​Borough President Oddo is pleased to announce his partnership with Sundog Theatre and the family of local artist Christopher Dillon Micha to offer scholarships to a Sundog Musical Theatre Acting class in memory of Christopher. The scholarship is instituted to honor Christopher, an artist who admired the creative minds of children and loved music. This is a family-based scholarship fund instituted by Christopher’s mother, his father, his step father and his siblings.
 
The scholarship will offer access to the spring 2020 session of Musical Theatre Kids, where the children will be rehearsing and performing “Rock of Ages.” The classes will take place at Monsignor Farrell High School, beginning February 22nd, with a final performance to be held on May 30th at the Staten Island Zoo Auditorium. The program and scholarships are open to boys and girls, ages 9 through 17, who otherwise would not be able to afford the $250 class. For a scholarship application, contact Sundog Theatre at info@sundogtheatre.org. Deadline for submission of the scholarship application is February 14th.
 
If you cannot make the deadline, please still apply! Your student’s application will be considered for summer and/or fall classes.

“This program allows young people to be active, engage their imaginations, and learn life-long skills and abilities to help them grow. I am grateful to be able to support a fitting tribute to Staten Islander Christopher Micha and offer this opportunity to children who otherwise would not be able to participate in the Sundog musical theatre program,” noted Borough President Oddo.
 
"Supporting young people in reaching their artistic potential is a heartwarming and satisfying way to honor Christopher and his passion for music and the arts," said Karen O'Donnell Tennenbaum, mother of Christopher Micha.
 
Housed at the Staten Island Zoo, Sundog’s Musical Theatre Kids classes provide children an opportunity to collaborate with other young people of diverse ages and backgrounds, expanding their imaginations, and learning how to perform. Sundog Theatre has been presenting original, contemporary, and thought provoking theatre for 18 years. The arts company is unique on Staten Island in that it presents in-school arts programming rooted in theatre, visual arts, dance, and music.
 
“Getting up and speaking in front of people has been documented to be the number one adult fear. If children do this at a young age, they have an easier time talking to people and expressing themselves throughout life,” explains Sundog’s Executive Director, Susan Fenley. “Most of these kids find a second family in theatre. They love participating and in addition to learning career and life skills, they are having fun.”
 
Christopher Dillon Micha:
 
Born August 10, 1975, Christopher was an active “theatre kid” in Island Community theatre. He appeared in many productions with Staten Island Civic Theatre and SeaView Playwright’s Children’s Theatre. He had a clear beautiful voice and played the role of Winthrop in Civic Theatre’s “The Music Man” when he was 10 years old.
 
After playing trombone in elementary school, he went on in his teenage years to learn guitar, he then taught himself to play drums, harmonica, ukelele, and in his late thirties set out to learn to play piano. Always interested in producing sound, he graduated from the Institute of Audio Research in NYC in August 2005.
 
A songwriter/arranger, guitarist, and lead vocalist with the bands Das Phrogge and Zero Charisma, he also performed solo as The Hero Pup. His CDs with Das Phrogge and Zero Charisma met with some moderate success in the alternative rock world.
 
As a talented graphic designer and artist, Christopher worked as a designer at Staten Island Borough Hall, the Staten Island Advance and Barking Dogs Art and Design. He had his own freelance design business known as Sleeping Cat Productions and designed and produced print graphics for clients which included campaign themes, logos, brochures and direct mailing pieces. Christopher was the designer of school newspapers for several elementary schools on the Island through the Sundog Theatre arts in education programs.
 
Christopher belonged to the American Society of composers and Publishers (ASCAP), the American Engineering Society, and was the founder of Sleeping Cat Pro Design and Audio. He continued his connection with local community theatre by designing and running sound for productions at SeaView Playwright’s Theatre and The Little Victory Theatre.
 
The perfect marriage of his skills occurred when he was chosen by a committee of the United Nations Organization (UNESCO) to submit an interactive music piece to the “Why Love/Why Now Art Exhibition at the opening of the Barcelona Forum. It included an original musical composition, package design and artistic concept, and a trip to Barcelona to oversee installation.
 
