Latest news with #177
New York Post
3 days ago
- General
- New York Post
Queens teacher wins $25K state prize for building chicken coops in her school to help special needs kids learn
When Alanna O'Donnell arrived at her Queens classroom Friday, the last thing she expected was to be surprised with a massive $25,000 check. The PS 117 educator always keeps her special needs students at the top of mind, which is exactly what made her one of this year's winners of the FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence. 'This is probably one of the most humbling experiences of my adult life and I'm just honored and grateful to be part of the 177 family,' O'Donnell told The Post as the excitement and surprise partially began to settle in. 5 Alanna O'Donnell was chosen as one of six 2025 FLAG Award winners. James Messerschmidt Advertisement O'Donnell, 46, is one of six teachers across the five boroughs to have been chosen for this year's FLAG Award, which honors educators who 'inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment.' She was chosen among a whopping 1,600 nominations — and she has one of her students' parents to thank for quietly throwing her hat in the ring. O'Donnell, a city department of education veteran of 12 years, was chosen for her intense dedication to her tiny special needs classroom at PS 117, Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children — where only one child in her class is able to speak. Advertisement The dedicated teacher built an urban farm and chicken coop using money she secured from a state Department of Agriculture and Markets grant so that her students could run the farm and care for chickens in order to learn responsibility and empathy — traits that are critical for non-verbal people with autism to attain well-being and independence. 5 O'Donnell was awarded a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize, while PS 117 was given another $10,000 to be used for her farming and Pink Lady initiatives. James Messerschmidt Her students help tend the herbs, vegetables and flowers as well as the 7 hens and two small chicks. When the birds lay their eggs, typically one per day, O'Donnell sells them for $5 a dozen — and she revealed theirs a waiting list for the 'under market value' eggs. Advertisement 'It took a few weeks but when [the chickens] got here, there was a lot of like, 'Oh, don't squeeze the neck, don't pop the beak, but you can see that my kids walk them without issue, hug them and hold them and will clean up their poop and will gather their eggs, never an issue and it shows the world that these kids have a voice,' O'Donnell beamed. 'They can do a job. There are 99% of New Yorkers who can't do what these kids can do right now.' 5 Only one of O'Donnell's students is verbal. James Messerschmidt 5 O'Donnell has been teaching within the DOE for 12 years. James Messerschmidt Advertisement In addition to her city farm, O'Donnell routinely takes her students shopping so they can practice paying, counting change and boost their confidence. O'Donnell also runs a group she created during the pandemic called the Pink Ladies, made up of current and former female students, for annual launches, providing a crucial social outlet. The educator thought she was attending an end of the academic year celebration when Principal Christopher Duffy revealed she had won. O'Donnell covered her face with her hands in shock and shook her head from side to side as she was handed her a massive cardboard check as the auditorium burst into thunderous applause from her students and fellow educators. 5 O'Donnell thought she was attending an end of the year party when she was surprised with the award. James Messerschmidt She was given a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize, while PS 117 was given another $10,000 to be used for her farming and Pink Lady initiatives. 'Well, holy moly, I'm sweating like crazy and shaking, but this is amazing and I'm so humbled. To accept an award like this because when one of us shines, we all shine, two, because I'm here at 177,' O'Donnell told the crowd. Upon learning that a parent had nominated her for the honor made the award that much more special, she told The Post, saying: 'This is probably one of the most humbling experiences of my adult life.' Advertisement She said that field 'is not an easy road,' but 'I get to be the voice for the voiceless … giving my kids a chance to get a job at the farmers market or at the Queens County Farm, wouldn't it be amazing?' she continued. 'If I can be their voice, I'll be the voice and I'll help their parents be their voice too.'
