Preston Bids Farewell to Graduating Seniors

BRONX, NY, June 1, 2012- On June 2^nd, Preston High School held its 62^nd annual Commencement Exercises. The 123 members of the Class of 2012 gathered on the South Lawn under sunny skies to receive their diplomas.  

Class salutatorian Deanna Ibrahim welcomed the invited guests with an address that paid tribute to her class’s unity and resilient spirit in the face of adversity as she acknowledged the poignant loss of several members of the Preston community in recent years. Weaving into her speech appropriate quotations from familiar Disney films such as Alice in Wonderland, The Lion King and Mulan, Ibrahim explained life lessons that applied to her class’s experiences and recalled favorite memories of their four years at Preston. Ms. Ibrahim will be attending Bard College in the fall.

Keynote speaker was Annalea Canzoniero Ricci, who received this year’s Distinguished Alumna Award. Mrs. Ricci, PHS ’62, was recognized both for her long career as an outstanding science educator and for her ongoing support of Preston High School and its mission. Several years ago she and her husband Ken established the Mary Ricci Memorial Scholarship to honor her mother-in-law. This scholarship provides yearly tuition support that enables a deserving, hard-working young woman to remain at Preston until her graduation.  

Among graduates being recognized for their achievements were Kelly Simpson, recipient of the Divine Compassion Award for Integrity, Generous Service and Exemplary Leadership; Clarisa González, recipient of the Helen and Anton Wagner Memorial Award for Outstanding Service and Compassion in School and Community; and Stephanie Ashly Cabán, recipient of the Sr. Mary Carmella Stapleton Alumnae Association Award for Exemplary Preston Spirit. Mrs. Linda Youngren, Dean of Studies, announced to the audience that the 123 members of the Class of 2012 had earned a remarkable total of more than $11 million in scholarship awards from their various colleges and universities.

Commencement exercises concluded with a rousing call to action from class valedictorian Sofia Ahsanuddin, who urged her classmates to strive to become metaphorical “linchpins”—small but absolutely essential components of a larger entity.  Citing author Seth Godin, she challenged the class to become people who “can steer, innovate, provoke, lead, connect, and make things happen.”  Ms. Ahsanuddin will be entering the eight-year-long B.A./M.D. program at CUNY’s Brooklyn College, administered in conjunction with SUNY Downstate Medical Center,  in the fall.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the graduates gathered on the South Lawn to participate in the traditional “tossing of the caps” to celebrate their graduation.

Preston High School is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for girls located in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and charted by the New York State Board of Regents. For more information about Preston High School, contact Jennifer Geideman at (718) 863-9134 x143, or email  HYPERLINK "mailto:jgeideman@prestonhs.org" jgeideman@prestonhs.org.

Pharmacy Burglarized

PHARMACY BURGLAR: Cops are asking for the public’s help in trying to catch a man who broke into a Riverdale pharmacy. Surveillance video shows the suspect breaking into the Hudson Parkway Pharmacy at around 3:30 a.m. on May 31.

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are confidential..

Finally for Mets Fans

"MLB 16 oz. Crystal Freezer Mug - New York Mets""New York Mets Citifield Bronze Infield Dirt Keychain""MLB Canvas Chair - New York Mets"

Santana no-hitter one of those good moments for a Mets fan

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, June 3- There I was, night off from the ballpark, listening and watching my favorite alternative rock band “Weezer” in Atlantic City New Jersey in the Bogata Hotel showroom. It was planned, the birthday gift from three weeks ago. What wasn’t in the plan was Johan Santana throwing a no-hitter at Citi Field on the first day of June.

A Friday evening at Citi Field where, I would usually be situated, upstairs in my perch in the comfortable press box, but the first no-no in New York Mets history, 50-years of futility and I was not there to see it.

Yes, frustration. And moments after Mets SNY Television voice Gary Cohen said after being questioned, ‘did he ever think it would happen, his response, ‘No, but now it has’ Weezer would finish their last number.

That number, “Say it Ain’t So.”

But it is true. After 8,020 games, Mets radio voice Howie Rose, and fans of the second baseball team in New York, can now say, the New York Mets have made baseball history. They are no longer one of two teams to not have a pitcher throw the illustrious no-hitter.

It is so, and the San Diego Padres have that lone distinction.

Mike Baxter, the kid from Queens, crashed into the center field wall on the warning track to keep the suspense going. The Carlos Beltran ball that hit the chalk beyond third base appeared to be an extra base hit. The umpire, according to replays may have got it wrong.

To Mets’ fans, and to Santana, the call went their way. The no-hitter is in the record books and well deserved for a pitcher who many said was finished.

It was back in late March. Santana was not supposed to come north with the team at the end of spring training. The comeback from shoulder surgery, which shut Santana down all last year, was slow and cautious. However, it was soon, according to Santana, working according to the plan.

That plan, which was heard since his opening day start in early April, was continue to make adjustments as this Mets team had trouble scoring runs, but staying competitive. Then the last three starts you sensed the plan was ahead of schedule.

Santana was throwing more pitches, going deeper into games. The change up was effective, so was the slider. The fastball was getting close to his velocity, clocked close to 90, or more.

The manager, Terry Collins was more concerned about the pitch count. Last Saturday, at Citi field, Santana threw 94 pitches, the complete game shutout over the San Diego Padres. Collins let him continue, as he did Friday night with a career high 134 pitches, concerned about the shoulder.

After that sixth inning, Collins asked Santana, “How do you feel?” The ace, who said afterwards, he came to New York “to win a championship for the organization and fans,” told his manager, ‘I feel good, let me continue.’

