The historic uprising for Black lives in the summer of 2020 sparked educators at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht HS to launch an Equity Team to tackle racial inequality.

The gaming club has been a hit among students at William E. Grady Career and Technical Education HS in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, since math teacher Peter Cozeolino started it five years ago. The program got a big boost in November 2021 when the ribbon was cut on Grady’s esports gaming room, a $150,000 project.

Sixth-grade special education teacher Julianne Salinger performed the Heimlich maneuver for the first time, saving a choking 7th-grader at IS 61 on Staten Island during the student's lunch period on Oct. 21.

In an effort to support and boost attendance, a new six-month pilot program and partnership between the UFT's United Community Schools and Clean Rite laundromats will give students and their families at five schools in four boroughs easy access to laundry facilities in their own neighborhoods. 

When the remnants of Hurricane Ida came barreling through the city on Sept. 1, the UFT launched a campaign for members to donate to their colleagues coping with storm damage. More than $40,000 was raised.

Teacher Tisha Gomez and the students in the vision technology program at the School for Cooperative Technical Education in Manhattan give the gift of sight, free of charge, to students and community members every day, producing eyeglasses in their fully equipped career and technical education facility.