MAYOR GIULIANI AND CHANCELLOR CREW CUT RIBBON TO OPEN NEW INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL 5 IN QUEENS
State of the Art School Will Welcome 1200 Students, Feature Computer Classrooms, Science Labs, Art & Music Rooms
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Chancellor Rudolph Crew today cut a ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of Intermediate School (IS) 5, a new $45 million state-of-the-art educational facility in the Elmhurst section of Queens that will accommodate 1200 students and feature computer classrooms, science labs and special art and music rooms. Classes at the school, which will be named in honor of the late Council Member Walter H. Crowley, will start on next Wednesday, September 3rd.
The 1200 desks at IS 5 are part of the 23,735 new seats that the Board of Education is adding to the public education system for the new school year through new construction, renovation and other expansion programs citywide.
Joining the Mayor and the Chancellor at today's ribbon cutting ceremony were Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra, Schools Construction Authority (SCA) Chair Howard Wilson, SCA President and CEO Martin Raab, IS5 Principal Steven Katz, District 24 Superintendent Joseph Quinn, and District 24 School Board President Mary Crowley, the widow of Walter H. Crowley.
"Today we take another important step in preparing our public schools to meet the challenges facing us in the years ahead," Mayor Giuliani said. "The sophisticated, state-of-the-art learning environment of this school will provide 1200 students with the tools they will need to compete and succeed in the 21st century."
"Under the exceptional leadership of Chancellor Rudy Crew, we have worked together to provide our children with a quality education," the Mayor continued. "We have made substantial financial commitments to provide students with new textbooks, improve their reading skills through Project Read, furnish them with classroom computers through Project Smart Schools, restore a comprehensive arts and education curriculum, and create more seating through construction and expansion programs. All of these elements are being provided right here at Intermediate School 5."
Chancellor Rudolph Crew said, "Intermediate School 5 is a jewel in the crown of our efforts to expand school capacity. It is a prototype of the building we will continue to construct -- aesthetically beautiful, large enough to accommodate our growing number of middle school students, and packed with science, computer and athletic facilities."
Queens Borough President Claire Shulman said, "This new school will provide an additional 1200 seats in a district that has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Like all the ongoing efforts to reduce overcrowding, it marks another milestone in our goal to provide quality education in a quality environment. The construction of this building, like its namesake Walter Crowley, means that we are committed to the future of our children."
The new air conditioned, four-story, 160,000 square foot school, whose construction was managed by the New York City School Construction Authority, will accommodate 1200 sixth and seventh grade students, with an eighth grade being added in September 1998. The school includes 27 classrooms, 16 special education classrooms, and several special features and programs, including four word processing/computer classrooms, four science labs, three music rooms, two art rooms, a media production/television studio, a communications shop, technical systems shop and woodworking/plastics shop. The school building also includes an auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, kitchen and outdoor recreation area.
Schools Construction Chair Howard Wilson said, "When Mayor Giuliani appointed me chairman of the SCA Board of Trustees, I set as the SCA goal that it would become the best public construction agency in the State. This beautiful 1,200-seat, full computerized building is an asset to the Elmhurst community and stands as evidence of the City's commitment to the education of our children. The SCA will continue to provide quality schools like this one and it will continue to do so on time and within budget."
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