St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School - Woodside

One Of The Leading Grade Schools In Queens

Woodside / June 14, 2010 / Queens Buzz. I just returned from a tour of St Sebastian’s grade school in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. The school is one of about 55 Catholic grade schools in Queens. St Sebastian’s has an enrollment of between 400 and 450 students from nursery through the eighth grade. And the school’s student body scores highly compared with the nation on standardized education tests covering math, reading comprehension and writing.

In this report we provide a brief history of St Sebastian’s, an overview of it’s academic, athletic and other programs, and include related information pertaining to Catholic grade schools in the Queens area. Included in this report is information about St Sebastian’s tuition, enrollment fees and a summary time line of the enrollment application process [scroll down / scan the headlines to find the information you’re seeking].

Click this link to read the rest of the story and view the photos of St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School in Woodside.

Illusion Or Reality?

Fun Photography Exhibit At Topaz Arts - Woodside

May 8, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. I visited Topaz Arts Saturday night to view the new photographic exhibit that opened tonight with a reception. I met the artist, Satomi Shirai, a long lithe Japanese woman who’d arrived on our shores some six years ago. She’s currently working on her MFA [Masters of Fine Arts] at Hunter College in Manhattan and her photography is currently being featured by Topaz as a one woman show.

I wandered the gallery, perusing her work. The exhibit includes about ten, large framed photographs; thoughtfully chosen and carefully placed for the show. On my own, I couldn’t really figure out what she doing with her work, so I asked her to help me understand by commenting on it.

Click here to view / read the rest of the story about the Home and Home photography exhibit at Topaz Arts in Woodside.

Woodside FDNY Memorial Service

Engine 325 & Ladder 163 Remember Fallen

April 17, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. Today I attended a memorial service dedicated to the men of the Woodside Fire Station who lost their lives in the line of duty. The service was held at St Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church in Woodside.

There were about one hundred people in attendance, most of whom appeared to have some connection with the firemen. The service was given by FDNY chaplin, Father John Delendick in collaboration with Father Gerard Sauer from St Sebastian’s. Two firemen did readings prior to the chaplin’s sermon. Click here to read the rest of the story about FDNY Memorial Service at St Sebastian's in Woodside.

Sunnyside Gardens Park

Private Park Continues Tradition Of Community Service

Sunnyside / January 25, 2010. Over the course of this past year I had occasion to meet and converse with various members of Sunnyside Gardens Park. The park is privately owned - one of only two such parks in the city, with the other being Gramercy Park in Manhattan. While membership in Gramercy is closed, membership in Sunnyside Gardens Park is open to local residents. Membership in the park fluctuates, and there are currently about 300 members, most of which are family memberships.

Click here to read the rest of our report about Sunnyside Gardens Park.

Thalia Theatre Bridges Cultural Divide

Sunnyside / November 13, 2009. I enjoyed a dance performance by the Mestizo Dance Company last  Friday evening at the Thalia Theatre in Sunnyside. The show, which runs weekends through December 6th, is a panoply of colorful costumes, music by an accomplished eight piece band, all in support of  an impressive performance by a full troupe of talented dancers. All tolled they performed nearly twenty  dances from various parts of Latin America which the audience seemed to greatly enjoy.

Click here to view a story about the Best Of The Mestizos at Thalia Spanish Theatre in Sunnyside Queens.

Topaz Arts In Woodside

Woodside / August 17, 2009. This weekend Topaz Arts hosted a series of 13 readings about the impact the transformational experience of immigrating into this country had on the readers' lives. The readings were of a personal nature and provided some insight into a sort of shared immigration experience, as nearly half of Queens borough's population was born in another land.

Later that same day, Topaz Arts hosted a photography exhibit entitled 'The Divide'. The Divide drew contrasts between north and south [America], black and white, rich and poor, the here and now and the afterlife ... and so much more. While I did not see the connection between these two events at the outset, it later dawned on me. Click here to read the full report of the readings and the photography exhibit at Topaz Arts in Woodside.

Queens Of Angels Art Fair - Sunnyside

June 13, 2010 / Sunnyside / QueensBuzz. I just returned from a very diverse and interesting Queen Of Angels Art Fair in Sunnyside. This is the year it seems everything went rather well, with the exception of a few warm raindrops near the end of the day.

I enjoyed the show a bit more this year because they opened up the room so that one could see across the entire room from any angle. This not only helped ventillate the show but also provided for a more interesting experience in terms of crowd watching, while enabling one to view the art from many different angles. And food and wine were served, like on my last visit, adding to the overall art and dining experience.

Click here to read our full report, including dozens of photos, of the Queens Of Angels Art Fair 2010 / Show in Sunnyside.

Sunnyside Attractions / Woodside Attractions

This section is about the attractions and things to do in the Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods of Queens NY. Attractions include Thalia Theatre, the now landmarked Sunnyside Gardens, St Sebastian's Catholic School, Sunnyside Gardens Park, Topaz Arts as well as a number of parks and nascent arts / theater groups.

Click here to view the Sunnyside Attractions / Woodside Attractions section of this site.