2012 Spring Deadline Challenge

NYC High School Journalism Collaborative’s

 Spring Deadline Challenge: It's My Park Day

Commendable Entry 

Journalists love deadlines. Without deadlines, we wouldn’t get anything done.

Assignment:
You will be covering a My Parks Day event near you. You have 130+ events to choose from throughout the five boroughs on Sat., May 19. Produce the piece as if it for were for your school newspaper. We will accept text, photo essay, and multimedia.  For more information:
http://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/hsjournalism/about-us/2012-spring-deadline-challenge/

Name: Angela Zhang
School: Midwood High School
Work Produced: Article
Park: Kaiser Park, Brooklyn, NY 

By Angela Zhang

Beach cleanup and weeding were the main focus at the It's My Park Day event at Kaiser Park in Brooklyn.

Volunteer groups included 175 youths from different schools said Anthony Feliciano, catalyst coordinator for the event.

Friends of Kaiser Park was the event organizer. It "is a participating organization in the City of New York's Partnership for Parks program" according to www.friendsofkaiserpark.com. Partnerships for Parks is a "joint program of City Parks Foundation and The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation" according to www.partnershipsforparks.org.

Partnerships T-shirts were handed out to volunteers that participated. Teenagers began coming to Kaiser Park around 9:30 a.m. An hour later, the student groups started moving out to the beach at the back of the park. Kids picked up garbage at the beach site and loaded up garbage bags.

"It was enjoyable if you don't count the stinky garbage bags," said Danielle Kofman, student at Kingsborough school.

Students finished cleaning around noon. Kids participated from John Dewey High School, Kingsborough Early College School and Forest Hills High School.

Feliciano said 1,500 pounds of garbage were collected.

"It felt good to do something for somebody, not just yourself, " said Chantel Richardson, student at Kingsborough school.

'It was fun and I learned to do weeding with a pen," said Randa Taher, student at Al-Noor School.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78922948@N02/7230181950/