The Streets Where We Live

Washington Heights Teen Featured on New Latina

Washington Heights and Inwood Youth Council President Othanya Garcia is featured in New Latina talking about education and academic success among Latino youth. Check it out.

Othanya (center) was recently accepted to Columbia University on a full scholarship.

“La educación es la mejor herencia…” was a phrase Othanya, a 17-year old high school senior, repeatedly heard from her Dominican immigrant parents.  Othanya was recently accepted to Columbia University, with a full 4-year scholarship — everything covered, including books and housing.

I sat down for lunch the other day with this amazing young lady.  I heard about her when my brother-in-law, the director of a youth program at a community center in northern Manhattan, text messaged me a question Othanya had asked him:  “Which college is best?  Columbia or Cornell?  I have a Dominican student here that got accepted into both, full scholarship.” I was immediately excited for this Latina student, and very impressed by her achievement.

Read "Education: “The Best Legacy” on at New Latina.

 

Inwood Little League

 

Good Shepherd's Flock Mounts Fight for School

INWOOD — A fundraising drive. An alumni association. An early education facility.

These were some of the ideas student parents and alum came up with in their fight to keep the doors of Good Shepherd School open in the wake of the Archdiocese of New York’s Nov. 9 announcement that it had been placed on a list of 31 schools in New York City labeled "at risk" of closing.

After an initial meeting before Thanksgiving, the group gathered again Monday night at the school, on Isham and Cooper streets, to discuss which proposals should be included in a final draft presented to the Archdiocese next week.

"Tonight's meeting was very informative," alum Juan Castrillon wrote in an e-mail addressed to meeting attendees. "We definitely left there with a greater sense of hope that a plan is in motion to save our school."

Read more at DNAinfo.com.

Mother Mugged While Walking With Baby in Inwood Hill Park

INWOOD — A mother walking with her 17-month-old baby was mugged while walking through Inwood Hill Park at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, police said.

The victim was walking on the path between the Indian Road playground and the baseball fields when she was approached by two approximately 16-year-old boys who demanded she give them all she had, according to police.

One of the teens said he had a gun while motioning under his sweatshirt, police said. The woman said she handed over her wallet with credit cards and no cash.

Read more at DNAinfo.com. 

Five Manhattan Catholic Schools Face Closure

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan will have final say over which schools lose their funding -- a decision he'll announce next January, according to a statement. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews)

 

 

By Olivia Scheck

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — Five Manhattan Catholic schools were placed on the chopping block this week with the release of the New York Archdiocese's list of "at risk" schools that have been flagged to lose church funding.

St. Joseph of the Holy Family and All Saints in Harlem, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Midtown, Our Lady of Sorrows on the Lower East Side and Good Shepherd in Inwood all made the list, along with 27 others in the surrounding boroughs and counties.

Read more about the schools at DNAinfo.com.

Manhattan Asst. Principal Fudged Student Grades

By Jennifer Glickel

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

INWOOD — A Manhattan assistant principal may be at risk of losing her job after she failed to let students fail, incorrectly changing their grades from failing to passing, according to the New York Post.

Read more about the DNAinfo.com.

Young Artists Show Their Favorite Colors at Inwood Art Show

INWOOD — Upper Manhattan has long been home to a community of artists — it was only a matter of time before the kids caught on.

And when they did, Karin Dando-Hanish and Diane Ninos — local moms and artists in their own right — were there to harness that talent and showcase it in a temporary gallery-style show in the neighborhood.

The two organized a painting party last month where kids ages four to 10 were taught about mixing colors and asked to answer one question through painting: “What’s your favorite color?”

The answer is a multi-colored collection of 48 painted canvases painted by approximately 25 kids (some had more than one favorite color and a few parents participated as well) that run the gamut from sherbet orange to ruddy brown and vibrant purple to ruby red.

Read more about the show at DNAinfo.com.

Inwood Hill Park Brings Small Town Halloween to Big City

INWOOD — Inwood Hill Park was transformed into Halloween central Sunday afternoon and evening, as residents sought out tricks and treats on the Indian Road lawn well into the night.

A small town feeling was pervasive, as many families already knew one another, but a feeling of inclusiveness and openness to meeting new people gave it a New York City vibe some said.

"Inwood Hill Park is like a funky Main Street in New York City," Aneiry Polanco, an Inwood parent of two, wrote in an e-mail.

Read more about the event at DNAinfo.com. 

Indian Road Playground Set to Reopen After Yearlong Renovation

INWOOD — After months of waiting, children may soon be able to play in a refurbished Indian Road Playground, Parks Department officials said.

Parents and kids in Inwood have been waiting for the park to reopen since the renovation, which was funded by city money procured by Councilman Robert Jackson and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, began at the end of November 2009. The project was estimated to take nine months to complete.

Read more about the park at DNAinfo.com. 

Inwood and Washington Heights Halloween Guide

UPPER MANHATTAN — Ghouls and goblins are preparing for a jam-packed weekend of Halloween celebrations for all ages planned throughout Inwood and Washington Heights.

FInd weekend festivities at DNAinfo.com.