Latest news with #JamesMesserschmidt
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.'
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
Here are the first photos of the tragic NYC baby girl mauled to death by the family dog
Here are the first heart-wrenching images of the beautiful 1-month-old girl who was mauled to death by the family dog inside a Queens housing project early Tuesday morning. Photos obtained by The Post appears to show the tragic baby dozing as a newborn in the hospital and later at home before her gruesome death this week. 4 This gorgeous 1-month-old baby girl was tragically killed Tuesday when police said she was mauled by the family dog. Obtained by the NY Post 4 Police arrived at Queensbridge Houses to find the 1-month-old girl unresponsive after being amuled by a dog. James Messerschmidt The horrific incident unfolded shortly after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, when the baby's mother called 911 after finding the baby grievously injured in an apartment at the Queensbridge Houses public housing complex. Law enforcement sources said the family's six-week-old German Shepherd-pit bull mix was gnawing at the and had bitten a 'substantial portion' of her face. Neighbors reported hearing screams from the apartment at 12th Street and 41st Avenue as EMS first-responders tried in vain to save the baby. Yvette Mathurin, 69, said the girl's mom lived with her when she was dating her son — and said the mother has also lived in a shelter in recent years before moving into the public housing unit. 4 Neighbors said they heard tortured screams from the Queens apartment after a 1-month-old girl was found mauled. James Messerschmidt 4 The first photos of the tragic baby show the girl sleeping peacefully in the hospital weeks before her tragic death. Obtained by the NY Post 'We keep in touch all the time. She called me mama,' Mathurin said. 'She told me she had a baby. She told me the baby was beautiful. 'One thing I know is she loved kids because my son and she used to treat the daughter like her own,' she added. 'I feel so sorry for her.' One neighbor recalled hearing the tortured screams coming from the apartment Tuesday morning, and recalled discussing the dog with the tragic girl's mom just two days earlier. 'Mother was standing right here holding the baby, waiting for the elevator,' building resident Shanel Norville told The Post on Tuesday. 'Then she went back, forgot something, and the dog wasn't on the leash – is never on a leash – walked onto the elevator by itself and went down and got off on some floor. 'I told her, 'That dog needs to be on a leash,' Norville said. 'She said, 'No, this dog don't bite.' I said, 'All dogs bite. That dog needs to be on a leash.' And she just looked at me like, whatever.'
New York Post
23-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
Navy lands helicopter on Cardozo HS football field for 300 eager cadets: ‘They brought Fleet Week to us'
The Navy is all about higher education — literally and figuratively. The military branch landed an MH-60S Knighthawk chopper on the baseball field at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside on Friday in front of hundreds of bewildered and galvanized student cadets. The demonstration — a part of Fleet Week — was a dream for the Queens high school's Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) four years in the making and marked the first time such an event had been done on city schools' property in at least a decade. 7 The Navy landed a helicopter on the baseball field at Benjamin Cardozo High School on Friday. James Messerschmidt 'Last year, we went to Fleet Week. This year, they brought Fleet Week to us,' said Riddhi Chauhan, 16, a junior and next year's cadet commanding officer. The Post was afforded a bird's eye view of the incredible ride, which kicked off at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, crossed over Central Park and through the length of Queens until coming to a spectacular rest at the high school. Hundreds of students cheered on as the Naval officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit performed a fast rope demonstration — meaning they slid down the tether onto the baseball field as the chopper hovered a few dozen feet off the ground. The energy remained high throughout the remainder of the event as the high school cadets met with the officers and caught a glimpse of what their future might look like. 7 The incredible landing marked the first on a city school property in at least a decade. James Messerschmidt 'It's huge. Just seeing everyone coming together for an event like this, it means the world to know that we're all here for each other … We are one big family,' said Shanelle Kelly, 18, a senior looking forward to attending Norwich University, a military school in Vermont, in the fall. Watching the helicopter demonstration and meeting the naval officers got Kelly 'so excited' to achieve her dreams of working with the Marine Warfare Unit, something she has chosen because she knows it will be challenging. Cardozo had been vehemently vying for the helicopter and fast rope demonstration for four years — almost as long as their NJROTC has been in existence. 