Winner of Vol. 72, No. 16
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize Thursday, May 27, 2021
$1.00
Feeding the world, especially the children n Universal School Meals Program Act could provide three squares a day, every day
‘I have not missed too many meals in my life, but when I have missed a meal, I know I’m not my best me.’
By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
Stay on Zoom? Returning to normal is not being celebrated by everyone. CB8 wants some things to stay the same. Page A3
Always proud The Y stays focused on diversity, and doesn’t need a special month to celebrate different communities. Page A5
Some may not have the fondest memories of school cafeteria food. But like it or not, it’s essential to many in the city’s public school system. And a recent piece of legislation introduced by New York lawmakers aims to recognize just how vital they are. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman joined other electeds visiting this side of the Bronx last week introducing Gillibrand’s Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021, which seeks to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide free school meals through the 2021-22 academic year — permanently. If the bill passes Congress and is signed into law by President Biden, it would provide free breakfast, lunch and dinner — along with snacks — to all public school students regardless of socioeconomic status. It also would eliminate school lunch debt and encourage the use of locally sourced food in these school-provided meals. “In New York City, we have seen that providing universal school meals makes an incredible difference to students and
STEVEN SCHWARTZ
Principal, P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil
Courtesy of State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi/Emily Vasquez
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi was one of several local electeds who stood in support of the Universal School Meals Program Act. If signed into law, the bill intends to make schools providers of breakfast, lunch and dinner. their families,” Gillibrand told reporters last week. “This bill will help New York City schools expand and strengthen existing school meals programs and ensure that no parent has to worry about where their child’s next meal is coming from.” The not knowing seems to be a problem citywide. Former HUD secretary and may-
oral candidate Shaun Donovan recently took issue with the city’s decision to eliminate snow days from the school calendar, saying many students rely on the schools to eat. That can’t happen if classes are held remotely those days, and there would be no makeup day to catch those missed meals. “Nearly three-quarters of (city) stu-
dents rely on free or reduced-price lunch, meaning that a snow day isn’t just a day off from learning, it’s a day off from nutritious food,” Donovan said earlier this month, in a release. “This is the exact reason that snow days are rarely used in the first place.” The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated many problems that already existed prior to its arrival — including access to food for many of the city’s children. And according to Bowman, it will continue to be a problem long after the pandemic is history, unless Congress passes Gillibrand’s bill. “Even when this pandemic is over, millions of kids are still going to lack access to the healthy food they need to survive,” Bowman said. “That is why we must make the USDA’s emergency school meals waiver permanent and expand it, so that all kids in New York state — and across the MISSING MEALS, page A4
A rash of poison ivy overruns walkways n Cleaning overgrowth like that near Riverdale and Greystone avenues left to property owners, and some uncertainty By BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN Intern
In the house Shaun Donovan thinks he has what it takes to become the next mayor, but will primary voters agree? Page A8
Imagine walking along Riverdale Avenue, enjoying the warm spring weather, only to be struck in the face by dangling plants. It might seem innocuous at first, that is until you wake up the next morning scratching a large rash on your face. Welcome to New York City. Hello to poison ivy. Besides trees, the plant is one of the most common found in forests. And it can easily find its way almost anywhere even a small amount of soil can be found, encouraged by New York’s mild winters and damp springs. And right now, poison ivy is a reality for those living just south of where Riverdale and Greystone avenues meet. There, the weed has grown so tall, it creates a poisonous canopy over the walkway, which might create great shade, but not so great after-effects. “I have no idea how many people get (smacked) across the face and never know, and then wonder at the end of the week where they got this sudden rash,” said David Keck, who lives near the intersection. The ivy also layers a chain-link fence and nearby tree, in perfect position to make contact with the skin of any passer-by, whether they’re tall or short. And for people that don’t know, even slightly touching poison ivy can cause a rash.
BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN
David Keck says he has to pay close attention to where he walks south of the Riverdale and Greystone avenues intersection because there’s a stretch of this path covered in poison ivy. Although it’s a common weed found throughout New York City, many still might struggle to identify it, and might not realize it’s poison ivy until it’s too late. “Poison ivy is horrifically dangerous,” said Sura Jeselsohn, a Spuyten Duyvil gardener who has written about poison ivy in her Green Scene column published in The Riverdale Press. “As a child, I once had it for three solid weeks, and I’ve got to tell you: Hell has nothing compared to that. It just crawled all over me.” Keck first became aware of the poison ivy-riddled sidewalk a few years ago when a couple walking past him and his daughter pointed it out and warned them to be careful. Keck did exactly what he thought a good neighbor should do: Report the weeds to 311. But every spring, Keck makes his way down the sidewalk on a nice sunny day, and every spring, there is the ivy.
“It is in a funny patch of ground along the top of the cliff,” Keck said. “There’s a whole string of slightly wild woodland, and it’s pretty neglected. “I’m not sure who owns it. So, if it was on park property, I imagine the city would fix it. But as it is, it’s even hard to tell them a street address.” The sidewalks are managed by the city’s transportation department, but a spokesman for the agency said clearing the poison ivy was not DOT’s responsibility. Instead, it should be addressed by the property owner. Frustrated, Keck turned to Twitter, tagging a number of local electeds like Councilman Eric Dinowitz to a picture of the menacing poison ivy growth, but there hasn’t been POISON IVY, page A4
Van Horn ready to find some Hollywood magic n The RKA senior heads out west to learn from the best at USC — and change the world By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
W Courtesy of Jackson Van Horn
All throughout his years at Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, Jackson Van Horn couldn’t resist being behind the camera, creating new short films for his friends and family to enjoy. Now he’s taking it to the next level, heading to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.
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hen Jackson Van Horn presented his film work to his classmates at Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy for the first time, he got a response that made the then-eighth-grader feel all of his work putting the project together was worth it. “I think the audience liked it, because they did clap,” Van Horn told The Riverdale Press back in 2017. “I just hope that I taught the audience
more about this issue.” That issue was using social media to post inappropriate pictures online, and how doing so could close doors to someone’s future. “Footprints” featured a main character the audience never sees, and Van Horn’s parents as school administrators — rejecting him entry into his next school because a picture was published showing him drinking alcohol. The students liked it, as did teachers at RKA, awarding Van Horn a trophy and $50. Van Horn took that lesson to heart, and there were no pictures costing him his future. In fact, as the teenager gets set to graduate from RKA in just a few weeks, he’s ready for that next big step. He’s moving to Hollywood — to go to film school. HOLLYWOOD, page A4