He loved to see the work of young people and was a great supporter of the Arts. Christopher Dillon Micha would be happy and grateful to think that he played a small part in helping young people find joy through theatre.

On Tuesday, February 4th, Borough President James S. Oddo presented the 2019 Patrick F. Daly award to two exemplary teachers in his honor: John DiMartino, coach and administrator at Port Richmond High School, and Renee Mazza, Assistant Principal at PS 23 The Richmondtown School.

The Patrick F. Daly Award was established shortly after Mr. Daly’s death to honor his legacy of service to the community, a steadfast commitment to his students, and his leadership. This award goes to two educators who exemplify the values of the fallen principal, who was gunned down 27 years ago in Red Hook, Brooklyn while searching for a student who had left the school building. The award was revived in 2017 by BP Oddo in honor of the 25th anniversary of Mr. Patrick Daly’s death.

“Every problem that exists in society, every challenge that we have, is made better and can be fixed through education when good people step forward and say ‘this is where I’m supposed to be and I’m going to do everything in my power to help these young people,'” noted Borough President Oddo at the ceremony. “Our real top priority at Borough Hall, and what we are known, for is education, because we know educators like these two, and like Patrick Daly, can change lives.”

The evening included an invocation from Father Squire, Pastor at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Churhc, as well as a reflection from David Pascarella, Patrick Daly’s nephew, and Pat Daly, Patrick Daly’s son, who spoke on this award and the importance of appreciating people while they are still with us. Before the presentation of the awards, Port Richmond High School Principal Andrew Greenfield spoke on John DiMartino’s dedications to his students and PS 23 Principal Paul Proscia spoke on Renee Mazza’s friendly approach to caring for the PS 23 community.

Former honorees, Wilson Mohr, John Fodera, and Ingrid Ebanks, were in attendance to celebrate the honorees John DiMartino and Renee Mazza.

The award ceremony was followed by a reception with light fare in the main hall of the building provided by the Port Richmond High School Culinary Arts program as well as music performed by Port Richmond High School musicians.

Congratulations to two very deserving educators and thank you for the work you do!

John DiMartino
After graduating Long Island University on a full baseball scholarship with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education, John DiMartino played two years of Minor League Baseball for the Ohio Valley Redcoats before beginning his teaching career in 1996 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, at Dewey Middle School, MS 136. John spent a year at MS 136 before accepting a teaching and coaching position at New Dorp High School. Mr. DiMartino served as the Junior Varsity Baseball Coach and Girls’ Junior Varsity Basketball Coach for two and a half years until the spring of 1999 when he began working at Port Richmond High School, his home for the last 20 years. During his tenure at PRHS, John has coached various sports, including the Boys’ Varsity Bowling Team, taught as a Health and Physical Education Teacher, in addition to being a vital member of the Deans’ Office, overseeing Morning Entry where he looks forward to greeting each Raider every day. Throughout his 24-year career, John has dedicated his time to helping at-risk teens and their families to improve their lives. He has made it his life’s mission to provide resources, opportunities and support to a diverse body of adolescents and young adults. John has received numerous awards from principals, administrators, staff, students and parents at Port Richmond for his outstanding dedication and willingness to go above and beyond in any situation. John and his wife, Christine, have three children: John Jr., Lauren and Nicky. John loves nothing more than cheering for John Jr. while he pitches at Pace University, Lauren while on the basketball court for St. Joseph Hill, and Nicky while he’s on the baseball field for Farrell High School.

Renee Mazza
Renee Mazza, referred to as a “selfless and trusted friend to the entire PS 23 School Community,” has served as Assistant Principal to The Richmondtown School for the last 16 years. A graduate of the College of Staten Island with an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Special Education, and Supervisory Certification, Renee began her teaching career in Brooklyn at PS 192, where she taught as an elementary school teacher for eight years, then as a Literary Coach for two years before her move to PS 23. Each morning at PS 23, Ms. Mazza can be seen opening breakfast items for students, talking to them, and getting to know each and every student. Parents often come to her for advice on how they can help their child learn better. As a result of Renee Mazza’s servant style of leadership, PS 23 has earned many prestigious honors, which include becoming and being recertified as a nationally recognized Leader In Me Lighthouse School with Academic Distinction, being honored as a NYS Reward School, and being recognized as a NYC DOE Respect For All School. In 2019, Renee pioneered PS 23’s Philanthropic Classroom project, where each Pre K-5 class partnered with charitable organizations to help those in need. This project has helped students learn empathy, compassion, kindness, and has enabled students to build relationships with neighboring organizations. She is the proud mother of two children, Gianluca and Maggee Mazza.

