Press Release

#22-16

P.S. 90 IN QUEENS RECEIVES NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT'S READY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD

More than 29,600 NYC students were trained through the Ready Schools program this year

June 2, 2016 — The New York City Emergency Management Department and the Department of Education today presented the Ready School of the Year Award to Principal Adrienne Ubertini at P.S. 90, Horace Mann, in Queens, for its outstanding commitment to preparedness education. The teachers at P.S. 90 recognize the importance of preparing for emergencies and worked with students to develop emergency preparedness posters that hang throughout the elementary school to help teach current and future students about the importance of preparedness. New York City Emergency Management First Deputy Commissioner Calvin Drayton joined John Shea, Chief Executive Officer for the Department of Education's Division of School Facilities, to present the award.

"The teachers and students here at P.S. 90 have done an outstanding job of recognizing the importance of having an emergency plan, and they've used their creativity to teach preparedness to their families and fellow students," said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. "For their outstanding commitment to emergency preparedness, we are proud to honor the students, faculty, and staff of P.S. 90 with the 2016 Ready School of the Year Award."

"I commend P.S. 90 in Queens for being named the 2016 Ready School of the Year, honoring the school's dedication to ensuring that students and staff are prepared to handle any emergency situation," said Chief Executive Officer John Shea. "We work in close partnership with the Emergency Management Department to ensure schools are familiar with their emergency response plans and are properly prepared to respond to any emergency incident that occurs at school."

This school year, NYC Emergency Management presented its preparedness program to the 800 students at P.S. 90. Building on what they learned from the presentations, artful third graders and faculty crafted posters highlighting emergency preparedness steps, like making a plan, having a Go Bag, and being prepared to shelter in place during an emergency. The third graders also created a skit about emergency preparedness to perform during the award ceremony. First and second graders performed a song showcasing what they learned about emergency preparedness.

"The Ready NY program was a great way for children to think about how to plan for an emergency and to recognize that planning helps to keep us safe," said Principal Ubertini. "The presentation and materials given to the children were friendly and engaging. This program helped to facilitate an important conversation between parents and their children."

During the 2015-2016 school year, NYC Emergency Management's Ready New York program hosted 181 presentations in 99 NYC schools and trained more than 29,600 students in preparedness. These included providing schools with Ready Kids Guides, which are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, as well as an audio format available to parents and teachers on the NYC.gov/readyny website.

About the Ready Schools Initiative

During fall 2007, NYC Emergency Management and DOE launched the Ready New York for Kids preparedness program by distributing 1.1 million Ready New York for Kids guides to the City's public school children along with classroom handouts for teachers. In 2008, NYC Emergency Management and DOE created a curriculum for children and teens to educate them on the importance of preparedness by making a plan with their families and gathering emergency supplies, like stay-at-home kits and Go Bags and most importantly bringing this information home to share it with their families. To date, NYC Emergency Management staff have visited 400 schools, conducted 800 workshops and assemblies, and trained more than 90,000 students.

Ready Schools focuses on three key messages:

  • Get Ready: Make a Plan – Have at least two phone numbers – one local and one out-of- state number – you can call in an emergency and practice the plan with adults in your home.
  • Get Set: Prepare a Stay-at-Home Kit – During emergencies that require you to stay at home, have extra food and water for all family members and a battery-operated radio for news updates.
  • Get Ready to Go: Pack a Go Bag – During emergencies that require you to leave your home, have a Go Bag with emergency supplies.

Ready Schools and Ready New York for Kids are part of NYC Emergency Management's Ready New York emergency preparedness program. Launched in 2003, the Ready New York program includes 12 multilingual publications, video content, an advertising campaign, interactive Web content, a speakers' bureau, and extensive community outreach. Ready New York guides are available in 13 languages. For more information about the Ready Schools initiative, visit NYC.gov/readyny or call 311.

CONTACT:
Nancy Silvestri/Justin Bennett (718) 422-4888