Luis Muñoz Marin

New Soccer Mini-Pitch Unveiled at Luis Muñoz Marin School to Provide Recreation and Life Skills Development for Newark, N.J. Youth

New space part of five-year, 20 mini-pitch project announced in May 2018

[NEWARK, N.J., October 25, 2018] An innovative new soccer mini-pitch system was unveiled at Newark’s Luis Muñoz Marin School today marking the fourth mini-pitch opened this year in Newark. The opening is part of a five-year partnership with the New York Red Bulls, Newark Public Schools, U.S. Soccer Foundation and Wells Fargo to increase access to safe places to play across the city by creating 20 new soccer mini-pitches. As part of this initiative, more than 2,500 Newark youth will be engaged in Soccer for Success, the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s after-school soccer program that delivers positive health and youth development outcomes. The program will operate on many of these new sites.

“I want to thank the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the New York Red Bulls, Wells Fargo and all of our partners for investing in our schools and students and changing the face of schoolyards across the city,” said Newark Superintendent of Schools Roger León. “The new soccer pitches will allow our students to engage in physical fitness, learn the tenets of teamwork, and have fun. Partnerships that benefit our students are an essential part of our success as a district.”

The latest mini-pitch system at Luis Muñoz Marin Middle School features a complete system design that incorporates fencing, lighting, and goals. The system was developed to assist the U.S. Soccer Foundation with its national movement, It’s Everyone’s Game, which endeavors to build 1,000 mini-pitches in cities across the country by 2026 and engage one million young people annually through the Foundation’s Soccer for Success program. Mini-pitches have also been created at three other Newark school locations including Belmont Runyon School, BRICK Avon Academy, and Rafael Hernandez School this year.

“Today is another significant step in our commitment to providing mini-pitches for the children of the Newark Public Schools,” said Marc de Grandpre, General Manager, New York Red Bulls. “Thanks to the generosity of our valued partners, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Wells Fargo, along with the support from Musco Lighting, the students of Luis Marin Muñoz Middle School will have an innovative mini-pitch that includes full lighting for safety and extensive storage for convenience. This venue will further their passion for our beautiful game.”

Area families, members of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, Newark City officials, and representatives from the Luis Muñoz Marin School officially celebrated the new space with a dedication ceremony alongside the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Wells Fargo, and Musco Lighting at the event.

“Wells Fargo is proud to partner with the Newark Soccer Initiative to partner on an important investment in the City of Newark,” said Gino Cammarota, Northeast Treasury Merchant Services Manager at Wells Fargo. “We are excited to be one of the many organizations here today because this program will enrich the lives of so many through the game of soccer. The sport is celebrated by the many here in Newark and we are pleased today’s announcement benefits the community and specifically our future leaders.”

Newark is the third municipality nationwide to make a major commitment to building safe places to play and expand sports-based youth development programs for its youth as part of this larger national movement. Other national partners including adidas, Major League Soccer, Target, and Musco are lending critical support to ensure the movement’s success.
“We’re grateful to have such valuable partners here in Newark who are committed to providing local youth with safe places to play,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We’re also excited to unveil the first mini-pitch prototype developed by one of our key national partners, Musco Lighting. Their devotion to the It’s Everyone’s Game movement is evident in their innovative approaches to providing children with safe places to play past daylight hours.”

To overcome logistical issues working with a multitude of contractors, suppliers and municipal agencies across different markets—and to avoid construction delays and site relocations—engineers at Musco developed a prototype of a comprehensive mini-pitch system.

“The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s mission of positively impacting the lives of up to a million young people in the next decade is something we believe in very strongly,” said Joe Crookham, President of Musco. “These community pitches will be a place for local youth to learn, grow, develop confidence and teamwork, and have fun. We want to do everything we can to help with this important endeavor.”

The Foundation and its partners have plans for multiple mini-pitch openings in more than a dozen cities across the country over the next several years.

