On February 6th, Holocaust survivor, Toby Levy, spoke to WHSAD students about her experience as a child during the Holocaust. The event was sponsored by Project Witness, a non-profit organization that offers sources for students to learn about and remember the Holocaust. For the last four years, Project Witness has worked with WHSAD to provide students with information on the Holocaust from people who have lived through the Holocaust first-hand. Toby Levy has made it her responsibility to share her experiences with as many people as possible so the event is not forgotten. As a part of Project Witness, she strives to teach students about the events of the Holocaust and its relevance even today.  Toby Levy was born in 1933, the year … [Read more...]

On December 7, 2022, students make their last trip to LaTourette Park in the Staten Island Greenbelt before they separate into groups to create a proposal to make the park more accessible. Today, the entire group worked together to close a trail that had been reopened by hikers. Sometimes trails need to be closed because they are dangerous to use due to steepness and other factors. The park was muddy today due to rain and continued to get muddier as the rain started again during lunch. To close the trail, we had to collect thorn bushes to prevent people from getting access to the trail and branches and logs to make the trail look a part of the park. I look forward to the next semester of this trip as we work on our proposals to make the … [Read more...]

Wednesday, November 2 marked the group’s second trip to the Greenbelt Conservancy Park. Today, we were going to start physical work, unlike our previous trip when we hiked around the park and learned about it. After an introduction to tools and safety, we were split into two groups. One group worked on rebuilding check steps on a trail, while the other group worked on planting trees to close a trail. As one of the students on this trip, I believe the day was, although a bit tiring, an exciting trip for us all, as we were able to learn about how to use new tools that some of us might not have used before.Yochana Dimanche, WHSAD Junior Today’s experience at Greenbelt was less leisurely and more tiring. We didn’t get to eat junk food and … [Read more...]

On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, WHSAD students left their classroom environment in cooperation with the Greenbelt Conservancy Corps to explore a new environment for another year. For many of us, this was an opportunity to see NYC outside of the traffic and noise. And for others, a way to start their careers. Last year, half of the program was online, and we weren’t able to experience it in its entirety, but this year, students will be able to collaborate with each other to help make the Greenbelt Park more accessible for everyone. Our experience at Greenbelt was an informational and exciting experience, in which we learned about the park we would be working in. Yochana Dimanche Today was an exhilarating experience that I thought I … [Read more...]