Crown Heights
Congratulations to Keithat-Clemon Duhaney, a graduate of Benjamin Banneker Academy for Community Development in Clinton Hill, and this year’s winner of the 2016 Joseph E. Mohbat Prize for Writing in Memory of Verdery Knight.
The award is presented to a high-school senior who has demonstrated a gift of self-expression through the written word.
Nancy Schuh, Joseph Mohbat’s widow, established the award in 2011 to encourage and nurture good writing skills in college-bound high-school seniors in honor of her husband, a journalist, lawyer, and long-time Brooklyn resident who died in August 2011.
Applicants were required to submit a composition on “What is special to me about Brooklyn?” along with a writing sample from an existing portfolio. Keithat’s poem received the most votes.
The budding Maya Angelou received a check for $1,500 as part of her $2,500 award, in addition to a writing internship through the NYC High School Journalism Collaborative, and ongoing mentoring from the Harnisch Journalism Project at Baruch College.
Standing O congratulates Keithat, who will attend Pennsylvania State University in the fall, and runner-up Nahian Chowdhury, a 2016 graduate of Midwood High School.
Mill Basin
The giving kids
Let’s put our hands together for generous PS 236 students who raised more than $11,662 for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital with their fantastic fundraising skills.
Since the goal was exceeded, Assistant Principal Joni Southard put her money where her hair is, and dyed her locks blue and gold — the school’s colors.
Not to be outdone, Principal Sal Paingankar entered the dunk tank and received one heck of a soaking.
Standing O sends a big shout-out to PS 236’s sensational students and faculty.
PS 236 [6302 Avenue U at E. 63rd Street in Mill Basin, (718) 444–6969].
Boerum Hill
Save the date
Roc Nation is bringing back the Summer Classic Charity Basketball game on July 21 at Barclays Center, with Angie Martinez as master of ceremonies and Jay Williams as guest host.
The inaugural game in 2014 raised more than a million bucks, which benefitted Robinson Cano’s RC22 Dream School in the Dominican Republic and CC Sabathia’s PitCCH In Foundation to renovate Claremont Baseball Field in the Bronx.
Funds raised this year will also benefit Nick Jonas’s Beyond Type 1, and Miguel Cotto’s Fundacion El Angel.
Roc Nation on July 21, at 7 pm; tickets range from $10.50 to $150. Special packages, including VIP experiences and exclusive access to future Roc Nation events, begin at $250.
Barclays Center (620 Atlantic Ave. in Boreum Hill, www.Ticke
Williamsburg
Primary goals
Three cheers to Donna Catapano, a teacher at Automotive High School in Williamsburg, for being chosen to participate in the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute program.
Each year the Library of Congress provides an opportunity to an educator to attend one of its five teacher institutes in Washington, D.C.
During the five-day program, participants work with library education specialists and subject-matter experts to learn effective practices for using primary sources in the classroom, while exploring some of the millions of digitized historical artifacts and documents available on the library’s website.
Way to go, Donna!
