Building relationships between the future stewards of our society and those who are currently charged with great responsibility is a cornerstone of a WHSAD education. Many students take advantage of opportunities that allow them to work alongside and gain insight from professionals in various fields. Such experiences permit students to develop a greater awareness of the world outside of their daily lives and also build confidence in communicating with individuals on a more sophisticated and professional level. In addition to the numerous internships and career-oriented opportunities the school has developed over the years, WHSAD’s work as a community school this year has students engaging in projects that serve area needs. On Wednesday, … [Read more...]
WHSAD’s Class of 2018 Graduation
Graduation is a time of tremendous sentience. The throwing of caps holds both excitement and anxiety. The months, weeks, and days leading up to commencement are filled with anticipation, and when it's time to walk across that stage and move that tassel to the left, emotions crescendo into euphoria. There's something of an instantaneous transformation that calls for celebration, reflection, and separation. WHSAD's class of 2018 demonstrated how emotions run the gamut during the ceremony as there was plenty of laughter, quite a bit of smiling, and a few sentimental tears. There were also words of wisdom provided by speakers such as Master of Ceremonies, Ms. Kimberley McCollum; Salutatorian, Kenneth Nelson, Jr.; Keynote speaker, Mr. … [Read more...]
Van Arsdale Cardinals Compete in the PSAL AA Baseball City Championship at Yankee Stadium
On Monday, June 11th the Van Arsdale Cardinals baseball team took on the Bathgate Bulldogs in the PSAL AA Baseball City Championship at Yankee Stadium. Both teams played well, and while Bathgate defeated Van Arsdale 6-1, the Cardinals’ 2018 season is one to be celebrated. Part of the team are three members of the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design student body: Seniors Isaiah Jimenez Brice and Christopher Maldonado and Freshman Christian Centeno. Isaiah and Christopher will graduate and move on to Bryant and Stratton in Virginia and Florida International in Miami, respectively, while Christian will have three more years to make his mark at WHSAD for the Van Arsdale Cardinals. Below, Isaiah and … [Read more...]
Interview with Ms. Nadine Sylvester, Founder of the Rohan Levy Foundation
The Rohan Levy Foundation @rohanlevyfoundation was founded in honor of Rohan Levy, a promising 15 year old young man and student at WHSAD, who was killed by gun violence in his Brooklyn community. The following is an interview student correspondent Antonio Perez conducted with Ms. Nadine Sylvester, Rohan’s mother, regarding the foundation, its evolution, and how it has provided her with a source of hope in the aftermath of such a tragedy. After Rohan passed last February I knew immediately that I was going to give back to the community. I didn't initially think I was going to start a foundation, but I spoke with the Principal Cornell and told him that I would do a scholarship for that year. for a young man of color to go … [Read more...]
WHSAD Students Participating in “Once On This Island” Mural Project
This week WHSAD students completed their mural project for the Broadway production of "Once On This Island." Through their work, students pursued an objective that incorporated aspects of art and heritage that broadened their scopes of their creative abilities and the ever-changing world. Students felt the gratification of seeing their hard work progress from the brain-storming stage to development and drafting to the catharsis of completion. Below is a CBS news report covering the mural's unveiling and what some of the stakeholders think of the piece. Part of adolescence is gaining a better sense of one’s self. In the midst of the tumult of teenagehood, people begin to recognize who inhabits … [Read more...]
2018 SYEP Job Fair
For high school students, and many people in general, it is often difficult to think beyond the day at hand. With so many responsibilities, demands on time, and efforts to simply enjoy one's life, it is easy to get caught up in the here and now and not consider what life could be in the coming weeks, months, and years. However, the future is out there, and, in order to prepare for its challenges, one must plan and prepare. Such preparation is something that many WHSAD students having been taking advantage of through the SYEP program. Students receive hands-on learning opportunities so that they can more seamlessly adjust to life after high school. Additionally, hired students fulfill their pressing immediate needs by making a nice … [Read more...]
WHSAD Y-Plan Students Celebrate Annual Projects
When a project goes through all its stages and students see how ideas and mechanisms can shift over the course of a process, education reaches its ideal. By recognizing that one must be flexible in one’s thinking, reflect on strengths and weaknesses, and then continue being consistent while also adjusting to make improvements, students learn what so often takes place in the professional world. Few people, if any, come up with an idea and implement it to perfection on the very first try, so it is imperative that students learn about process and how to plan, act, reflect, and revisit so that, when it comes time to “go live,” the pieces put in place are honed and those who put those pieces there are thoroughly familiar and prepared to work … [Read more...]
Christopher Maldonado-NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week
WHSAD Senior Christopher Maldonado was named NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of May 20, 2018. Below, Christopher shares his thoughts as to why he was nominated, and Mr. Rotondi, Christopher's baseball coach, shares his thoughts as to why he nominated Christopher. Additionally, there is a link to the NY1 feature. I believe I was chosen mostly because I want to make a big impact in my community and based off of my resume I have done that. I have gone to New Orleans and helped the victims recover from Hurricane Katrina. My job there was to help refurbish schools because the paint was chipping off the walls. Basically, I had to beautify the school that was still being heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina because they … [Read more...]
Chancellor Carranza Hosts High School Student Journalist Roundtable
Last week, newly appointed New York City Schools Chancellor, Mr. Richard A. Carranza hosted student journalists from various high schools at Tweed Courthouse in downtown Manhattan. At this event, students networked with peers, cultivated their talents as school journalists, and develop a greater sense of agency by asking the chancellor about pressing issues. WHSAD's student correspondent, Antonio Perez, attended and provides his thoughts on and the questions and answers from the session. On Wednesday, May 9, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a journalists' meeting with the newly appointed NYC school chancellor, Richard Carranza. The meeting was extremely important because students were able to ask questions … [Read more...]
Anthony Gonzalez-Class of 2019
My main goal in WHSAD is to try and get out of high school alive. This is an important achievement for me because I want to live a long life and live an enjoyable life. I believe that by doing my best in class and on future exams that end goal is becoming possible. Every day I work towards trying to make money to invest in my future. Though school may be stressful I find that by listening to music, most of my stress is relieved. The fact that it’s easy to achieve a high GPA is what I believe makes WHSAD such a unique and special learning environment. WHSAD gives you the opportunity to strengthen your skills. You get the opportunity to try and pursue careers and, more specifically for me, one in electricity. I believe I was personally chosen … [Read more...]