Susan Keyloun
As anticipated, the 17th annual L.E.S. Festival of the Arts, organized by Theater for the New City, returned to East 10th Street this past weekend, bringing with it excerpts from current works by La MaMa E.T.C., Horse Trade Theater Group and other local companies; a performance by the EDG Experimental Dance Group, from The Children’s Workshop School; and poetry jams, art shows, flamenco and belly dance recitals, and more.
And on Sunday, the fifth annual Veggie Pride Parade, featuring the lovely legume Penelo Pea Pod, made its way from the meatpacking district to Union Square Park, where vegan and animal-rights activists and authors did their best to convince the masses not to throw burgers on the barbie. If you were out of town, check out our slideshow to see what you missed.
Around 250 parents and friends of the Children’s Workshop School gathered on Friday evening for a benefit that featured a silent auction of art by local artists, as well as a performance by the pop singer Lisa Lisa (of Cult Jam fame). As turned out, the organizers of the “SchoolAPalooza” didn’t have to pull too many strings to get the woman behind the 1987 hit “Lost in Emotion” to make an appearance: the principal of the school, Maria Velez-Clarke, is her older sister. The Local was there with camera in hand to document the festivities — as well as footwear signed by none other than the Material Girl.
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Timothy J. Stenovec The East Village Community School and the Children’s Workshop School share a building on East 12th Street and both earned a C grade for academic performance.Report cards are out for public schools in neighborhoods across the city and the East Village is getting the kind of grades that would cause just about any parent concern.
Of the 15 neighborhood elementary and middle schools graded as part of the city’s annual progress report, which was released on Sept. 30, only four were awarded A’s or B’s. Ten schools received C’s, and one earned a D. The scores dropped significantly compared to last year, when every East Village K-8 school earned at least an A or a B.
Failing grades for schools come with repercussions. Schools that receive low grades can face closure, and the principals of low performing schools can be fired.
Parents dropping their children off at the East Village Community School and the Children’s Workshop School recently were surprised to learn about that their schools were not making the grade.
Both schools, which share a building on East 12th Street, got C’s this year, although the East Village Community School got D’s in “student progress” and “student performance,” two of the sub-categories that contribute to the overall grade.
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