Pheffer Amato Joins New York State Education Committee YSZ HS Girls Participate in CIJE Hackathon

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer

Amato (D-South Queens) was appointed to the New York State Assembly Committee on Education and is known for being a firm advocate for parents in for public and non-public schools and has often spoken out on the importance of school choice.

Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato is a mother of two public school graduates and served as the Parent Association President at her children’s school. In addition, the Assemblywoman worked for the NYC Board of Education as a paraprofessional for several years. During her time as a legislator, she has led the charge to stand up for non-public schools on all fronts. Last year, she successfully negotiated funding to non-public schools throughout the State of New York that granted a historic $58 million for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum.

With the start of the new legislative session, Speaker Carl Heastie announced the appointment of Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato to the New York State Assembly Committee on Education.

“I’m honored by this appointment and graciously thank the Speaker. Through this Committee I will bring the voice of my constituents forward and will only further work to ensure that public and non-public schools have an ally. I will stand up for our schools, public and non-public, and work to create the best educational opportunities for the children of our State,” said Pheffer Amato.

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber of Agudath Israel said, “Assemblymember Pheffer Amato has proven to be one of the best friends of the Yeshiva community in Albany. We are confident she will be a powerful voice on the Education Committee advocating for all students including yeshiva students.”

Gan Chamesh Tu B’Shvat Fair

The children at Gan Chamesh enjoyed a natural, beautiful experience at the Tu B’Shvat fair this week. The hands-on experience helped them gain a deeper appreciation of Hashem’s natural world.

Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion High School for Girls competed in an intense day of problem solving, coding, engineering, and marketing challenges at the CIJE Tech’s annual Hackathon. The competition challenged students to plan a solution to address a problem faced by poverty-stricken villages in Africa. The girls chose to focus on water supply and created two distinct companies: Water Waze and UV Clean.

Freshman contestants created UV Clean, a company that would create UV clean stations near water supplies to purify water, while sophomore students created the company Water Waze that would transport water from clean water sources via rovers or drones to people’s homes using GPS technology.

The girls built and coded their first prototype and presented it to the audience. They also created a brand and logo for marketing. The girls explained why their product could help the lives of people in need. Students remarked about how this program challenged them to think deeply about others and appreciate their lives that are filled with such privilege.

Leanna Kataev, the spokesperson for Team Water Waze, remarked, “I take my morning routine for granted. I use water to brush my teeth, wash my face, and make a cup of coffee. There are teenage girls in this world who need to trek hours and carry real weight just to bring home water to their families.”

Reena Suionov echoed that sentiment, adding, “The day gave me an opportunity to appreciate what I have and the power of my friends. Each of us contributed differently to the team. Some of us worked on the marketing and message, while others worked on the engineering and prototyping.”

Captain Naomi Mordukhayev remarked, “I learned how important it was to strategize about what role everyone should play on the team. We truly harnessed each other’s strengths to work together.”

Reena chimed in, “It’s amazing what we were able to create as a team in six hours of focused work!”

Daniela Ibragimov shared, “We may have left the school building, but we certainly spent the day learning! We were challenged to think on our feet, research a problem, plan for solutions and work on public speaking. This was real life learning.”