Queens, NY – To kick off the school year, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows) announced a collective $580,000 for gymnasium and auditorium upgrades for three schools in School Districts 25 and 26. With students returning for another successful academic year, many will be greeted with renovations that took place over the summer and others will notice changes in the coming months. M.S. 74 Nathaniel Hawthorne received $80,000 for their gymnasium and P.S. 162 John Golden and P.S. 24 Andrew Jackson each received $250,000 for substantial upgrades to their auditoriums.

To increase student safety and prevent injuries, M.S. 74 in Oakland Gardens requested funding to install padding for their gymnasium walls as well as a new updated scoreboard. The students and student athletes of M.S. 74 will be able to enjoy these upgrades as soon as they walk into their building for their first day of school.

P.S. 24 in Flushing requested funding for new stage and window curtains, stage rigging, and a sound system which has not been updated in over 50 years. Installation of this project will begin next month.

Lastly, P.S. 162 in Bayside requested funding for a full upgrade to the electrical infrastructure of their auditorium. This includes audio/visual equipment, stage lighting, and upgraded paint. This project is slated for completion before the end of the school year.

“The facilities at our public schools need renovations from all the wear and tear they go through providing for our youth,” said Assemblywoman Rozic. “M.S.74, P.S.162, and P.S. 24 are no exception. It brings me great joy to allocate funding to upgrade these spaces and to ensure current and future students of these schools have well-functioning and updated auditoriums and gymnasiums for all their assembly and athletic needs.”

“When the community talks about M.S.74, academics and the arts are often the things that come to mind but an underreported facet of our greatness is the strength of our athletics,” said Principal Brandon Contarsy of M.S. 74. “Thanks to Assemblywoman Rozic’s advocacy and support, we can feel a renewed sense of pride in hosting games due in large part to her securing of funding for a new scoreboard and upgraded padding for the walls. Coming out of the pandemic our girls basketball team has won back-to-back district championships and while three-peats are always hard to achieve, these upgrades will give our girls (and our boys team) that extra home-court advantage that might make it possible.”

“P.S. 162 is so grateful for Assemblywoman Rozic's support of the John Golden family,” said Principal Eve Sci of P.S.162. “Through her generous funding, we will finally be able to have performances that would make our school's namesake proud. In a time where funding is limited, it is wonderful to know that our representative still values the contribution that the arts bring to the development of children as they learn who they are and who they want to become.”

"Thanks to a generous grant from Assemblywoman Rozic, PS24Q will be retrofitted with an updated stage area and a state-of-the-art sound system that hasn’t been updated in decades!" said P.S. 24 Principal Debra Cassidy. "Our children will now feel more confident when performing as their voices will project to the back of the auditorium--something that was not possible before--and we will now be able to expand our Theater Arts program, continue our partnership with Disney Musicals in Schools, and invite community organization to perform for our students."

P.S. 162 is located on 53rd Avenue in Bayside and P.S. 24 is located on Union Street in Flushing. Both schools house pre-kindergarten through grade five students. M.S. 74 is located on Oceania Street in Oakland Gardens and serves students from grade six to grade eight.

Additional education investments recently announced by Rozic include $250,000 and $120,000 respectively for technology upgrades to P.S. 154 and P.S. 120 in Flushing.