June 17, 2021 — Three hundred students and staff were honored during NYC Emergency Management’s “Ready School of the Year” award ceremony, presented to the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management (UASEM) in Manhattan on Tuesday, June 8. Throughout the year, students at UASEM solved novel problems of emergency management by engaging in the classroom and gaining hands-on experience in the field. The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management is the first high school in the country focused on emergency management. New York City Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani attended the event to deliver remarks at the ceremony. (To view a video celebrating this year’s “Ready School of the Year,” click here.) 

“The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management provides a unique opportunity for high school students to gain valuable experience in the emergency management field,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani.  “Despite the challenges of this past year, the students were able to use lessons learned to not only become more prepared individuals, but also provide support to their greater communities. We are proud to honor UASEM with the 2021 ‘Ready School of the Year’ award.”

Each year, NYC Emergency Management and the NYC Department of Education present the “Ready School of the Year” award to a school that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to emergency preparedness. Over the course of this year, The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management worked with NYC Emergency Management to integrate emergency preparedness lessons into the classroom. The high school also stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic; creating initiatives that not only benefitted the community, but also honored the lives lost during the pandemic. 

The ceremony highlighted several of UASEM’s school-led initiatives that provide students with emergency management training, including the early college emergency medicine program. Through a partnership with CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, the program provides students with an opportunity to enroll in an associate’s degree in applied science – becoming a certified paramedic upon graduation. 

During the year, students also aided the greater community through the Hands to Heart CPR initiative. Established in 2019, the program allows students to train New York City communities with the lowest ambulatory response times, in life saving CPR. Since its launch, the initiative has trained more than 1,000 families in person and hundreds virtually.  

To commemorate this year’s “Ready School of the Year,” NYC Emergency Management also released a new episode of its emergency management podcast, “Prep Talk.” During the episode, guests NYC Emergency Management Assistant Commissioner for Readiness Anita Sher and Sal Puglisi of the Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management, discuss the importance of students developing emergency management skills earlier in their education. Puglisi discusses the overall mission of UASEM, including how the school combines in-class and hands-on experience to create a more holistic learning experience. The guests also highlight the impact the students have had in the community, providing emergency training to everyday New Yorkers. You can listen to the latest episode on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spreaker.

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