It was a momentous occasion for a franchise that has been troubled with financial issues .And nothing has seemed to go right since that last game of 2006, when Beltran struck out with runners on base, at Shea Stadium, in game seven of the National League Championship Series. 

That was against the same St. Louis Cardinals who go in the record book as victims of the Santana no-hitter.

It was the first and real significant moment at Citi Field for Mets baseball. Santana erased the close calls of Tom Seaver, the last Mets pitcher to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning. The first one, of three close calls, a perfect game broke up by Jimmy Qualls of the Chicago Cubs in 1969.

It will be remembered what Johan Santana did Friday night. The umpire, Adrian Johnson, at third base, may have missed that Beltran call in the sixth inning. But that does not matter now. Johan Santana may have put the New York Mets back on the map with that outing on the mound at Citi Field.

Just hope “Weezer” does not get in the way again for another possible and maybe another no-hitter in New York Mets baseball history, or perhaps another first, a perfect game as they go into game number 8,021.

E-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

Mother Remembers Fallen Son

Samsung 16GB Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi Tablet - GT-P5113TSYXAR

By Michael Horowitz

BRONX, NEW YORK, June 1- Emily Toro, the mother of a fallen hero in the second Iraq war, was on hand, Sunday, to add poignancy to Co-op City's Memorial Day observance at the Veterans' Memorial Park on Bartow Avenue.

Among the local dignitaries joining Sunday's local observance of Memorial Day were Rep. Eliot Engel, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, and Community Board 10 District Manager Kenneth Kearns.

Toro, who became as Gold Star Mother after her son, Private Isaac Cortes, was killed in Iraq in 2007, said that she really did not understand the importance of taking time out to observe Memorial Day until her son was killed at the age of 26.

Toro, commenting after Sunday's observance, said that her son, who grew up in Parkchester, was killed as a soldier in the Army's 110^th Mountain Division.

“My son, who had worked as a security guard at Yankee Stadium, saw joining the Army as his path to joining the New York Police Department,” Toro noted.

Along the way, Toro pointed out, the Army nurtured a sense of patriotism in her son that burned deeply within him at the time he was killed.

Lirio, for his part, said, after Sunday's Memorial Day observance, that he is extremely proud of his daughter, Capt. Jasmin Lirio, 29, a career military officer who previously served in the second Iraq as a platoon commander.

In his remarks at Sunday's local observance of Memorial Day, Assemblyman Benedetto stressed that those who have served in the military throughout the nation's history deserve special praise for answering the call of duty without asking questions about their missions.

Benedetto said that most Americans do not fully appreciate the way those in the military have sacrificed their youth, the healthy bodies, and even their lives to keep American free.

Rep. Engel, for his part, stressed that too few Americans take time out to reflect, even on Memorial Day, on the sacrifices that those in the military have made to maintain the freedoms that Americans enjoy.  

Madagascar in the Bronx

Baby Lemurs make their Zoo debut

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

BRONX, NEW YORK,  June 1 – A Coquerel’s sifaka, born this spring, clings to its mother’s back as she perches on a branch in the Madagascar! exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. A collared lemur, also born this spring, curls up to its mother as she reclines on a rock.

All lemur species are endemic to the island nation of Madagascar. Both the sifaka and the collared lemur are seeing dramatic declines in population due to loss of suitable habitat. The IUCN has designated the Coquerel’s sifaka as an Endangered Species and the collared lemur is listed as Vulnerable.

Coquerel’s sifakas spend most of their time in trees and leap effortlessly, launching themselves vertically with their strong legs. Like most species of lemurs, the females are dominant to the males, claiming the choicest food and the best sleeping and sunning spots.

Collared lemurs use their long tails to balance when leaping through the forest canopy. Collared lemurs live in groups of males and females but are not matriarchal like the sifaka and many other lemurs.

There are five species of lemurs on exhibit in Madagascar! along with many other animals unique to the African island. Opened in 2008, Madagascar! educates zoo visitors about the country’s incredible biodiversity and the challenges it faces.

The Wildlife Conservation Society works in Madagascar to protect lemurs and other wildlife. 

To plan your trip, visit www.bronxzoo.com or call (718) 367-1010.

Third Time’s Not the Charm

Third Time’s Not the Charm for Check Cashing Chump

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, June 1- Guess he thought the third time would be the charm in trying to rob an East Tremont check cashing place. However, cops say the crook struck out all three times at the same store.

According to investigators the same man tried to rob the same Pay-O-Matic check cashing place at 890 East Tremont Avenue three separate times in the same day. The first attempted robbery occurred at 12:45 a..m. on May 30. The man, whose image was captured on surveillance video, walked into the check cashing place and demanded money. The suspect was unable to complete the robbery and fled.

Then about 10 hours later the same man tried to rob the site. Once again the would be robber left empty handed. Then again that night the suspect walked into the same Pay-O-Matic and again demanded cash and again left empty handed. 

The only thing cops say the robber was successful in was that he got a clear image of his face caught on surveillance video. Now investigators are asking for the public’s help to catch this robber.

The suspect is described as a black male, 6 foot 1 to 6 foot 2. He weighs between 175 and 180 pounds. He was wearing a black

du-rag, black shirt and black pants. 

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. The public can also summit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

Cops Seek Chokehold Crook

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, May 30- Cops are asking for the public’s help to catch a mugger who attacked a woman with a violent choke hold.

Police released a surveillance video inside a building on Monroe Avenue which recorded the crime. In the video the man is seen putting the 54-year-old woman in choke hold and throwing her to the ground. He then grabs the victim’s purse and runs off. The attack occurred at around 10:40 a.m. on May 19. 

The mugger is described as a black male with braided hair wearing eyeglasses. 

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are confidential.