BOB VITALO PROFILED ON OLIVER SCHOLARS WEBSITE

Oliver Scholars profiled Head of School Bob Vitalo about his work on their Board of Trustees!  

"Over the years, I have learned that it is sometimes necessary to take bold steps. Making that brave decision can sometimes feel lonely but when you have done your homework and know the right thing to do, it is important to have faith in your judgement and press forward." Read more.

UPPER SCHOOLERS PRESENT THEIR IDEAS FOR SOLVING REAL WORLD CHALLENGES FACING GOWANUS TO PANEL OF EXPERTS

9th-11th graders analyzed the social, economic, environmental, and environment challenges in nearby Gowanus and designed architecture and urban planning solutions to help residents and the city.

Students presented to and received feedback from guest judges Brad Lander, New York City Council representing Gowanus; Thomas Vecchione, Partner & VP of design and architecture firm Gensler; Halima Johnson, High School Programs Manager at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian; BC teacher Lorne Swarthout. Photos. #STEAM

BC JUNIORS SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF NYC WHILE LEADING OVER 70 WALKING TOURS

As part of their required American Studies course, juniors researched a topic of their choice and conducted a walking tour in at least one NYC neighborhood for groups of classmates, faculty, and staff. They provided written materials, citing historical and contemporary context, and pointed out details of buildings and infrastructure. Photos.

Topics this year included "The Vanishing of the NYC Draft Riots", "Manufacturing in Williamsburg", "Filipino-American Identity Through Art", "How Redlining Shaped Brooklyn", "An Exploration of Drag's Appropriation in Pop Culture", "The NY Labor Movement", "The Economic and Societal Power & Role of Water", "The Decline of Soviet Culture in Brighton Beach", and "How the Construction of NYC Reinforces School Segregation.

SPOTLIGHT ON: THE PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN WORK OF THE 4TH GRADE

4th grade artists hosted a gallery opening to highlight their work from this year! Projects included digital photography, design principles of a good poster, 2D and 3D challenges, and multi-material construction projects using STEAM skills. Photos.

6TH GRADERS INTRODUCE THEIR SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE WORLD WATER CRISIS


6th graders presented inventions they created to address an aspect of the World Water Crisis. They've been working this year to deepen their understanding of the crisis, studying the physics and chemistry of water as well as our relationship to water and hearing from experts in this field. Many students are now in the process of writing grant proposals to fund their solutions. Learn more. 

ALUM UPDATE: RICHIE PALACIOS '15

Richie Palacios '15 was selected in the 3rd round (103rd overall) by the Cleveland Indians in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft! He's the highest position player drafted in the history of Towson University's baseball program.

SENIORS PRESENT THEIR INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

Congratulations to the 17 senior researchers in BC's rigorous Senior Scholars and Science Research & Design programs who presented their capstone projects to our community after years of independent research in the fields of math, science, and the humanities! SRD photos, Senior Scholars photos, and full list of topics.

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS HELP STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT LOCAL SCHOOL

All this year, Middle School students have bonded with students from PS 77 through our Best Buddies program! This international organization fosters friendships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities to create an inclusive Middle School culture for all students during this important period of development. BCers and PS 77ers regularly visited with their buddies to play games, have conversations, or take walks around the neighborhood.

WORLD AFFAIRS BREAKFAST CLUB STUDIES HOW CANNIBIS AFFECTS THE BRAIN

The World Affairs Breakfast Club hosted Dr. John Mariani, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University (and BC parent) who discussed his research on treatments for substance use disorders, the effects of cannabis on brain function and the changing perspective of cannabis in our society. Read Moya L.21's recap on the Breakfast Club blog. 

STUDENTS PRACTICE COLLABORATION SKILLS AT LOWER SCHOOL FIELD DAY


At Field Day, Lower School students practiced working together, respecting each other, staying safe, and having a great time! They did an obstacle course, played target and tag games, swam, and had free play with hula hoops, jump ropes, scarves, frisbees, and beach balls. Photos.

UPPER SCHOOL COMMUNITY ACTION UPDATE

9th and 10th graders spent a half-day taking part in community action! The 9th graders participated in a morning with Rockaway Waterfront Alliance conducting a beach clean-up and re-purposing plastic bags as way to engage in environmental action through art. The project was a preview of the work these students will do next year when they partner with local community organizations.

