Middle Village/Maspeth Civic Upholds Principals

The Patriots were happy to read that the Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association will continue to work in our community. We wish them well in their civic endeavors. By Phil Guie In their first meeting of 2008, the Middle Village Maspeth Civic Association (MVMCA) continued the focus on education that has been present since the organization's inception, honoring three outstanding principals from nearby schools. Sister Rose Torma of Saint Stanislaus Kostka School, Adelina Valastro Tripoli of P.S. 58: The School of Heroes, and Susan Bauer of P.S. 153 all received proclamations from local youth, as well as applause from attendees at Our Lady of Hope School in Middle Village last Tuesday. However, before the honors were given out, MVMCA president Joe Cimino touched on community-related issues such as youth programs and the upcoming park at the former Keyspan Gas Tank site. With regards to the former, Cimino announced resources are in place to extend P.S. 153's after-school program into summer camp for 150 students. The funding, he said, was courtesy of Councilman Dennis Gallagher, the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council, and other elected officials. According to principal Bauer, the after-school happenings are named the "Miracle Program." "As one parent said [to me], 'It's a miracle we have one,'" she joked. On the subject of names, Cimino said he thought it inappropriate to call an upcoming green space on Grand Avenue "Gas Tank Park," which he claimed to be the preference of Queens Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. The parkland, situated between Maspeth and Elmhurst and the former Keyspan Gas Tank site, will serve as home to the future Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial. "I just don't think Gas Tank Park is an appropriate name for a park, especially a park [for] those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Cimino, whose organization has honored the Friends of the Vietnam War Memorial at prior meetings. The MVMCA president told attendees they could call 311 to complain about the issue to operators, who would pass the word on to Benepe. PRINCIPALS HONORED Sister Rose Torma, principal of St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Maspeth, grew up in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Her previous teaching experience includes the Most Precious Blood School in Long Island City, the St. Benedict Joseph Labre School in Richmond Hill, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Williamsburg. "The families in Maspeth are the root of the community, the heart of the community, and touch my heart every day," she said. Next, Adelina Valastro Tripoli of P.S. 58 in Maspeth, who has been a principal there for the past six years, described her mission as helping students become productive individuals. "I don't even know if Hillary Clinton had this many honors," she joked as a proclamation was presented to her, followed by an oversized envelope containing cards from every single grade at P.S. 58. Tripoli said when she took on the job of principal at The School of Heroes her goal was to create unity among educators, parents, and students. The multi-faceted weaver birds of Africa provided the inspiration for this philosophy. "The beauty of these birds is all their different colors, and that they don't build just one nest [for themselves], but a big nest for all birds," she said. Holding up the proclamation presented to her, Tripoli added, "This could never have been accomplished without the entire school community being behind me." The third proclamation was for Susan Bauer, principal of P.S. 153 in Maspeth, who also taught for six years at the Redeemer Lutheran School in Glendale after moving from Brooklyn. In addition, she served as a literacy development specialist at P.S. 71 in Ridgewood. Students, parents, and the teaching staff took turns praising Bauer, who said it was "really an honor to be in such grand company," referring to Torma and Tripoli. She also accepted the award on behalf of parents who pay for their children's activities at the school. "These mothers, fathers, and grandparents deserve our appreciation for everything they do for our school," Bauer said.