Last week BHSEC was host to the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), one of the largest cable and radio networks in South Korea. They were here to film a piece on BHSEC’s innovative approach to high school education that President Obama mentioned in his speech to the NAACP earlier this year. MBC was interested in finding out more about the school which, according to Obama, promotes the kind of inventive thinking the country needs to adopt in order to succeed.
With the beginning of the school year far behind, students have gotten into the full swing of BHSEC life. Just a couple of weeks ago, freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors voted in elections choosing their own grade’s Student Union and the School Leadership Team representatives. These two positions help give BHSEC students control over their own education and over how the school is run. The Student Union, often referred to as SU, consists of a board of 16 classmates who work to deal with social issues from Community Day, to prom, to the blood drives that occur every semester. Each grade elects four representatives and one of the elected Year IIs is named the president. The Student Union meets weekly to discuss the issues that occur within the student body.
There are eleven schools scheduled to visit BHSEC this week. Brief profiles of the schools follow. The schools that will be visiting are New York University, Dickinson, Reed, Cornell College (Iowa), Earlham, University of Rochester, Bryn Mawr, Allegheny, Bowdoin, Barnard and, tentatively, Swarthmore.
Saturday, the Bard Raptors began their highly anticipated playoff run against Hunter High School. Having played scrappily the last few games, the Raptors were careful not to underestimate their opponent. Coming out strong, the Raptors dominated much of the first half. Though starting center midfielder Gabriel Wirz was out due to an injury, the team quickly adjusted. Despite the wind and rain, the Raptors were still able to control the ball.
DMC, aka Darryl McDaniels, of the popular hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. signed autographs, took pictures, and spoke to students outside of BHSEC during fourth period on Wednesday, 10/21. The founding member of arguably the most influential hip-hop group of all time, DMC, stood in front of the white wall facing the Astroturf field.
Each year BHSEC offers exchange opportunities that allow its students to travel the world and experience different cultures and ways of living.
New York City public schools were rocked in June when it was announced that there would be a ban on bake sales. These schools were left wondering how they would raise much-needed funds at a time when the city is also slashing school budgets. Students had to abandon their big plans which would have been funded by homemade cakes and cookies, and teachers sadly removed the cheery hand-drawn bake sale posters that were once ubiquitous in the corridors of their schools.
There are seventeen schools scheduled to visit BHSEC this week. Brief profiles of the schools follow. The schools that will be visiting are Stanford, University of Chicago, Lewis & Clark, Kenyon, Regis, University of Vermont, Hamilton, Oberlin, Goucher, Washington University in St. Louis, Macalaster, Connecticut College, Holy Cross, Brandeis, DePauw, Middlebury and Cornell University.
This week there are eleven schools scheduled to visit BHSEC. Brief profiles of the schools follow. The schools that will be visiting are SUNY at New Paltz, College of Wooster, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Beloit, University of Pennsylvania, Cooper Union, Lehigh, SUNY at Potsdam, Temple and, tentatively, Dartmouth.
“I’m very political,” says BHSEC’s new teacher Elisha Miranda, who began teaching both Year 2 seminar and two electives, “Script to Screen” and “TV Writing,” this semester. Though these electives don’t seem very ‘political’, Miranda has always prided herself on applying a sense of social and political awareness to her background in film.