Free, Non-Partisan Resources from iCivics to Encourage Learning Around the 2020 Presidential Election
 
With less than a week to go until the 2020 presidential election on November 3rd, Staten Island Borough President James S. Oddo encourages educators and families to facilitate learning about the election with the non-partisan resources curated by iCivics. Using iCivics, educators and families can help students learn about the electoral process, understand the power of their vote, find ways to participate beyond the ballot box—and ultimately, engage them in our country’s democratic process, now and in the future.
 
“iCivics is a wonderful way to teach kids about our electoral process,” said Borough President Oddo.  “And parents and teachers can relax - these lessons and games are completely and refreshingly free of any partisanship whatsoever.  It teaches children to make up their own minds.”
 
iCivics, the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider, is best known for their 20 engaging digital experiential games, along with hundreds of practical, dynamic, and standards-aligned civics lessons for K-12 classrooms. The games are ideal for classrooms, remote learning, and at-home schooling. 
 
This is not the first time the Borough President’s Office has partnered with iCivics. In June 2017, Borough President Oddo, in tandem with NYC DOE, funded professional development for Staten Island teachers – elementary, middle and high school. At that time, iCivics made their experts available for a full day of training, in order to familiarize the borough’s teachers with its digital tools, lesson plans, and curriculum. 
 
iCivics’ most popular election-focused games, Cast Your Vote and Win the White House, have been significantly upgraded ahead of the 2020 election to better reflect the public policy issues and challenges our country faces in the current moment, as well as the unique stories of a broad range of everyday people. They also offer an English-language learner version to support non-native English-speaking students. New features include an in-game glossary, image-supported concept assistance, Spanish-language mode, and voice-over for critical game content.
 
To support learning around the 2020 Election, iCivics has curated all of their election teaching resources at Election Headquarters, where educators and families will find:
 

• iCivics games, Win the White House, Cast Your Vote, Executive Command, and NewsfeedDefenders
• A Family Guide for playing Win the White House at home
• Print-and-go lessons that include simulations, vocabulary development, graphic organizers, and active participation opportunities
• Timely infographics that provide overviews of key concepts, such as gerrymandering and the peaceful transfer of power
• WebQuests to help students connect civics concepts to the real world

 
iCivics’ resources and games are best suited for students in grades 5 through 12 and are completely free with the creation of an educator or parent account on www.icivics.org.
 
“These lessons and games, like Win the White House and Cast Your Vote, are as timely as you can get,” Borough President Oddo continued.  “As far as I’m concerned, the lessons taught in iCivics should be required in schools and encouraged in homes everywhere.  It teaches kids what America is all about.”
 
About iCivics 
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics in 2009 to transform the field through innovative, free educational video games and lessons that teach students to be knowledgeable, curious, and engaged in civic life. Since then, iCivics has become the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider to 7.5 million students across America. Learn more: www.icivics.org.

BP Oddo, NYC Department of Education’s District 79, Concord HS, Coop Tech plan to add skilled trades, high school equivalency, adult education and evening courses to act as “career ladders” for high schoolers, young adults and the community

Borough President James S. Oddo along with Concord High School Principal Michael Sobel, and in cooperation with District 79’s School of Cooperative Technical Education  (Coop Tech) and Principal Corey Prober, announced today the addition of multiple enhancements to Concord High School, continuing its transformation into a hub for the community.
 
Currently the school offers young adults ages 16 through 21 the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Beginning this school year, Borough President Oddo has helped orchestrate a “re-envisioned” Concord HS through new partnerships with Coop Tech, Adult Education, and the development of a Young Adult Borough Center (YABC), in order to offer all residents of the community additional pathways to continue their education.
 
“Concord High School has always been a unique member of our educational community,” said Borough President Oddo, “and the enrichments being announced today represent a quantum leap in what they can provide to those young men and women – and adults - in such dire need of programs like these.”
 
“It is so gratifying,” he continued, “that together, Borough Hall and the Department of Education are creating opportunities for all residents of Staten Island.”
 
Since its redesign in 2002, Concord High School has successfully assisted thousands of young adults to become successful by earning their high school diploma, providing a warm, caring and welcoming environment for all students and families. The school also provides students with an opportunity to research college and career pathways and offers career internships to become better prepared for the workforce.
 
The School of Cooperative Technical Education is a citywide program that offers students hands-on training in a variety of in-demand, cutting-edge trade areas.  Coop Tech serves approximately 1,500 students, 17 to 21 years of age and who represent a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, or as post-graduates who have already obtained a high school diploma or high school equivalency.
 
The program features a carpentry course teaching basic residential and commercial construction skills, such as blueprint reading, proper use of hand and power tools, mill work, building, framing and finishing. The course utilizes geometry, measurement, and all aspects of cost and estimating, as well as the opportunity to receive their 30 Hour Construction OSHA certification.
Additionally, advertising and design courses teach students about all aspects of design, and the concepts and process of using various Adobe programs to build a professional portfolio of their work.
 