Borough President Oddo is excited to announce that his office is accepting applications for student internship positions available at Borough Hall.

“We are big believers in the power of mentorship, which is why I invite Staten Island students to apply to intern with us here at Borough Hall. We want to help our students in any way we can,” said Borough President Oddo.

Our teams are seeking creative students (must be a junior or senior in high school or in college) students who are detail oriented and interested in local government for an exciting opportunity to work at Borough Hall. The hours are flexible (between Monday and Friday, 9 am to 5 pm), but may require a few nights depending on the department’s schedule and responsibilities.

We have internships available within the following teams: Communications and Special Projects, Video, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Tourism Kiosk Volunteer, Education, and Accounting. Descriptions for each department’s positions and a portal for applications can be found on our website. 

While these internships are unpaid volunteer positions, students can receive signed verification for school credit if needed. 

On Tuesday, January 28, BP Oddo joined with Councilman Steve Matteo, NYC Parks Borough Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, representatives from the School Construction Authority and the Department of Education, and students and staff from IS 51 to officially cut the ribbon on their new playground!
 
As BP Oddo stated at the ribbon-cutting, "this project really is an example of teamwork and coordination across city government." Thank you to everyone who made this project a reality!
​
This project -- jointly funded by Borough Hall, Matteo's office, Speaker Cory Johnson and Mayor Bill de Blasio -- includes a synthetic turf field with a painted track around it, new basketball courts and an area for outdoor classrooms.

 
The best news is there's money left over for phase two to renovate another portion of the playground! This phase is currently in design and final decisions have not been made about the amenities. Here are some of the recommendations for amenities that could be included in phase two:

Borough President Oddo today joined with students and staff to cut the ribbon on two projects he funded for PS 78 in Clifton: auditorium upgrades and sensory pathways for a hallway within the school. The upgrades to the auditorium include new flooring, painting, curtains for the stage and the windows, seats, side walls, and a stage floor.

Sensory Hallways are pathways lined with colorful decals that allow students to skip, jump and even play a little hopscotch as they move throughout the school. Children who follow the path might be jumping at certain intervals, taking slow steps in other spots, hopping from lily pad to lily pad, or placing their hands on handprints on the wall and pushing as hard as they can.

The Sensory Path – the company who installed PS 78’s Sensory Pathways – describes their product as a brain break for students to refocus. When a child with a sensory processing disorder such as Autism is in a general education classroom, their brain is trying to process several different things at once. From sitting up in the chair, the climate in the room, the other children next to them, the smells, the teacher talking, another child talking, the movements in the room, everything we usually can tune out, they are tuning into. Kids with sensory processing disorders can't just simply turn off the radio of their brain. They need a brain break. Their neurological pathways have essentially jammed, and must be cleared. By taking the sensory overloaded kid to our Sensory Path, they will complete a series of movements as they move through the path that are designed to release the blocked paths and allow the body and brain to refocus.

The hallways are beneficial not only to those students who require sensory input, but for the entire student body – and even the staff.

“We want our students to get active and be engaged, which is why I am excited to see today’s ribbon cuttings at PS 78 for their new auditorium and especially their sensory pathways. These pathways will allow children to burn energy and return to the classroom refocused and ready to learn. We are big advocates of the importance and benefits of exercise, so I am looking forward to seeing the success of these hallways on the PS 78 community,” said Borough President Oddo.
​
The auditorium was funded in two phases: $400,000 for first phase, which included new flooring, painting, and curtains for the stage and the windows, and $650,000 for phase two, which included new seats, side walls and stage floor. Phase two is still underway, with the side walls and stage floor still to be completed. The sensory pathway was funded for $2,500. PS 78 is the first school Borough President Oddo has allocated funding for sensory pathways.

