Central Queens Academy Charter School

07/20/2026

We are excited to share that Krista Jahn, Residency Director of CQA Next Teacher Residency Program, will join 23 leaders across the country in a year-long fellowship to lead and strengthen through the Deans for Impact (DFI) Academy fellowship.

We have kicked off Year 2 of our CQA Next Residency program with nine new residents, including three CQA alumni returning to teach in the community that shaped them. Krista and the CQA Next team have made incredible progress over the past twelve months helping to train, support, and shape the next generation of high-impact and diverse teachers at CQA. We are proud that Krista's work and her commitment to our community is being recognized through the DFI fellowship program!

deansforimpact.org/impact-academy-cohort10

Today, we're thrilled to announce the 2026-27 cohort of our Impact Academy fellowship. At a time of rapid change across the field of educator preparation, from AI to policy shifts to evolving workforce needs, these 24 leaders are meeting complexity with clarity of vision, courage, and deep care for the future teachers and students they serve.

Our 2026-27 fellows are:
Angela McDonald, Longwood University (VA)
Anika Burtin, University of the District of Columbia
Annette Hux, Arkansas State University
Brooke Burks, Tuskegee University (AL)
Cheryl Lambert, University of West Alabama
Christine Hardigree, Iona University (NY)
Cindy Martinez, Western New Mexico University
David Fuentes, Stockton University (NJ)
Jamia Richmond, Coastal Carolina University (SC)
Jerre Snead, Rhode Island School for Progressive Education
John McConnell, Austin Peay State University (TN)
Kelly Chaney, Morningside University (IA)
Kevin Badgett, Sul Ross State University (TX)
Krista Jahn, Central Queens Academy Charter School (NY)
Kym Acuña, Wayne State College (NE)
Lisa Harrison, Ohio University
Malekah Salim-Morgan, Reach University (CA)
María Scharrón del Río, The City University of New York
Marius Boboc, University of Missouri–St. Louis
Mary Olvera, North Carolina Community College System
Rebecca Saiz, Lone Star College (TX)
Shawn Daley, George Fox University (OR)
Tarsha Reid, Harris-Stowe State University (MO)
Tonya Rose, Southern University at New Orleans (LA)

Read the announcement: https://www.deansforimpact.org/impact-academy-cohort11

07/01/2026

Our inaugural year for CQA Alumni Connect was an awesome one! If you’re an alum who needs support or if you’re an alum who wants to volunteer, connect with us using the link in bio!

06/22/2026

Thank you to our alumni who came to the Plotting Your Path workshop this month! We were so pleased you joined us and we are excited to see where you go from here. We continue to be incredibly proud of you!

You are all a part of a lifelong community that’s invested in your continued success. CQA’s Alumni Connect program is here to support our alumni no matter where you are in your education and life journey. Keep in touch and let us know where you are, what you’re up to, and how we can help you! Join the Alumni Connect community (link in bio!).

06/22/2026

Thank you to our alumni who came to the Plotting Your Path workshop this month! We were so pleased you joined us and we are excited to see where you go from here. We continue to be incredibly proud of you!

You are all a part of a lifelong community that's invested in your continued success. CQA's Alumni Connect program is here to support our alumni no matter where you are in your education and life journey. Keep in touch and let us know where you are, what you're up to, and how we can help you! Join the Alumni Connect community. ⬇️

https://www.centralqueensacademy.org/alumni

06/05/2026

There is still time to register for our Plot Your Path workshop!

CQA Alumni who are currently in 9th, 10th or 11th grade are invited to join us on Thursday, June 11th at 6pm. Meet with a college counselor and map out your path through HS and if you're in 11th grade, lock in your summer strategy before college admissions season officially kicks off!

RSVP here ⬇️

https://form.jotform.com/261125702732045

06/02/2026

Congratulations to the cast and crew of CQA's production of The Wizard of Oz! After months of rehearsals, hard work and preparations, they pulled off the most amazing show for classmates, families and our community!

CQA's theater program has received its first review! Professional actor and former acting teacher with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Jonas Cohen, was in the audience on Saturday and wrote a wonderful review of the show that he's allowed us to share with our community.

Cast, crew, directors, and support team, be very proud of what you created together. You took us from our gym in Elmhurst and transported us to Oz and it was magical!

__________________________________________________

The Wizard of OZ (Central Queens Academy Charter Schools)

How do you create a tornado in a school gym?

How do you turn a stuffed dog into a real companion?

How do you transport an audience from Queens, New York, to Oz and the Emerald City?

