Hannah Brown

Members of the school community at PS 18 in the South Bronx have transformed a brick wall into a mural reflecting the diversity and values that make the UFT United Community School and its neighborhood a vibrant community.

The UFT doubled down this year on its customary end-of-summer initiatives to support students and teachers with school supply giveaways, information, resources and plain old fun.

More than 230 people gathered in Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters on May 13 for the 9th annual Family Child Care Providers Chapter's Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony. The event honored outstanding members of the chapter and offered the chance for their families and colleagues to celebrate their extraordinary work.

A high school where students do maintenance work on airplanes. A student-created clothing brand that sells out of a student-run, brick-and-mortar store. These were just a few of the innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs represented by the honorees at the UFT’s CTE Awards Ceremony on March 15 at UFT headquarters in Manhattan.

UFT members came together to raise more than $10,000 and collect and distribute supplies to support the students and families affected by the deadly apartment building blaze on Jan. 9 in the Bronx.

The UFT's Middle Schools Division, in partnership with the city Department of Education, hosted a Thanksgiving Luncheon for 200 students who live in transitional housing on Nov. 23 at UFT headquarters in Manhattan.
 

Ten years, 50 conferences! Every fall since 2010, public school parents and community leaders in each borough have flocked to five Saturday conferences, courtesy of the UFT. This year, the borough-specific events had an especially festive atmosphere as they marked their 10th anniversary.

The UFT’s Brooklyn borough office — and everyone inside — was decked out in pink on Oct. 2 for its fourth annual Making Strides Shine and Dine event. The festive program is a way to thank the schools that raised more than $1,000 apiece for the American Cancer Society the previous year as part of the union’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign.

“About 60 percent of kids who fail a vision screening don’t ever ultimately get glasses,” said Delaney Gracy, the director of clinical services for the Montefiore School Health Program.

Elise Murphy, a Staten Island parent of children with disabilities, has heard so many “shocking and devastating stories” from other parents, she says they don’t surprise her anymore.