Inhale, Exhale: Young Yogi’s Are Now A Part of the Zone 126 Community Schools

Connect, breath, move, focus and relax these are the five elements that make up the Little Flower Yoga and Mindfulness Program model. On February 28th, Little Flower Yoga PS 171Q, and Zone 126 collaboratively launched the early childhood mindfulness and yoga program for students in Pre-Kindergarten through 1st grade…

The World Is Looking More Colorful

We are more than a year away from our country’s next Presidential Election and it is clear that the playing field is very crowded. However, what is different this time around is that we have more women, and women of color looking to be the President of the…

Astoria Library Renovations

The Astoria Branch of Queens Library recently received a gift of $3 million dollars that was presented by Queens Library CEO/President Dennis Walcott and Councilman Costa Constantinides to fund some much needed renovations. I had the opportunity to sit down with the Astoria Library Branch Manager, Gus Tsekenis…

Paws 🐾 Will Bring Comfort to Long Island City Students

Zone 126 is thrilled to announce that the Blue Buffalo Foundation has provided us with a generous gift of $50,000 to support the launch and implementation of a Comfort Dog Program at Long Island City High School. For centuries, dogs have always been known as “man’s best friend.”…

Welcoming A Green Initiative

On December 10, 2018, The Zone 126 team joined IS 126Q Principal Alex Angueira and City Council Member Costa Constantinides in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the installment of a hydroponic lab at IS 126Q Albert Shanker Middle School for the Performing Arts. The unveiling is part…

How Poverty and Trauma Impact Brain Development

On January 15th, I attended a panel discussion hosted by Proskauer and Partnership with Children focusing on how poverty and trauma impact brain development. Having previously attended a professional development session by Trauma Smart, I had some prior knowledge about the subject and was excited to learn more….

Honoring the African Diaspora

In recognition of Black History Month, I offer three honorable Afro-Boricuas of note and of high regard. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874-1938) In Vanessa K. Valdes’ book, Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg she describes the journey of the Black Puerto Rican-born scholar who became one of…

Culinary Cooks for Chancellor Carranza

On November 28, 2018, Chancellor Carranza visited Long Island City High School for the monthly Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) Meeting. Prior to the meeting Chancellor Caranaza, PEP Members, Principal Selenikas and Community School Team Members sat down to have dinner. A delectable menu of items including Shrimp…

Introducing #ZoneConvos

Fall 2018 marked the beginning of Zone 126’s #ZoneConvos series. The series consists of three interactive talks, with the next panel discussion taking place during Winter 2019. Race in Education, held on October 30, 2018 at Queens Library the Astoria Branch, was an opportunity for local nonprofit Executive Directors…

Welcome Valentina Di Loreto

Zone 126 would like to introduce Ms. Valentina Di Loreto, Master of Science. to the IS 126Q Community. She earned an M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University. Her studies led her to practice in the field of diversity, inclusion, and restorative justice. Valentina works at…