​On Tuesday, January 21, 2020, Borough President Oddo joined with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Borough Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, and City Councilman Joe Borelli to officially break ground for the new sensory playground coming to E.M.T. Christopher J. Prescott Playground. 

This sensory playground has been designed to challenge the body's senses – with equipment including features such as textured surfaces, patterns, shapes, talk tubes, musical play panels, swings, roller tables, balance walkers and climbers – to accommodate the needs of children with Sensory Processing Disorder.

“We want all of our kids to enjoy our parks, which is why I am so grateful to see today’s groundbreaking on an exciting and innovative addition to Staten Island’s Prescott Playground,” said BP Oddo at the groundbreaking. “We take very seriously the privilege to allocate the public’s money, and allocating this $3.9 million is a statement to our values as Staten Islanders.”

The renovation project will also provide new, inclusive play structures, swings, a spray play area with stainless steel instruments, and a small quiet area for reflection. New paths, fences, concrete pavements, and safety surfacing will also be added to the play area, as well as a new planter area, featuring new trees and a planting palette to increase shade in play areas.

The $4 million project was funded by a $3.9 million allocation from Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, and $100,000 from Council Member Joseph Borelli.

The project is expected to be completed in 12-18 months. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of making this project a reality! 

Prescott Playground, located near I.S. 7 in Huguenot, boasts swings, playgrounds for all children, spray showers and plant-beds. The playground, which is jointly operated by Parks and the Board of Education, was acquired for recreational purposes by the City in 1960. It was improved in 1966 with modular play equipment and safety surfacing under a $145,000 capital project that was funded by Council Member Vito Fosella. The playground was renamed in 1997 in honor of Christopher J. Prescott (1972-1994), a Staten Island native who was the first New York City EMS worker to be killed in the line of duty.

Over 400 people attended a Forest Ecology Forum on Tuesday, November 19 at the College of Staten Island to hear presentations on severe damage to the health of Staten Island’s thousands of acres of woodlands, caused primarily by deer.
 
The Borough President and the New York State DEC held this forum to raise awareness about the impacts deer are having on native vegetation and forest animals, and also the broader issue that our forests are ecosystems with interdependent roles for native plants and wildlife.
 
The DEC has documented the damage on Staten Island by over-browsing of deer to the point where few new trees are surviving past the seedling stage. Oak trees, for example, were heavily browsed. With no new trees growing, the future of our Greenbelt and other forests is at risk.
 
Evidence was also presented about how deer over-browsing on native plants and berries on the forest floor can collapse the woodland ecosystem and invite unwanted invasive species of plants. We can halt this rapidly growing threat, but we are running out of time.
 
Many of the 400 attendees were members of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods and the Greenbelt Conservancy, two of Staten Island’s leading conservation organizations. Also in attendance were students and teachers from Staten Island schools and many concerned citizens.  This was the first major briefing for Staten Islanders on this topic.
 
We were fortunate to have three experts present their work at the forum. Dr. William McShea, Research Ecologist from the Smithsonian Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center, spoke about the pressures on forests in the entire Northeast/Mid-Atlantic from overpopulation by white-tailed deer, which reach unhealthy densities as natural predators like bears, cougars and wolves have been removed from ecosystems. 
 
Dr. Susan Elbin, NYC Audubon Director of Conservation and Science, followed with a presentation focused on the impacts on forest birds when native plants are over-browsed and supplanted with invasive species.
 
Ken Scarlatelli, NYS DEC Regional Natural Resources Supervisor, provided field evidence on the effects of over-browsing by deer in Staten Island’s forests – particularly on State lands. To view the PowerPoint presentations given by the listed presenters, please visit our website here.
 
The Borough President put together this forest ecology forum to educate and inspire Staten Islanders to join our call for action. To make a change, Staten Island residents who care about forests need to be active voices in future management decisions.
 