Zawya
05-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
New report warns of a looming sugar shortage in Kenya
The United States Department of Agriculture warns of a looming sugar shortage in Kenya blamed on shrinking farms and declining processing, opening a window for increased imports that will stabilise retail prices. The agency, through its Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) division, says the country faces a 19.8 percent drop in sugar production to 650,000 metric tonnes in the 2025/2026 marketing year (MY), from 810,000 metric tonnes in the 2024/2025 marketing year. A marketing year is a period designated for reporting and analysis of production, marketing and disposition of a commodity. The agency, in its latest Sugar Annual report for Kenya dated April 18, 2025, forecasts that Kenya's sugar retail prices will increase as supply tightens due to closure of local mills for annual maintenance, but will stabilise when imports start coming in. In January this year, the local sugar market saw pressure on prices, as ex-factory prices increased by five percent, rising to Ksh6,569 ($50.92) per 50kg bag from Ksh6,233 ($48.31) in December 2024. Wholesale prices rose nine percent to Ksh7,177 ($55.63) per 50kg bag while retail prices climbed to an average of Ksh157 ($1.21) per kilogramme, from Ksh149 ($1.15) per kilogramme in December. Currently, cane price is set at Ksh 5,300 ($41.08) per metric tonne. According to the US agency, Kenya's area under cane harvesting is expected to drop to 150,000 hectares in the 2025/2026 marketing year, from 190,000 ha, due to a lower proportion of mature plantations, which resulted from overly aggressive harvesting in the 2024/25 year. Kenya's main cane-growing regions are in the Western and Lake Victoria Basin region, with about 93 percent of the cane produced by some 320,000 small-scale farmers, on less than one-hectare individual holdings, while large plantations that are owned by millers produce the remaining seven percent. According to the Kenya's Sugar Research Institute, cane yields range between 50 metric tonnes to 70 metric tonnes per hectare, due to regional variability, including weather conditions, crop husbandry practices, and cane varieties. But, in the 2024/2025 period, the average cane yield decreased substantially to 51 metric tonnes per hectare from 56 metric tonnes per hectare in the previous year, due to dry weather conditions that preceded harvesting in some of the cane growing regions. The agency says this year (2025/2025) millers would have to scramble for cane to utilise their installed capacity amidst increasing cane shortages. In 2024, Kenya's retail sugar prices averaged Ksh138 ($1.06) per kilogramme, down from Ksh197 ($1.52) in 2023, prompting the government to ban sugar imports from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and East African Community (EAC) trading blocs. Read: Kenya bans sugar imports from outside Comesa, EAC trade blocsNow sugar imports are expected to increase 37.93 percent to 600,000 metric tonnes in the current marketing year (2025/2026), from 435,000 metric tonnes in the 2024/25 period to offset the supply deficit.'Sugar consumption is anticipated to increase 1.6 percent to 1.25 million, due to rise use in households and in the hospitality sector, driven by higher disposable incomes, and the growth in the hospitality sector,' the report says.'Sugar imports are also expected to surge by 38 percent, to offset the anticipated local supply deficit. Imports are expected to come from the Comesa and EAC countries because of tariff advantages.'Duty-free imports from the Comesa countries are however subject to a limit of 350,000 metric tonnes per year, due to a safeguard that has been granted to Kenya. The safeguard, which has been in force since 2002, was extended by two years in November 2023 and expected to expire in November this year. Sugar imports from non-Comesa and EAC countries face a 100 percent tariff, unless a specific waiver is granted by the government of Kenya. In September 2024, Kenya imposed a ban on sugar imports from outside Comesa and EAC, citing an increase in local production, with the country expected to produce more than 800,000 metric tonnes in the year. The 2023 had been an unusual year, beginning with a severe drought that led to reduced sugar output, necessitating significant imports to bridge the supply gap. The average annual consumption of table sugar in Kenya is about 950,000 metric tonnes, with the shortfall covered by imports from Comesa and EAC under existing trade protocols. Under the EAC revised four band Common External Tariff structure that came into force on July 1, 2022, sugar is among items considered to be 'sensitive' and which attract higher duty of above 35 percent to protect local industries from competition. Kenya's cane marketing is currently undertaken through 17 operational mills, four of which are government-owned, with total installed capacity of about 1.7 million tonnes. State-owned mills' market share, estimated at eight percent, has been dwindling due to technological and operational inefficiencies, including obsolete milling technology, mismanagement, high debt portfolios, and the collapse of cane development programmes. Private millers have been expanding their market share by investing in modern cane processing equipment and prompt pay to farmers. Some of the private millers have also invested in cane development programmes that include input supply and extension services to their contracted farmers. Average sugar extraction rates are also higher in private mills at 10 percent, compared to 5.6 percent in government-owned mills. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