About New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are one of 22 teams in Major League Soccer (MLS). They are one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since it’s founding in 1996. They currently play home matches at Red Bull Arena (RBA) in Harrison, New Jersey. RBA, a state-of-the-art 25,000-seat stadium, is widely regarded as the top soccer-specific stadium in North America. The club is owned by the Austrian beverage company Red Bull GmbH for which the team is named. The New York Red Bulls offer one of the nation’s premier youth soccer development programs. The club provides grassroots training programs to all ages and skill levels, and also offers elite players a pathway from those programs to the Regional Development School, then on to the academy teams and, ultimately, to the Red Bulls professional team.

About Newark Board of Education
The Newark Board of Education is New Jersey’s largest school district with 62 schools and nearly 37,000 students, serving children in Pre-K through high school. On February 1, 2018 the Newark School District was returned to local control following 22 years of being under state control. On July 1, 2018, Roger León became the first Superintendent of the Newark Board of Education following the return of local control to the school district and the first Hispanic to serve as Superintendent in the district’s history.

About U.S. Soccer Foundation
The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s programs are the national model for sports-based youth development in underserved communities. Since its founding in 1994, the Foundation has established programs proven to help children embrace an active and healthy lifestyle while nurturing their personal growth beyond sports. Its cost-effective, high-impact initiatives offer safe environments where kids and communities thrive. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Soccer Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified, community-based financial services company. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 8,050 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2018 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

About Musco Lighting
Since 1976, Musco has focused on the design and manufacture of sports and transportation/infrastructure lighting systems, from hometown Little League® fields to professional sports stadiums and ports around the globe. Offering permanent and temporary lighting systems for new and retrofit projects, we bring first-hand knowledge and experience with the many issues that impact players, spectators, neighbors, television broadcasts, and staff.

Contacts
U.S. Soccer Foundation
Jennifer Arnold
202-872-6662
jarnold@nullussoccerfoundation.org

New York Red Bulls
Christina Giunta Quarino
973-776-8842
christina.giunta@nullnewyorkredbulls.com

Newark Public Schools
Tracy Munford
973-733-7338
t1munford@nullNPS.K12.NJ.US

Wells Fargo
Stephanie Ahenkora
908-370-4061
Stephanie.Ahenkora@nullwellsfargo.com

Musco Lighting
Eduardo Zamarripa
641-676-2652
Eduardo.zamarripa@nullmusco.com

100 Days Smarter at Luis Muñoz Marin!

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The 100th day of school is such an exciting time of the academic year for the young scholars of Luis Munoz Marin. Our pre-kindergarten to second grade students engaged in various activities: 100 Word Challenge, Designing to 100, What can I do in 100 seconds?, and Race to 100 to honor this special day. Participants marched in a parade throughout the school community showcasing projects and modeling senior outfits prepared collaboratively with their parents, peers and teachers. Observing students demonstrate a strong command for counting, cardinality, number sense and operations in base ten affirms the growth each learner has achieved. Some of the extended lessons were cross curricular as students participated in health and fitness routines and responded to writing prompts highlighting the number one hundred. Traditionally, February 14th is reserved for Valentine’s Day; a day filled with love and laughter. On this day, we laughed and loved that our students are truly 100 days smarter.

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Celebrity Read at Luis Muñoz Marin 2017

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Celebrity Read is an annual event that is part of Read Across America, a reading initiative that was created by the National Education Association. Each year, Celebrity Read is celebrated at the end of February. This is a motivational day encouraging all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading. The past three years at Luis Munoz Marin School, the staff and students had the privilege of welcoming readers throughout our community and city to come in and share their love of reading by reading a book of their choice to the students.

LMM - Read Across America LMM - Read Across America
The past three years, the event has been organized by MS. Kinyetta Bird and Mrs. Latitia McReynolds, along with a team of teachers who want to ensure each class has the opportunity to have a visit by a “celebrity reader”. The students are read to from one of our many books in the school. Among the guests this year were Superintendent Chris Cerf, Councilwoman Mildred Crump, and several of our Police Officers and Firefighters within our city. This is a memorable day for both the school and the community.

Hour of Code: Luis Muñoz Marin

Hour of Code Marin 2016
“These are the moments I live for!” This is what one of the amazing Special Needs teachers at Luis Munoz Marin School said today when asked about the experience in her class.

