PRESS RELEASE: Mayor Spano presents School 23 with School of The Month Award for September 2016

YONKERS, NY – October 17, 2016 – Mayor Spano this week joined members of Yonkers City Council and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada to present the School of the Month Award for September 2016 to the deserving administration, faculty, staff, parents and students at School 23. Under the leadership of Principal Michael Walpole, School 23 is achieving great success in the areas English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.

“School 23 has placed a strong focus on literacy and mathematics, which we know are crucial to the success of a student,” said Mayor Spano. “By instilling a love of reading and critical thinking in math in our students at an early age, the administrators and teachers at School 23 are setting these children up for future success.” 

From the 2014-15 to the 2015-16 school year, School 23 is experiencing great success inside the classroom and on standardized testing. They have increased 11.1 percentage points in English Language Arts and 8.6 percentage points in Math scores. This type of drastic improvement proves that School 23 is dedicated to the success of our students. 

According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada, “The significant increase in student achievement outcomes at School 23 was accomplished because the administration, teachers and parents were focused on the needs of children.  The work took data-driven analysis aligned to individual student needs. Above all, it required the leadership of Principal Michael Walpole and Assistant Principal Theresa Abate working hand-in-hand with School 23’s teachers who believe our children can succeed.”

“The accomplishments at School 23 truly personify our newly adopted District mission to create a foundation for success and excellence for all,” noted Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez.  The Mayor’s School of the Month honor primarily goes to the students at School 23 who worked so hard and learned so much from their teachers and administrators; congratulations to all.”

Mayor Spano’s School of the Month recognition program began in January 2014 as a way to celebrate the significant academic success, extracurricular achievements and community volunteerism of Yonkers’ students, teachers, administration and staff at Yonkers Public Schools.