At the Forum, Borough President Oddo stated that we collectively want to hear ideas on addressing the problem: “I publicly have stated that I support a highly managed and monitored cull which is the only way to immediately and humanely reduce the deer population – an approach that is done effectively throughout New York State and the Northeast…but I also invited Staten Islanders to offer alternatives that will help reduce the deer population to safe levels and protect the forests.”
 
Borough President Oddo emphasized that we did not want to draw battle lines on this issue of deer management, but rather collectively discuss the options, using science-based facts as our guide.
 
A panel discussion followed led by the College of Staten Island’s biology and environmental science departments. Those on the panel included:
 

• James Oddo, Staten Island Borough President
• Dr. William McShea, Research Ecologist, Smithsonian Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center
• Dr. Susan Albin, Director of Conservation and Science, NYC Audubon
• Ken Scarlatelli, Regional Natural Resources Supervisor, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Region II)
• Cliff Hagen, President, Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
• Dr. Bonnie Johnson Fritz, Board President, Greenbelt Conservancy
• Neophytos A. Antoniades, Ph. D, Professor and Chair, Engineering & Environmental Science Department, College of Staten Island
• Chang-Hui Shen, Ph. D, Professor and Chair, Biology Department, College of Staten Island
• Patti Rafferty Chief, Resource Stewardship, Gateway National Recreation Area
• Dr. Susan Booth-Benczik, Wildlife Biologist, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• Kristy King, Director of Natural Areas Restoration & Management, Forestry, Horticulture, & Natural Resources, New York City Parks Department

 
Panel members answered audience questions about deer and the state of Staten Island’s forests, issuing a call to action to Staten Islanders to be active voices in future management decisions.

One important take-away from this forum is that -- to care about animals, we have to care about the ecosystems in which the animals live. Otherwise we are fooling ourselves. The animals will starve and disappear if their habitat is compromised. This is a complicated issue but clearly there is a great deal of passion to slow the steady denuding of our Greenbelt, our parks and our woodlands.

Kicking off TCS New York City Marathon week, BP Oddo joined with The Trust for Public Land, New York Road Runners, borough officials, students, teachers and families to open a new playground at P.S. 32 The Gifford School in Great Kills. The student-designed playground will give thousands of residents a safe, green space to exercise, convene, and recreate within a 10-minute walk of home. The P.S. 32 playground is made possible by a partnership with  New York City Councilman Joe Borelli, New York Road Runners, and The Trust for Public Land.
 
Before the official ribbon cutting, audience members were treated to special performances by the student chorus who sang "A Million Dreams" and the dance team who performed to "Can't Stop the Feeling."

“I am grateful for the chance to cut the ribbon on this new playground at PS 32, a project that will allow young people the ability to do what they need to in order to have success in the classroom: be active,” noted Borough President Oddo. “Play, and exercise, and recess, and breaks, are not obstacles to the education of our kids. They are not time taken away from instructing them, and thus time taken away from learning. Rather, they should be seen for what the science shows them to be: integral parts of improving cognitive function, and yes, of learning.”
 
The $1 million Staten Island playground will provide nearly 8,000 residents with a new park within a 10-minute walk of home and amenities including running track, turf field, basketball hoops, a volleyball court, benches, and play equipment. In addition to serving students, all playgrounds in New York City are open to the public on weekends, after school, and during school breaks, providing opportunities for both children and adults to be physically active.
 
The park was designed by students through The Trust for Public Land’s New York City Playgrounds Program, helping them gain valuable knowledge and life skills like budgeting, negotiation, and environmental science. Since 1996, working with the City, The Trust for Public Land has designed and/or built more than 200 school and community playgrounds across the five boroughs.
 
In addition to exercise and recreational amenities, the parks has green infrastructure elements like trees and pervious pavers that help build New York City’s resistance to major storms, capturing up to an inch of rainwater in storm event. These features reduce stormwater runoff that can flood streets and overwhelm sewer systems, allowing untreated water to end up in rivers and bays. Each playground absorbs hundreds of thousands of gallons of water annually and includes 20-30 new trees that bring shade and better air quality to their neighborhoods.

​Congrats, PS 32!