Power of Ten Update
In this Issue:
1. AAUW Brunch This Saturday Feb 27
2. CUPON Rally Tuesday, March 8
3. HE NAMED ME MALALA Global Television Premiere
4. “The Roof is On Fire”
1) AAUW Brunch This Saturday Feb 27
The Rockland County Branch of the American Association of University Women, Inc. 17th Annual Diversity Brunch will feature a panel discussion:
East Ramapo: District in Crisis
The East Ramapo School District has failed its public school students and families. The New York State Dept. of Education is investigating the functioning of the School District to develop options for improvement in the schools for all students.
Speaker Panel: Weldon McWilliams IV, Willie Trotman, Suzanne Young-Mercer, Melissa Denizard, Steven White
Saturday, February 27, 2016
10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church
432 Valentine Ave.
Sparkill, NY
$25.00 Advance Donations/$30.00 Door Sales
Reserve Now – Limited Seating
Contact: Ann Mulligan @ 845-893-2821
2) CUPON Rally Tuesday, March 8
Date: March 8th, 2016
Time: 7:15 pm
Place: Town Hall parking lot, 237 Route 59, Suffern NY
CUPON was formed to hold planning and zoning boards accountable. They are calling all citizens to join in a demonstration to show dissatisfaction with the Town’s approval processes. Following the demonstration they will attend the Planning Board meeting to oppose a re-vote on approval of the Bluefield Extension. More info is available at https://cuponrockland.wordpress.com/
3) HE NAMED ME MALALA Global Television Premiere
Big news! On Monday, February 29 at 8:00 pm, HE NAMED ME MALALA, the inspirational documentary about Malala Yousafzai’s life and her fight for girls’ education, will premiere commercial-free on National Geographic Channel.
Bring the inspirational message of education activist Malala Yousafzai’s story and fight for girls’ education to your home. On February 29, 2016, tune into National Geographic Channel for the global broadcast premiere of HE NAMED ME MALALA, an inspirational documentary film from Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/he-named-me-malala/
Share your passion for girls’ education and invite friends and family over to watch the film. Sign up to host a watch party in your home or community.
4) “The Roof is On Fire”
It is unbearable.
As I walk the second floor hallways of Ramapo High School every day, I hold my breath and walk quickly to get to my destination. As I sit in classrooms, I avert my eyes from the numerous brown/black spots of mold. These spots are not only present in the upstairs halls and classrooms, but also in the downstairs ones as well. As I converse with friends, I hear of students who have become sick because of these conditions.
It is intolerable.
It is extremely difficult to learn in such conditions. A school is to provide safe working conditions for faculty and learning conditions for students every single day; however, that is not the case at Ramapo High School under these conditions. There are immigrant students who are trying to learn English but are unable to focus on breaking a language barrier because of the horrid odor and appearance of the school. There are students who lack motivation to even come to school every day, and those students are less motivated to attend school because of these conditions. As an AP student and Black Achievement Award recipient, I even find it difficult to learn in these predicaments.
It is insufferable.
We were told that Senator Carlucci secured 1 million dollars to fix the leaky roof; however, the ceilings need to be redone as well. We must not “hooray!” this event rather nod our heads in acceptance. Why would we greatly applaud a grant of 1 million dollars when just last year our district rejected a 40 million dollar bond for repairs? In the grand scheme of things, the work in our district to ensure the safety of every single student is far from being done and we must work together, as a unified district, to get not only the roof at Ramapo High School fixed but all repairs done in the district. We must advocate for safe conditions for our students every day, even if “the roof is on fire.”
– Ellen Sue Cola
(The writer is a Senior at Ramapo HS)