And most of all, how do Artists solve impossible problems?

Answer: with imagination and a hundred small acts of creativity.

As I sat watching this production of The Wizard of Oz for Central Queens Academy Charter School, I found myself glancing over at directors Nicole Wang and my friend Carl Hsu, who had kindly invited me to see their work. I kept noticing them standing near the soundboard, quietly mouthing reminders and words of encouragement to the cast. Watching him and Nicole guide dozens of young performers through songs, choreography, costume changes, entrances, exits, scene changes, and all the controlled chaos that comes with making Theater reminded me that the real achievement isn’t the performance. The miracle is the process.

That's the thing audiences, and perhaps parents most of all, don't always get to see.

Long before the tornado appeared, long before Dorothy arrived in Oz, long before the applause at curtain call, these young performers spent weeks and months learning how to collaborate, listen, memorize, trust one another, solve problems, take risks, and stand in front of an audience to be seen.

Carl and Nicole didn't simply direct a musical. They created a temporary community. Under their guidance, a group of young people learned how to make something larger than themselves. And that may be the most meaningful thing theater does.

The production itself was filled with joy and inventive theatricality. A tornado was created with rolling racks and curtains. Toto began the evening as a stuffed dog in Kansas and became a full-sized companion in Oz. A school gymnasium became the Emerald City. Black-and-white turned to color. A room full of children became Munchkins, crows, flying monkeys, and citizens of Oz.

The ensemble’s ex*****on of “We Welcome You To Munchkinland” and "The Jitterbug" were exquisite. So much so that the latter song demands a reappraisal of why that song was ever cut from the final film.

The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Glinda, Auntie Em, Toto, the Wicked Witch, and the Wizard were all delightful.

What lingered most, however, was Dorothy.

The role is enormous for any young performer. There were moments when the weight of that responsibility showed, but what ultimately remained was her sense of wonder. The moment Dorothy arrived in Oz and the moment she returned home both landed with genuine emotional clarity.

The image was almost cinematic: a girl stepping into a world bigger and stranger than anything she had ever known and later returning home to see it with new eyes.

Perhaps it’s seeing this show on the anniversary of my mother’s passing that has me feeling so reflective. But whatever the reason, this production unexpectedly brought to mind one of the central lessons of The Wizard of Oz.

The Scarecrow couldn't see his intelligence. The Tin Man couldn't see his heart. The Lion couldn't see his courage. Dorothy couldn't see that she already possessed the power to get home. They all had what they needed all along. It’s something my mother tried to inculcate in me most of my life.

The tragedy is that none of them believed it. The beauty is that someone finally told them. And if I’m being honest, it’s something that my mother shared with me in the last months before she passed.

For a couple of hours, a school gymnasium in Queens became Oz. Rolling racks became a tornado. A stuffed dog became Toto. Children became heroes. The ordinary became magical. And somewhere over the rainbow, I felt a little closer to home.

05/11/2026

Hey CQA Alumni!

If you currently in 9th, 10th or 11th grade, don't forget to register for our free Plot Your Path workshop on Thursday, June 11th at 6pm.

Let us know you're coming! RSVP here ⬇️
https://form.jotform.com/261125702732045

CQA Alumni!

Are you currently in 9th, 10th or 11th grade? Join us on Thursday, June 11th at 6pm for a workshop to Plot your path! Meet with a college counselor and map out your path through HS and if you're in 11th grade, lock in your summer strategy before college admissions season officially kicks off! Seats are limited per grade level so RSVP today! Hope to see you there!

RSVP here ⬇️

https://form.jotform.com/261125702732045

05/05/2026

CQA CLASS OF 2026!

Can you believe it?! You have made it to May of senior year and to commitment day! Your CQA community is so proud of you and we can't wait to hear where you've committed and what your plans are for after high school graduation!

So, let us know! Fill out this short form to tell us what is next for you. ⬇️

https://forms.gle/5L4nCnDhuhuYvuK97

04/29/2026

CQA Alumni!

Are you currently in 9th, 10th or 11th grade? Join us on Thursday, June 11th at 6pm for a workshop to Plot your path! Meet with a college counselor and map out your path through HS and if you're in 11th grade, lock in your summer strategy before college admissions season officially kicks off! Seats are limited per grade level so RSVP today! Hope to see you there!

RSVP here ⬇️

https://form.jotform.com/261125702732045

03/31/2026

Apply by tomorrow, April 1st before midnight to be included in our lottery for enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year! Scan to apply or click the link in bio!