation and the City Department of Environmental Protection for their swift action and teamwork to resolve a dangerous roadway condition along Arthur Kill Road that was a longtime constituent concern.
He was joined by Borough DOT Commissioner Roseann Caruana and Nicholas Barbaro and Michael Sullivan from the DEP's Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations during a press conference at the site this morning. The stretch of Arthur Kill Road between Bloomingdale Road and Sharrots Road had been plagued by dangerous potholes that caused hazardous driving conditions. Borough Hall was alerted to the quality-of-life issue. A DOT crew assessed the street, temporarily remediated the area, and then milled, paved and completed the project in about a month. To help improve the drainage and alleviate flooding, the DEP installed eight catch basins and approximately 800 feet of 24-inch concrete re-enforced piping. "When we brought this to their attention, they jumped on it," said Borough President Fossella. "Not only do you see the results of what they did in resurfacing the road, but they fixed an underlying condition that had existed for years. This is a great example of how problems can be solved and improvements can be made by city agencies working together." |
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September 2024
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