A part of the Meritas International Family of Schools, Léman Manhattan’s pre-K 3 through 12th-grade curriculum is based on a philosophy that stresses global awareness and critical thinking skills.

Graduates are: Emmet Abraham, Nyree Addison, Mikayla Danielle Barnett, Daniel Saulino Rocco Blatto, Jack Brodsky, William Byrne, Leanne Elefterakis, Emily Eileen Finnerty, Lara Giray, Taylor Alexandra Lezhen, Charis Joanna Marcelle, Zosia Nahoum, Kevin Pinzon, Khadejah LeeAnne Roulston, Daniel Scala, Elizabeth Sydney Segre-Lawrence, Samuel Isaac Sherman, Azim Shokirov, Jordan Wright, Micaela Elizabeth Yang

An NYPD investigation found that Wu allegedly started the fire after he had argument with a woman he has a child with, and then tried to keep first responders from entering. The woman and the child were accounted for after the fire. A police officer from the 5th Precinct, a nine-year veteran of the force, sustained a broken hand from fighting with Wu and was transported to Downtown Hospital.
Wu, who lives in apartment 2A of the building, was arrested and is expected to be charged with first-degree arson, second-degree murder, attempted assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.

Léman Manhattan Names New Head of Lower School
Rachel Griffin has just been named the new Head of Lower School at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. Officially joining the faculty after being interim Lower School Head, school officials have high hopes for this new addition.

“With a diverse and accomplished educational background, Griffin embodies Léman’s commitment to global education and delivering the highest-caliber academics,” Drew Alexander, head of school for Léman Manhattan (grades K through 12), said in a statement.

“I am truly excited and very honored to be offered this position at Léman Manhattan, a school that I truly love,” said Griffin, who is a Columbia University Teachers College alumna. “I am dedicated to Léman’s mission, to providing a purposeful world-class education and inspiring our amazing students to reach their full potential.”

Chinatown Bus Hits Pedestrians
Two pedestrians walking in the crosswalk at the entry to the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown were run over by a Fung Wah bus last week. According to Gothamist, an NYPD spokesman described the two people as being “unconscious and unresponsive” as the first responders arrived. Both victims, a 57-year-old woman who was critically injured and a 63-year-old man who was stable, were brought to New York Presbyterian after being struck near Canal Street and Bowery. The 50-year-old driver, the only person on the bus at the time, remained on the scene and was given a summons for failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Deadline for FEMA Aid Near
FEMA has developed a checklist to help Hurricane Sandy survivors rebuild smarter, stronger and safer so their homes are protected in future storms. Key points of the checklist include: Know your risk, develop a plan, finalize the plan, get insurance. This checklist can be downloaded at fema.gov/SandyNY.

State and federal officials encourage anyone affected by the disaster to register for assistance by calling toll-free 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362.

Register online anytime at DisasterAssistance.gov. Visit m.fema.gov on your mobile phone or download the FEMA app on your smartphone or tablet. Multilingual operators are available, and for information on programs in multiple languages, visit www.fema.gov/all-languages.

For more information on New York’s disaster recovery, visit:

Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990

DRC Locator: www.FEMA.gov/disaster-recovery-centers

DUA: www.labor.ny.gov/ui/claimantinfo/disaster-unemployment-assistance.shtm

Free Legal Assistance: 1-800-310-7029

NY State Job Bank: www.newyork.us.jobs

STEP Program (Nassau County): 1-888-684-4267

STEP Program (Suffolk): 211

Rapid Repair (NYC): 311

Rental Resource (Portal): http://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm

Compiled by Megan Bungeroth & Jessica Mastronardi

Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, located at 1 Morris St. in the Financial District and headed by school master Drew Alexander, will be opening its doors to Newbery medal winning author Jack Gantos on May 9. Leman Manhattan Prep., which is a K-12 school, has both a Middle School/High School building at 1 Morris St., as well as a Lower School located at 41 Broad St. The Morris St. location opened in Sept. 2010, and is the first independent, nonsectarian below Canal Street.

Gantos will take part in various activities throughout the day centered on his book, Dead End in Norvelt, with different grades participating in different ways. Gantos will introduce himself to students’ parents to start the day, and meet the high schoolers and 8th graders thereafter to see their presentations on his book. After that, he’ll enjoy lunch in the school cafe with grades 4-6 while discussing his writing process as leading a writing workshop. The day will end with Gantos reading from his book to lower school students in the school library and an after-school book signing.

Mr. Gantos spent much of his childhood moving around the country and to the Caribbean, which aligns him with Léman Prep.’s own values, which include cultural diversity and global awareness.