First Avenue School became a Wax Museum Gallery on Friday, June 6, 2014. The 8th grade showcased “Famous People in History Living Wax Museum.” Each scholar researched a famous person in history, wrote a monologue, designed a costume and created a backdrop to highlight their presentation as each were placed around the entire school for display. A “magical” button was placed on the floor before each “figure.” Students from other grades stepped on the wax figure’s button and watched in amazement as the historical figure “came to life!” Students portrayed such people as Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Alice Paul, Cleopatra, Harriet Tubman, Cher, Selena, Elvis, Napoleon and the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, just to name a few! Quite a cast of characters! F.A.S kids ROCKED this exhibit. These imaginative students will graduate June 25, 2014 and will soon make their mark in history.
Schools
Barringer Academy of S.T.E.A.M. Senior, Louise Kajinake, Wins Jobs for America’s Graduates Scholarship
Barringer Academy of S.T.E.A.M. is proud to announce its first Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) scholarship recipient. Senior Louise Kajinake is one of the twenty-one students to be awarded the Kenneth M. Smith Scholarship. There were 101 students who applied for this fund which honors extra-ordinary leadership and service to JAG participants. Ms. Kajinake will receive $2,000, which she may reapply annually while completing her degree.
A senior at Barringer Academy of S.T.E.A.M., Louise has a style all her own. This South African native is not only known for her fashion sense in school, but also for being a well-rounded scholar. Nearly five years ago, Louise and her younger brother came to the United States on a journey most adults wouldn’t brave. Traveling without supervision, the two embarked on an expedition which their family believed would lead them to a better education and, essentially, a better life.
She recalls leaving East London, South Africa and having quite an experience during a layover in Qatar, while en route to the U.S. “It was really scary. We were supposed to call our parents but everything was in Arabic so we didn’t understand. We were young and timid,” she said.
Upon arrival in the U.S., Louise found that many things were similar to where she lived in East London and she adjusted very well. She had taken her education very seriously in South Africa and she carried that attitude over to her educational experience at Barringer. Louise, now 18, plans to attend Montclair State University in the fall where she will major in Fashion Studies and Business.
In addition to being named a Smith Scholar in the Job’s for America’s Graduates (JAG) Program, Louise also participates in Development School for Youth, a job readiness program, and has a summer internship through them. She is a member of Peer Group Connection (PGC), a yearbook editor, and a tutor for School Base for Math and English where she recently helped seniors prepare for the Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA) so they could graduate.
In 5 to 10 years, she hopes to be working as a fashion merchandiser. Fashion is right up her alley and anyone at Barringer can attest that she knows how to jazz up the uniform with her ability to accessorize. Kajinake hopes to travel back to South Africa to see her friends and family whom she keeps in contact with through frequent phone calls and Facebook. Her teachers at Barringer are very proud of the young woman she has become.
$10,000 Grant Awarded to Shabazz Garden Club
Malcolm X Shabazz High School’s Media Specialist, Ms. Nevels, applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the Newark Teacher Innovation Fund to sponsor the school’s Garden Club. A hobby gardener, Ms. Nevels has been growing plants and vegetables for over 30 years and has long dreamed of starting a school club. An overall objective of the Gardening Club is to teach students how to plant and grow vegetables as a path to healthy eating.
The Garden Club transformed a classroom into a green room – a peaceful atmosphere where students and teachers worked together to begin the process of seeding. There are now small gardens around the school and football field that produce fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, watermelons, tomatoes and collard greens. As the harvest becomes ready, the school’s culinary arts students use the produce to cook healthy meals.
In addition to growing vegetables, Garden Club students have participated in various workshops facilitated by the Greater Newark Conservancy, such as Healthy Living, Planting & Gardening and Sustainable City (Greenhouse). Activities included building a neighborhood greenhouse and taking a city-wide tour to identify solar panels.
The garden club will continue to be a springboard for students participating in summer programs.
