Forest Hills Schools Get $90K For Reading, Environmental Programs

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Two Forest Hills schools are getting a boost to their curricula thanks to $90,000 in state funding secured by Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi.

P.S. 99 received $50,000 to expand a series of reading programs, including the Wonders literacy program for fourth-grade and sixth-grade students and the Lexia Core5 reading program for students in preschool through fifth grade, according to Hevesi's office.

The funds will also pay for a subscription to News ELA PRO, which provides articles about current events that are sorted by reading level, and a program called Freckle that helps teachers tailor lessons to individual students' skill levels.

P.S. 196 is getting $40,000 to develop an environmental program for K-5 students and a produce garden. The produce will be donated to the Commonpoint Queens Food Bank and sold at a school greenmarket, school officials said.

"Our goal is to have every child in the school work in the garden, whether as a builder, engineer, farmer, or in some other capacity, in order to help us grow a literal ton of food — 2,000 pounds," Abigail Hellman, co-director of the P.S. 196 community garden project, said.

The garden will be a community service initiative known as "Grown With a Ton of Heart Garden," according to P.S. 196 Principal Susan Migliano.

"Thank you to the P.S. 99 and P.S. 196 communities for their unwavering commitment to improving our schools and making these plans a reality," Hevesi said.