10th graders built on this year's study of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals with BC's Director of Community Action Matt Budd. Groups worked on food insecurity with Citymeals on Wheels, St. John's Bread & Life, or CHiPS Soup Kitchen & Women's Shelter or focused on the environment by cleaning up Prospect Park with Partnerships for Parks.

5th GRADE ANALYZES BC'S PROGRESS TO 'ZERO WASTE'


5th graders have analyzing ways to answer, "Are we zero waste people?" They conducted a waste audit by weighing bags from several waste streams and dissecting the contents to see if they were sorted correctly. Then they did statistical analysis and graphing to get a more complete picture of our recycling habits as a school. Using circle graphs, they illustrated how contaminated each waste stream was. The next step is to interpret what these graphs show and, over the summer, think of ways students can improve their recycling habits.

2ND GRADERS CELEBRATE eBOOKS THEY'VE WRITTEN

2nd grade students hosted their families at a publishing party to present the e-books they created based on their research and observation of different kinds of animals! Photos.

BC TEACHER SET TO SAIL GOWANUS CANOE RACE TOMORROW


BC history teacher Lorne Swarthout's will be taking part in tomorrow's 2.5 mile Gowanus Challenge canoe race on the Gowanus Canal. Contributions to his team go to maintenance of the Gowanus Dredgers canoe club and their work to upgrade the Canal. Zoë! was constructed of cedar, white ash, and fiberglass by volunteers at the Village Community Boathouse, Pier 40 NYC  and overseen by Mr. Swarthout, who built such a canoe in his youth! 

STUDENTS PRESENT BUSINESS PLANS TO ADDRESS SOCIETAL NEEDS (EN ESPAÑOL) 

Advanced level SpanIsh students pitched their business plans to address a societal need or injustice, in the style of the show 'Fabrica de Ideas' (or 'Shark Tank' in the U.S.). Judges scored them based on creativity, affordability, and their ability to fulfill a need. Some startup examples included an NGO that helps animals and impoverished communities at the same time, microwaves that enlarge frozen pizza to eliminate the use of plastic (magic was allowed as scientific license), and cars that run on solar power. 

LOWER SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE $2K FOR DOG RESCUE

Congratulations to the Lower School Green Team, who raised over $2,000 for their chosen cause, The Sato Project! To help the organization, which rescues dogs displaced by Hurricane Maria, students made their own T-shirts, crafts, and snacks to sell. When they sold out, some classes simply donated to their cause.

8TH GRADERS HEAR FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT ON FLEEING ARGENTINA'S DIRTY WAR FROM VISITING EDUCATOR

8th grade Spanish students welcomed Professor José Antonio Cerro to tell his story about fleeing Argentina during the Dirty War. In conjunction with reading La Guerra Sucia about this topic in Alexa Lopez's and Gwendollyn Gout's classes, students were interested to hear how he went first to Panamá and then to Mexico to escape this period of violence in Argentina.

7TH GRADERS PERFORM RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS


7th graders suggested activities that could help the BC community and then got to work: tidying, cleaning, or beautifying our school inside and out. The goal was to leave the school looking as good as new and have some fun with peers and advisors in the process. 

Activities included:
 Around the Block--picking up trash around the school and neighborhood; 
Recycling Rectification--ensuring trash is properly sorted in bins around the school
; Common Area Clean Up--roof, hallways, other common spaces around the building; 
Beautify the Library 
Tech Tidying--organizing and sorting devices
; and Bulletin Board Beautification.

2ND GRADERS VISIT COMMUNITY FARM

2nd graders visited Red Hook Community Farm to learn about how the garden runs! They tasted a variety of edible plants, weeded areas of the farm, spread mulch made out of cocoa shells to create walking paths, and took home some mint plants as gifts!

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS HONORED AT NYC CEREMONY FOR EXCELLENCE IN SPANISH

Congrats to these Middle Schoolers, who were honored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese at a ceremony at Stuyvesant School for their city-wide accomplishments on the National Spanish Exam!  (Left to right: Tasio C. '24, 
Noah G. '23, BC teacher Gwendollyn Gout, Gray S-C. '23, Jack C. '23)