Mark your calendars for Sept. 3 in Union City and Sept. 10 in West New York. It’s back to school season, and students can look forward to new school buildings in both towns.
Brian Cooney has won a silver Healthy Schools Program Award and Hudson County Teacher of the Year.
________
West New York students face a similar situation, but at a later date. Schools in West New York will open Thursday, Sept. 10 with half days on the 10th and 11th. The first full day of school in West New York will be Monday, Sept. 14.
New facilities
Union City High School students finally will leave their old buildings behind and combine into one brand new high school building on Kennedy Blvd. this year. The new $136 million building also includes a new athletic stadium.
Other facilities in Union City will also receive improvements, including new phone and paging systems.
In West New York, a ribbon cutting ceremony was scheduled at a renovated elementary school, P.S. 2, for Friday, Aug. 28. Invited guests included Gov. Jon Corzine, Rep. Albio Sires, and Mayor Silverio “Sal” Vega.
Another new elementary school, P.S. 3, will open in January of 2010.
“These new facilities will revamp our elementary programs, and bring to our children the world-class educational facilities they deserve,” said West New York Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Van Zanten.
Zanten also noted that the West New York District received an additional $2.5 million in state aid because 1,700 more students were declared eligible for the free and reduced lunch program.
“The increased participation in free and reduced breakfast and lunch program went from 50.84 percent to 77.45 percent of the total student population,” said Van Zanten.
WNY has winning teachers
Former President Bill Clinton, American Heart Association President Clyde Yancy, and Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, recognized five West New York Schools at the Fourth Annual Healthy Schools Program Forum in New York on Aug. 6. Those schools and specific teachers were cited for transforming their schools into healthier places for students and faculty.
Among the winners was Brian Cooney, physical education teacher at West New York school number 5 who has also been named as Hudson County Teacher of the Year and will soon be competing for the coveted State Teacher of the Year award. Cooney received a silver Healthy Schools Program National Recognition Award.
Other winners included West New York school’s 1, 2, and 3. Teachers at those schools received awards at the Bronze level. Memorial High School also received a silver level award.
The West New York schools were among 114 schools throughout the country that were rewarded for their efforts in keeping their schools healthy.
Melissa Rappaport may be reached at mrappaport@hudsonreporter.com