Category: General

From Waterwell:

November is Native American Heritage Month — “a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people” (from the National Congress of American Indians). It’s important to acknowledge that we’re living on colonized land and Indigenous communities are still alive and well all over the US. The Lenape Center is based in Manhattan and is an incredible resource to learn about the Lenape people.

Showstoppers! is located at 234 West 42nd Street. Formerly the home of Modell’s, world-renown design firm, Thinc Design, has transformed the Times Square space into an immersive maze featuring more than 100 of the industry’s most beautiful and complex garments. As guests make their way through the exhibit, they will get to see up close the detail and craftsmanship typically only seen far away on stage or screen. Costume makers and experts will be on-site demonstrating their techniques and skills and interacting with guests, and multimedia elements will provide a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the process. This one-of-a-kind, immersive exhibition can only be seen in New York City’s vital Theatre District. All proceeds from the exhibition will raise money for the Costume Industry Coalition Recovery Fund, which continues to support one of the hardest hit sectors of the entertainment industry.

Tickets are $28 for students and $33 for the general public — Visit the Web site and use the code NYCARTS for a discount!

All New York City families with a student enrolled in a DOE school or program are eligible for a discount of up to $50/month for broadband service, equipment, and device rentals as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of $10 – $50), where available. Families can confirm their eligibility, apply for the program, and find participating broadband providers via the USAC website. There are also many other free and low-cost internet options for New York City families.

Monday, October 11, has several holidays happening at once: Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Italian Heritage Day, and National Coming Out Day. Many community members at PPAS have roots in these cultures and traditions and it is an honor to celebrate them together. Here are some resources for more information:

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Italian Heritage Day

National Coming Out Day

Go to our PPAS Voice page to view the latest edition and read back issues, too.

Join members of PPAS’ Equity team on Thursday Feb, 11th for a POC (Person of Color) Parent Community Gathering.

Learn more about the school’s equity team, meet other parents of color and express your ideas and concerns. Looking forward to convening with parents of color for the purpose of community building at PPAS.

DATE: Thursday, February 11th 
TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/wREtCC6nWh51hoEK7

Thank you to the PPAS Senior Leadership class for putting together a beautiful way to keep the spirit light and share New Year’s resolutions. 

Friday, November 20th, is Transgender Day of Remembrance. On this day each year, we honor the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. You can participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance by taking time to honor those lives that were lost and by learning about the violence that affects the transgender community. You can start by checking out these resources:

Forward Together dreams of Trans Freedom: https://tdor.co/

Learn the story of William Dorsey Swann, the world’s first self-described drag queen and one of the first individuals of color in America to stand up for the rights of queer and trans people.

Many more resources at this shared Google Doc.  (You may need a Gmail account to access.)

“Transgender Day of Remembrance is really all about remembering to never forget the history and presence of trans* people in our world. And with that, Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) stands as an even larger motivator to embrace the identities we ourselves have and the identities of others. It’s a day for action, for mobilization, for story-telling, and for revitalization. But most importantly, TDOR is an opportunity to celebrate the diverse lives of trans* people everywhere. It’s crucial to recognize that trans* people have made great, beautiful strides to transform and challenge society… and what’s even more awesome and admirable is that we keep doing so every single day. We continue to come out, to speak out, to shout out loud that we have hurt and we have lost but that will never prevent us from shouting even louder that we are here and we will continue to exist in the most influential ways—that’s what matters most to me: having a community that I can stand with no matter what.” – GLSEN Student Media Ambassador Loan T.

Thank you to the Brooklyn Millennium HS Gay/Straight Alliance for pulling these resources together.

If you want to get more involved in LBGT issues, please contact our LBGT/Straight Alliance advisor, Dr. Lankewish, at vlankewish@ppasshare.org

From Mr. Ryan:

Each year on Veterans’ Day, my family visits a veterans’ monument in our Brooklyn neighborhood.  There is always a small military band and a few speeches from local politicians.  Sadly, this year such events have largely been cancelled due to the pandemic.  We might still take a walk and read the words and the names of the men on the monument. Even without the fanfare, I feel it’s important to spend some part of the day honoring the men and women who served, and are serving our country.  These courageous people, void of political entanglements , have an enduring commitment to ALL citizens.  To them I am forever grateful.  Below are some virtual resources for celebrating our national heroes.

Video explaining the holiday:  middle to high school

The Veterans History Project oral history archive. Use the search feature to look for digitized veteran profiles, or browse the collections below:

Courage, Patriotism, and Community

African Americans at War: Fighting Two Battles

Women at War

Asian Pacific Americans

Hispanic Americans

Jewish Veterans of World War II

Willing to Serve: American Indians

The WASP: First in Flight

Healing with Honor: Medical Personnel

LGBT Veterans‘ Medal of Honor Recipients

Veteran Changemakers

Athletes in Uniform

National Monuments – state by state.  A good resource from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.