The career and technical education (CTE) programs help students enter into union jobs and encourages transition into college and post-secondary programs.  Coop Tech currently has agreements with various CUNY schools across the five boroughs. 
 
Concord will also begin offering students who need additional credits or have daytime adult responsibilities the opportunity to attend the Concord Young Adult Borough Center (YABC). This will allow community members the opportunity to earn a high school diploma by attending school in the late afternoon and evening. There will also be a new Adult Education program which may open the door to college or other career aspirations.
 
Adult community residents will also be able to benefit through a new Adult Education program. This program offers adults the opportunity to take the TASC Exam and earn their High School Equivalency. Adults can use their High School Equivalency to improve their quality of life by opening the door to college and additional career aspirations.
 
“Over the years Concord High School has served students who needed it the most with a wonderfully caring, supportive, and rigorous academic program,” said Paul Rotondo, Superintendent of Citywide Transfer High Schools.  “Today, under the leadership of Borough President Oddo and the NYC DOE, we see Concord High School once again transform itself to meet the ever-growing needs of our children on Staten Island...both students and adults may now take part in comprehensive programs and classes that promote success in college and careers.”

​Port Richmond High School will partner with CSI to begin this unique six-year program

​Borough President James S. Oddo, Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza, College of Staten Island President William Fritz and Port Richmond High School Principal Andrew Greenfield today announced the launch of the borough’s first “Pathways to Technology Early College High School,” or P-TECH, at the start of the 2020-2021 school year.  Previously, Staten Island had been the only borough without one.
  
P-TECH is a six-year program within Port Richmond that offers students the opportunity to receive a high school diploma from PRHS, a tuition-free Associate’s Degree from CSI, and perhaps most importantly, hands-on work experience and education from an “industry partner,” yet to be chosen.  This industry partner will be selected from one of a variety of specialized fields, including healthcare, technology, public utilities or finance, including Fortune 500 companies.  The partner will provide students with work-based learning activities including work site visits, mentoring and internships. 
 
The program will also feature a summer institute that will "bridge" learning in preparation for fall opening. Summer institute and general program information will be available at www.PortRichmondHS.org.
 
The initial request for a P-TECH on Staten Island was contained in a letter from Borough President Oddo to then newly-appointed NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.  Together, they have been working to bring the program to Staten Island high school students since Carranza visited with Oddo during City Hall in Your Borough in August of 2018.
  
“No longer will Staten Island be the only borough without a P-TECH school,” said Borough President James Oddo. “Starting in September, students will have a unique opportunity to start as normal high school freshmen, but by the time they finish the fourteenth grade, they will have a diploma, a degree, and, perhaps most importantly, the knowledge and skills necessary to move right into a specialized job. Getting us to this point has not been easy. Admittedly, there have been many fits and starts. I have to thank the Borough Hall team for their doggedness in not stopping their pursuit of P-TECH until we achieved our long-standing goal. I truly believe that all of our hard work is going to pay off in a big way.”
  
“This program brings Staten Island students rigorous, career-oriented instruction and a clear path to a free Associate’s degree that will provide high-quality education, stability and certainty as we continue to navigate a global pandemic,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “This is what Equity & Excellence for All is about, and I am grateful to Borough President Oddo for his partnership and advocacy in bringing P-TECH to the borough for the first time.”
 
“This is an amazing opportunity for the students of Port Richmond High School and the entire Staten Island community,” said Port Richmond High School Principal Andrew Greenfield. “I am thankful to the Borough President, the Department of Education and the College of Staten Island for collaborating to make this program a reality. Members of this year’s incoming freshman class will have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma from Port Richmond High School and an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science from the College of Staten Island.
 
College of Staten Island President William J. Fritz commented: “The College is excited about this unprecedented opportunity to partner with Port Richmond High School to create the borough’s first P-TECH school with the support of the Borough President and the Department of Education. This major academic initiative will advance the success of our future students in alignment with CSI’s focus on high school collaborations through the 30,000 Degrees Initiative, local economic development, and its growing role as an anchor institution.”
  
"The pandemic has accelerated the advance of the digital economy and increased the importance of initiatives like the Grades 9-14 model, which provides students with significant advantages in preparing for college and successful careers" said Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of Partnership for New York City.

Joint statement by Borough President Oddo, Congressman Max Rose, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Senator Diane Savino, Senator Andrew Lanza, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, Assemblyman Mike Reilly, Assemblyman Charles Fall, Councilman Steven Matteo, Councilman Joe Borelli, and Councilwoman Debi Rose:
 
“Following a meeting today at Borough Hall, we are calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to close New York City Public Schools, grades 3-K through 12, for one week to allow for all school buildings to be completely sanitized and to allow for further assessment of the COVID-19 situation, to be reassessed at the end of that week. Essential to this plan is developing a program to allow for children who need shelter and food to be cared for during this time.
 
“In addition, we are reiterating our position on closing Senior Centers throughout the City to safeguard older adults who are in the high-risk category, pending an appropriate course of action to ensure safety and nutrition for all seniors in the program.”

​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.