7 The helicopter landing was done in honor of Fleet Week. James Messerschmidt 7 'Last year, we went to Fleet Week. This year, they brought Fleet Week to us,' said Riddhi Chauhan. James Messerschmidt 7 Cardozo High School has 300 cadets in its NJROTC program, which is only five years old. James Messerschmidt The program boasts nearly 300 cadets — roughly 23% of its total student population — making it one of the fastest-growing in the country, according to Principal Meagan Colby, adding that not all of the cadets will go on to join the military, but most have aspirations of serving the country in some way. For Chauhan — the incoming program's boss — she only realized her dream of becoming a nuclear engineer for the Navy once she joined the NJROTC program last year. She had joined the NJROTC because it looked like it offered a fun experience and would be a great resume builder, until it opened her eyes to what a career in the Navy could look like. 7 Shanelle Kelly, Bhaswi Singh and Riddhi Chauhan are one of the hundreds of Cardozo cadets looking forward to a career in the Navy. James Messerschmidt 'Once you join it really changes your perspective. All of the branches are so unique and it's so different of an experience from a 9-to-5 job,' she said. Her predecessor, Bhaswi Singh, 17, is leaving to study pre-law at American University in the fall with future plans of joining the Navy after graduation. 'I do want to have that moment in my career where I serve my country and give back,' the Bellerose native said, adding that she is in Cardozo's law program. 7 'I do want to have that moment in my career where I serve my country and give back,' said Singh. James Messerschmidt 'Today is especially important to me. It gives respect and awareness about cadets do in the program, what a lot of our veterans do and how they serve the country, whether it be the Navy, Marines, Army … and there's a helicopter, who doesn't love that. And there's music!' For the servicemembers, the opportunity was just as valuable — and offered some of them the chance to dispel some of the misconceptions that the Navy is purely tied to sea operations. 'Their feedback has been really rewarding — to see how excited they are when we come in. I think we forget sometimes how important this is people? So it's been a really good opportunity for me to be able to appreciate that,' said Erick Larson, one of the EOD servicemembers aboard the helicopter. The division handles explosive threats and hazards, whether chemical, biological or nuclear and whether on land or underwater — a heavily science-based unit that was especially intriguing to students at Cardozo, which boasts a variety of science programs.
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Hochul, NYC DAs take victory lap on discovery laws that led to slew of criminal dismissals
It's a brand new discovery. Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City's five district attorneys ran a victory lap Wednesday on a revamp to the state's discovery laws included in a sprawling budget bill. The changes will prevent criminal cases from being thrown out over trivial mistakes and narrow how much evidence prosecutors must turn over to defense attorneys. 3 Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with five district attorneys across New York City, took a victory lap Wednesday for revamping the state's discovery laws while also including a $250 billion budget bill. James Messerschmidt Hochul, speaking alongside the district attorneys at Manhattan's state courthouse, had refused to budge on the issue — which caused a weeks-long impasse on the overall mammoth budget deal. 'I said all along I would hold up a $250 billion budget on this issue,' she said. 'And here's why: behind all the legal jargon that some may not quite comprehend, there's real peoples' lives at stake here.' 'You can't have violent criminals who hurt other human beings be able to walk free because of evidence that was irrelevant might have been excluded.' 3 The changes made will ensure that criminal cases won't be thrown out just purely over trivial mistakes, while also narrowing how much evidence prosecutors can turn over to defense attorneys. James Messerschmidt Big Apple prosecutors groused for years that 2019 reforms to the state's evidence-sharing laws — which were passed because many New Yorkers languished in jail awaiting trial on often-minor criminal charges — had led to a surge in case dismissals. The reforms' onerous requirements forced prosecutors to turn over massive amounts of evidence, they complained. Failing to turn over even inconsequential evidence led to accused criminals — including a man who allegedly beat his girlfriend and ripped off her clothes in front of his friends — walking free on technicalities, prosecutors argued. 3 Hochul initially refused to speak on the issue, which caused a weeks-long impasse before the budget deal got passed. James Messerschmidt The deal struck by Hochul and state lawmakers would, according to the governor's office: Require courts to consider the prosecutor's efforts as a whole and whether missing evidence prejudiced the defense — an effort to prevent cases from being thrown out over insignificant mistakes; Narrow the scope of what evidence prosecutors must turn over so not to include frivolous materials that have no real weight on the case Clarify that cases should only be dismissed by judges if prosecutors did not exercise 'due diligence' Require defense attorneys to challenge a prosecutor's certification that they've completed discovery effort within 35 days 'In broad strokes what the bill does is requires us to turn over materials as quickly and as efficiently as we can,' said Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon. 'If the defense has objections, they have to make those objections within 35 days,' McMahon said.