Today the students in Ms. Jiles’ 3rd/4th grade classroom participated in the Hour of Code. These 12 male students eagerly invited Mr. David Huffner, from Code for Newark, into their classroom excited to learn about computer programming. They were able to code for an hour and even forfeited their recess to continue to code. They were so excited to show off their work and helped teach each other in the process.

“Student learning is one of the things that keeps me motivated,” said Ms. Jiles. Students with behavioral disabilities where? #allstudentscanlovelearning #lifeofaproudteacher #futureleaders

TODAY: Luis Muñoz Marin School and Liberty Science Center Host Girls in Technology Project Showcase

[Newark, NJ – May 12, 2016] – The Luis Muñoz Marin School for Social Justice (LMM), in partnership with the Liberty Science Center (LSC) and the Prudential Foundation, will host the second annual “Girls in Technology Project Showcase” later today. Female students participating in the Girls in Technology after-school program at LMM will showcase their work to family members, peers and educators.

This year, 25 students participated in the after-school program, which focuses on providing young women with the opportunity to explore the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and gain valuable coding experience.

Girls in Technology is an original partnership between LMM and Liberty Science Center. It is supported by a generous grant from the Prudential Foundation.

Girls in Technology Project Showcase

WHO

  • Katie Gardner, Teacher Programs Developer, Liberty Science Center
  • Ms. McReynolds, Fifth Grade Teacher, Luis Muñoz Marin
  • Fifth Grade Students, Luis Muñoz Marin

WHAT

  • Girls in Technology Project Showcase

WHEN

  • Thursday, May 12, 5:00 p.m.

WHERE

  • Luis Muñoz Marin School
    663 Broadway
    Newark, NJ 07104

Media planning to attend should RSVP to Dreena Whitfield via email dwhitfield@nullnewark.apppresser.com.

Luis Muñoz Marin School for Social Justice Celebrates National Law Week

National Law Week is held annually in May to promote an understanding of the law and its role in society. Throughout the week of May 2nd, the Luis Muñoz Marin (LMM) School for Social Justice engaged in activities that included: Social Justice Student Art Exhibition, Hour of Power, School Demonstration Debate and our Annual Law Day Mock Trial. The student art exhibition led by Art Teacher, Luis Aviles, consisted of 40 inspirational pieces depicting young artists’ interpretation of social justice. Following the art showcase, a group of attorneys, community advocates, political leaders and central office staff members joined by Superintendent Christopher Cerf and Assistant Superintendent Mitch Center attended the Hour of Power Event on Wednesday, May 4th. During the Hour of Power, these influential community frontrunners shared their stories, motivated students and gave them hope for the future. Some event highlights included two LMM students being offered summer internships from prestigious law firms, moneys were raised from commitments given by our guests and Judge Coleman rendered a civil law process to participants. The celebration continued with a School Demonstration Debate moderated by Debate Coach Shagun Kukreja. Students, Zaria Hemphill (7th), Angelica Siguencia (7th), Jenell Alford (8th), Esteffany Pitti (8th) and Marlet Lopez (8th) argued the current event topic of whether or not police officers should or should not wear body cameras. The weeklong festivities concluded with the annual Law Day Mock Trial organized by Vice Principal Kenneth Montalbano, Technology Coach Courtney Johnson, Literacy Coach Kinyetta Bird, Social Worker Al-Jathiyah Cannon and Debate Coach Kukreja. Students viewed and participated in a mock trial ruled by Judge Frank Covello of the Superior Court of New Jersey and argued Daniel Malet, Esq. and Kelly Crawford, Esq.

Principal Maria J. Ortiz shared a quote by the Honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Law and order exist for the purposes of establishing justice, when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.” Luis Muñoz Marin School for Social Justice does not want to fail the purpose of law and justice. Instead, we want our students to be informed and skilled and understand the role that justice plays in our society. We want our students to understand the intent of law and order in our school, community and in our nation. These efforts resonated during the week as LMM Scholars were excited to see their social justice projects, research, talents and passion for learning come alive.