Getting a jump on a higher education

Sheepshead Bay

Whether it’s studying Shakespeare, the classics or mind-mapping, senior students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at St. Edmund Prep do it all to get a jump on that college degree.

They recently presented a scene from Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” as part of a larger presentation on representation of Africans in classic British and European literature. Their engaging presentation sparked a thoughtful and powerful discussion. In history class, the students worked together and mind-mapped to help them clearly understand the causes of World War I.

St. Edmund Prep is the only Catholic high school in the city that offers this prestigious diploma program, with fewer than 1,000 schools nationwide offering it.

Standing O says “Study hard and prosper.”

St. Edmund Preparatory High School [2474 Ocean Ave. at Avenue T in Sheepshead Bay, (718) 743–6100].

Borough Wide

Happy 100th!

Blow out those candles for Municipal Credit Union. The establishment turned 100 on Oct. 15, and now has the distinction of being the oldest credit union in New York State — and one of the oldest and largest in the country.

MCU was founded in 1916 by then-New York City mayor John Purroy Mitchel to offer city employees a way to save at reasonable rates and to borrow money at rates lower than the year’s prevailing 36 percent (and we think our interest rates are high!) or do business with loan sharks.

Originally called the Credit Union of Employees Conference Committee, MCU began with one branch in the city’s Municipal Building, 19 members, and combined deposits of just $570.

During the past century, which included a name change to Municipal Credit Union in August 1919, MCU has continually and steadily grown in assets and members, said its head honcho.

“We’re proud and humbled to be celebrating such an important milestone,” said Kam Wong, president and chief executive officer.

Standing O wishes the credit union many more birthdays.

Municipal Credit Union [350 Jay St. at Myrtle Avenue in Downtown, (212) 693–4900].

Fort Greene

Happy anniversary

Standing O is sending out cheers to Long Island University Pharmacy for celebrating 130 years of providing quality education to our students. The school was founded in 1886 as the city’s first College of Pharmacy.

The school also received a $2-million grant from the US Food and Drug Administration to continue its research initiative “Building towards Statistically-Based Pharmaceutical Quality Standards.”

The funds were a testament to the capabilities of LIU Pharmacy’s award-winning pharmaceutical scientists, led by dean and researcher Dr. John Pezzuto, said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU.

“We look forward to using this grant to create transformational opportunities for LIU Pharmacy students to participate in FDA-sponsored research,” she said.

LIU Pharmacy [75 DeKalb Ave. in Fort Greene, (718) 488–1004].