Camden Street School and Morris County’s Randolph High School Present “Ramden Dreams,” An Original Musical Collaboration
Earlier this school year, Camden Street Elementary School announced an innovative new partnership with Randolph High School in Morris County, which resulted in “Ramden Dreams,” an original musical theatre production that premiered at NPS’ Central High School on Friday, May 30 and was performed the following night in Randolph. Approximately 30 Camden students (grades 5-8) from the after school drama and modern band enrichment programs worked for many months with an equal number of Randolph seniors to write, direct, produce and perform the play. The play’s storyline – about an unpopular boy who falls in love with a popular girl, the initial rejection that she and the school community show him and their ultimate acceptance of his friendship – sends a positive universal message about anti-bullying and embracing diversity.
Spearheaded by Randolph High School’s Seth Mitchell, the theatrical partnership came out of an internship the high school senior was doing with nonprofit organization HOPE worldwide NY METRO’s “Increasing the Odds” program.” His goal was to build a strong and sustainable relationship between the two schools, encouraging literacy and helping Camden students develop a passion for the arts through writing, acting, singing/songwriting, choreography, media, and set design. NPS students have had the opportunity to explore these areas in-depth, develop their personal talents, and learn the power of teamwork and collaboration. The students met weekly, traveling alternately to each school, and despite being from very different environments, found common ground and mutual respect through their love of the arts. Building connections that will leave a lifelong impact for both groups has been a bonus.
“I saw the RHS students truly fall in love with these kids, and begin to change, becoming more loving and giving,” Seth Mitchell said. “This project has been so incredible, and though we may be from different places, we learned to celebrate our friendship.”
For all of the Randolph High Students, this has been an opportunity to develop leadership skills, however the school’s principal Deborah Iosso noted that Mitchell has been the heart and soul behind this project.
“What he has accomplished has been amazing – one of those tear jerk moments that keeps us all in this business,” she added. “I have seen such wonderful compassion develop in my students and the students from both schools have touched each others hearts. This goes far beyond the walls of a classroom.”
The teachers and staff from the Camden Street School agree, and are thrilled about their students’ participation in this project. They even reported observing an improvement in their students’ behavior and academic performance.
All in all, “Ramden Dreams” gets rave reviews from both districts.
Great Habits Make Great Leaders at Bruce Street School Deaf Awareness Day
At more than 100 years old, Newark’s Bruce Street School for the Deaf is one of the oldest schools for deaf and hard of hearing children in the United States. Anyone who attended this year’s Deaf Awareness Day, which celebrated students’ accomplishments throughout the school year, could see why the school is so successful. From kindergartners to alumni, including an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, the event featured the skills, talents and determination of students past and present.
This year’s theme Great Habits Make Great Leaders showcased the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the Franklin Covey Curriculum The Leader in Me, which the students have adopted as their school culture. With the assistance of prominent individuals in the deaf community — such as a telecommunications manager, an American Sign Language instructor at the Newark Public Library and 2013 NJ — the students’ performances focused on each of the following habits:
- Habit 1: Be Proactive (I am responsible for me)
- Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Always have a plan)
- Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work first then play)
- Habit 4: Think Win-Win (everyone can win; everyone can walk away happy)
- Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen before you talk)
- Habit 6: Synergize (Together we can achieve more)
- Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (A balanced life is the best life)
Science Park High School Teams Win Calculus and Statistics Contests in 2014 NPS Math Olympics
Newark Public Schools high school math students again pitted their skills against each other in this year’s Calculus and Statistics competitions, which are the first events of the district’s annual Math Olympics. Science Park High School students scored highest in both contests, taking home the trophy as well as medals and electronic calculators.In the Calculus event, East Side was second and University third. Bard came in second in the Statistics event. Other participating schools were American History, Arts, Central and Technology.
The aim of the district’s Math Olympics is to inspire students to improve their math knowledge and skills while competing against their peers. The Math Olympics, which is organized by the Newark Association of Math Educators (NAME) in collaboration with other teachers, continues in the next few weeks with students in younger grades competing.