The Column

Throughout last school year a group of WHSAD students worked with the Pilsudski Institute of America, a non-profit Polish-American organization, to write and illustrate a children's book. The goal was to base it off their knowledge of Polish castles, so Laura Migas-Puch, representative from the institute and project facilitator, taught the students all about these historical castles, which they took notes on, read about, and eventually made into their book. The story follows these two children and a Polish hero, Tadeusz Kościuszko, who go on adventures to castles all over Poland learning about the historical and architectural importance of each one. They meet ghosts, run from attacks, and admire their surroundings. The illustrations are … [Read more...]

Writing and photographs by Jaiyana Wiley Since I was young I’ve always loved dance. It became a hobby of mine and proceeded into me performing in front of large audiences from the ages of 8 until I was 11. So imagine my excitement when I was able to participate in a club for it! At age 13 and in my freshman year of high school, I began rekindling my relationship with dance, joining the club and meeting new people with my same interest. Recently,I interviewed Some of the people who are a part of the Dance Club, including our Coach, Captain and a couple of dancers. This Is Ms. Erneste, Coach and Founder of the DanceClub/Team. Ms Erneste began the team in October of 2021, and prior to that Ms Soto oversaw the Dance Club for 3 … [Read more...]

By Amina Clyde Photo captions by Linda Foster On October 6th, a group of students and I had the opportunity to enter the Makerspace studio at Brooklyn Army Terminal. We were taken to Studio B, the general area for those who create small projects or want to take classes.  But what exactly is Makerspace?  Makerspace NYC is a nonprofit community for artists, welders, and more. It was founded in 2013 by husband and wife Scott Van Campen and DB Lampman. The very first location was out of Staten Island, branching out to Brooklyn in 2019. The beauty of Makerspace is the access to high quality equipment and classes with little to no background skill needed. In addition to this, Makerspace is actively paving the way for … [Read more...]

This week a number of sophomores learned more about one of the most tragic events in United States' history. A trip to the 9/11 Memorial Museum is an emotional experience, and students gained insights regarding some of the individuals who performed selflessly in order to save lives. The following are a few student narratives about what they saw, heard, and learned from their time at the museum. Alonzo Jones The 9/11 terrorists attacks were a very pivotal moment in American history. As a kid, not being born to witness the attacks, I was always gravitated towards that moment. But yesterday, October 12th, I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I somewhat thought I was an expert until I went to the museum. I learned more about the … [Read more...]

With the start of a new school year, WHSAD students take on new projects, one of these being Freshkills Park. Similar to prior work with the Greenbelt Conservancy Corps, students enter this new site, also located in Staten Island, with the goals of promoting sustainable design and land use through hands-on learning. However, unlike the established Greenbelt, Freshkills is a new park, and the task assigned to students places emphasis on fundamentals and proposals, with WHSAD having the opportunity to shape the future of this park. WHSAD's first visit to Freshkills occurred on September 13th. With informative talks led by Program Coordinator for NYC Parks Department of Parks and Recreation, Chris Ricker, Freshkills Park Alliance Education … [Read more...]

Students in WHSAD’s My Sister’s Keeper chapter had the opportunity to attend MSK EMPOWERHER KNOCKOUT at Gleason’s boxing gym in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Presented by Solve The Silence, Inc., Brooklyn North Superintendent, Janice Ross, and Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Rushell White, the event featured champion women boxers who spoke about their personal journeys and provided words of inspiration for North Brooklyn high school students. As per the press release, the event helped students “engage in thought-provoking discussions, exchange ideas, and forge new friendships that last[ed] beyond this event.” Below are a few narratives from students who attended. Sam Anaya, Sophomore On Wednesday, October 11, MSK (My Sister's Keeper) went on a trip … [Read more...]

September 7th marked the partnership between the Department of Buildings (DOB) and WHSAD for CANstruction’s 31st Annual Design Competition. Canstruction is precisely what its name suggests, the construction of designs solely using cans which get donated to food banks at the end of each project. DOB asked that WHSAD students come up with a design which included the text “DOB CARES”, an apple representing New York City, and a city skyline upon student suggestion. This prompt received several student submissions who all brought a level of uniqueness to the table. In the end, the design that was chosen belonged to WHSAD Junior, Alonzo Jones. The next stage of this project will take place on Monday, September 26th where the WHSAD community will … [Read more...]

Park Avenue Armory's Youth Corps summer semester ran from July 10th to August 17th. This semester, as with previous semesters, Youth Corps members like myself experimented with a range of artistic mediums, some of which were unfamiliar. In addition to this experimentation, Youth Corps also attended two residencies led by artists Helga Davis and Larry Jackson, were given multiple tours of the Armory, and attended trips to several sites. We visited Central Park to learn processional movement, the Poster House Museum to experience their Black Power to Black People: Branding the Black Panther Party exhibit, and Brooklyn Bridge Park to view Nicholas Galanin's "In every language there is Land / En cada lengua hay una Tierra" sculpture. … [Read more...]

WHSAD Junior, Amina Clyde, did all work for this article. What is Summer Bridge?  As stated by the WHSAD.org website, “WHSAD’s annual summer bridge program is designed to introduce incoming freshmen to the basic skill sets needed to perform efficiently in their CTE classes and Work-based learning projects. Students will learn through team project collaboration and feedback. This program is also open to middle school students from 6th and 7th grade who are interested in architecture and design.” It consists of two sessions, one in  the morning, the other in the afternoon. The morning session is from 9-10:30 and the afternoon session is from 11:30-1. The students have the option to stay for both or come for either time. … [Read more...]

Before digging into Jack Fairweather’s Zoom meeting and his book A Rebel in Auschwitz,  it's important to first highlight the people who made the meeting between WHSAD students and Mr. Fairweather possible. Thank you to Maja Steczkowska, Deputy Director/Acting Director of the Polish Cultural Institute of New York and Alicja Winnicki, Former Principal and Superintendent in Community School District 14.  With that, on behalf of WHSAD, I’d like to extend a thanks and sincere gratitude to Mr. Jack Fairweather for his knowledge and his efforts to spread those insights regarding Wiltold Pilecki’s heroism. At the beginning of the Zoom meeting, Mr. Fairweather explained the background of Witold Pilecki. Mr. Pilecki was a … [Read more...]