CEO/Superintendent's Message | |
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Greetings!
As the year ends, I want to express my appreciation to our Lexington family - students, clients, patients, families, alumni, faculty, staff, board members, and donors! Your energy and commitment are what keeps Lexington strong and focused on its vision and mission. It has been a joy and a privilege to be back on campus and see the strides that have been made since my high school days.
With wishes for a happy and healthy 2025!
Seth Bravin, Lexington Class of '91
Interim CEO/Superintendent
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Holiday Cheer at Lexington
Lexington's halls and classrooms were full of cheer and goodwill as students, faculty, staff, and alumni celebrated the upcoming holidays during the last weeks of December. Our younger students received presents from Signing Santa. Middle School Student Government hosted a holiday craft and bake sale. The Lexington Alumni Association held a Jingle & Mingle event for families and a delicious Blue Jay Winter Breakfast for students and staff. Creativity abounded with middle school students creating gingerbread houses and the entire school engaged in an art project to decorate the hallways with messages of peace.
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With wishes for a healthy and safe 2025!
We thank you for your support over the past year and look forward to the upcoming year with energy and excitement. Our ability to offer special opportunities to deaf students, such as attendance at national STEM competitions, depends on support from our donors.
Please remember Lexington in your end-of-year giving plans and make a gift today!
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Campaign to "Bring Back the Pool"
On November 20th, New York State senators and assembly members, a private foundation, and others gathered at the school to show their support for a $5 million capital campaign to renovate the school's swimming pool. Shuttered since 2014, the circa 1968 pool requires extensive upgrades to meet current codes. Prior to its closing, the pool was used by both Lexington students and the Queens community for swimming lessons and recreational swimming.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the legislators, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and private donors, the campaign has achieved over 95% of its goal. We are reaching out to alumni, families, and the local community to raise the final funds to "bring back the pool." For more information on the campaign, visit our webpage at https://bit.ly/LexPool
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The Pool Kick-off Event on November 20th was attended by NYS senators and assembly members, a private foundation, and other donors and supporters of the $5 million pool project. | |
State Senator Jessica Ramos, 13th District, visited the campus on December 4th and presented a check for $500,000 to support the pool project. Students taking the TV Studio elective filmed the visit. | |
STEM Academy: NYC
Lexington's STEM Academy: NYC, a collaborative program with Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, provided students with an immersive, three-week STEM camp experience. In addition to robotics and virtual reality projects, students had the opportunity to hone their skills in mathematics, ASL, and English language arts. Field trips and guest speakers, such as the NYPD's TARU unit (drones and robotic dog), helped students understand scientific concepts and learn about STEM-related careers.
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Building Repairs Planned for 2025
In August, Lexington was awarded $3,763,730 from the New York State Education Department for facility repairs. The funds will be used to install new roofs on the four campus buildings and provide a new concrete walkway at the entrance to the school. Roof repairs are expected to begin in the spring of 2025 with concrete work scheduled for the summer. The 4201 Capital Grant Program Round 2 supports New York's 4201 State-Supported Schools for the Blind and Deaf.
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Uneven pavers along the front of the school will be replaced with a smooth concrete surface. | |
Approximately 73,000 sq. ft. of roofing will be replaced as part of the new roof installation. | |
GREASE is the Word!
The Drama Club traveled back to the 1950s to present the musical Grease in ASL (Book, music, and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company). Twenty-seven student actors, supported by a six-student technical crew, took on the roles of Sandy, Danny, and the rest of the Rydell High gang for an upbeat theatrical experience on December 12th and 13th. Drama Club members were pleased to host St. Mary's School for the Deaf (Buffalo) Drama Club and the New York State School for the Deaf (Rome, NY) Drama Club for Thursday's dinner and evening performance. The Drama Club would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who helped make the production a success
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Cast members enjoyed dressing up in '50s attire, including poodle skirts, to portray members of the Pink Ladies. | |
Danny (center) and the Burger Palace Boys rocked their '50s-inspired leather jackets and jeans. | |
Athletic Accomplishments
Lexington's athletic teams had a successful fall season with the varsity soccer team taking third place in the ESDAA Division 1 tournament and winning the Metro League Championship at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Not to be outdone, the girls volleyball team won the Silver Bracket in their ESDAA event.
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The varsity soccer team celebrated after their Metro League win on November 12th. The game ended 0-0 with the Blue Jays securing a 3-1 win in a nail-biting shootout. | |
The volleyball team won the Silver Bracket Trophy in their ESDAA tournament. | |
What's Ahead for 2025?
I encourage you to follow Lexington on social media (links below) or on our website www.lexnyc.org to learn more about these upcoming events!
- ESDAA Girls Basketball Tournament at New York School for the Deaf/Fanwood (February 7-9, 2025)
- ESDAA Division 1 Boys Basketball & Cheerleading Tournament at American School for the Deaf, Hartford, CT (February 21-23, 2025)
- Lexington Alumni Association Pot O' Gold event (March 8, 2025 - 2-7 pm)
- Multicultural Festival Week (April 7-11, 2025)
- ESDAA Track & Field Meet at New York School for the Deaf/Fanwood (May 9-10, 2025)
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