The Raven, Fall 2017

THE RAVEN THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF BRONX ACADEMY OF LETTERS FALL ISSUE 2017

SHANNON MATESKY:

THE RAVEN DOES FICTION

PLUS OLD FAVORITES

POET & ACTRESS WITH A BIG HEART & MESSAGE

INTRODUCING OUR NEW SHORT STORY FORM

NEWS, OP-EDS, OPEN LETTERS, REFLECTIONS + MORE!

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Imagine being struck by a strong hurricane,

hurricane’s strong winds. This is why help is being sent to these countries to rebuild their homes and give them food, water, and shelter.

all your relatives had lost their homes, and you have to stare in horror of how much death the hurricane had caused because of its strong winds. Ever since Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti after a whole decade, the people of Haiti have been living in devastation. The death toll hit over 1,000 people dead after the dangerous cyclone had hit Jeremie, Haiti. It crushed many homes down to nothing or leaving them roofless, no door frame or even flat to the ground.

I mean, can you imagine all those families devastated, suffering because of their dead relatives or their own children? Its winds were as strong as 165 miles per hour, and had killed over 603 citizens in Haiti, as mentioned above, Venezuela, Cuba, Florida, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and more. These places and many others were affected by this 7

After what had happened during the hurricane’s destruction, other foreign countries are sending help to the affected areas along with many community organizations, who helped bury bodies, provide shelter, food and as well as mental health services to help families who were affected to get back on their feet.

Hurricane Matthew had caused over $4 billion of costly damage, usually, the average cost after a disaster hits is estimated to $9 billion, and that is a lot of money wasted after a disaster recovery. Hurricane Katrina had caused so much damage that the cost rose up to $145 billion, with a death toll of 1,833. Hurricane Mitch in 1998 was the second deadliest hurricane of that year’s season, with a huge death toll of 19,235 people dead. Its damage costed $6.2 billion. A lot of hurricanes caused the government to spend billions of dollars for the repairs, helping those affected be more prepared for the next hurricane if it destroys their homes once again. This happened to my aunt who lives in Florida. She prepared her home by blocking all the windows and doors with

throw all those donations to waste. Instead of donating to them, you can also donate to other organizations, like AmeriCares, ICNA Relief, Heart to Heart International, South Baptist Disaster Relief, Team Rubicon, and United Way of Greater Houston.

wooden boards so nothing that is glass will break or destroy anything inside her home.

Usually, people around the world volunteer to help the Red Cross or Red Crescent National Society to keep people safe. The kinds of help that these two societies were known for are giving are shelter and blankets, food, water, money, experts that help to reunite families, and emotional support. Most disasters will only hit the headlines for a few days, but the disaster’s damage can last for decades. People need help rebuilding their lives after they hit as well as help preparing for future disasters.

You should know what to do once that warning sign pops up on your phone. Prepare everything before it’s too late, call your relatives if you plan to stay with them until the disaster passes, and if you don’t know what to do you can search up steps on what to do like preparation and where to go. If you do know, then congratulations, you’re more likely to survive from a disaster!

All this work and effort may take years, but it is always better to be prepared than reacting after the disaster happens. This is why you have to be sure to check the news each day, because the newscast will always tell which countries a disaster is going to hit, or when a earthquake has happened in some places. Do you want to help these people to rise up from pure nothing to be living in a cozy home with all your families?

You’ll be appreciated by your support with your donations, don’t be shy to give a thing or two, maybe an old plushie or a baby blanket you used when you were little. Yet there has been research that the Red Cross has started to misuse people’s donations, which is what I’m going to talk about now.

You should not give to the Red Cross because they were caught misusing donations, The Washington Post says that the Red Cross had dumped a whole truck load of clothes during a rainfall, only to make it turn all into a smelly pile of dirty clothes. Can you believe that? It also says that the Red Cross only built 6 permanent homes in Haiti, even though it had collected half-billion of dollars in donations.

Handicapped people slept “in their wheelchairs for days” because the charity had not secured proper cots. It also said that the Red Cross lacked basic supplies like food, blankets and batteries to distribute to victims in the days just after the storms. Sometimes, even when supplies were plentiful, they went to waste. In one case, the Red Cross had to throw out tens of thousands of meals because it couldn’t find the people who needed them. It has been said that the Red Cross should not be donated to, since they’ll 8

STRAIGHT NEWS

BY ASHELYN HERNANDEZ

#CLIMATECHANGE

WHAT’S UP WITH THE WEATHER?

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TRUE STORIES FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL: YEAH, THAT WAS US

BY DEMAR MURRAY

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ASK YOURSELF THIS: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE BULLY? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A VICTIM OF BULLYING? OR WERE YOU BOTH AT SOME POINT?

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#MENTALHEALTH TRUE STORIES FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL: WHY I WAS SILENT BY CAROL MARTINEZ

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#FRIENDSHIP ADVICE FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL: WE HAVE A VOICE

BY JASON SALGADO The first couple weeks at BAL, I already had a plan. And that was to do what I had to do without really interacting with anyone.

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IN TE RV IE W

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TRUE STORIES FROM THE FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL: HOW BAL MAKES ME FEEL LOVED

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ABOUT OUR WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM For 14 years, Bronx Academy of Letters has hosted a vibrant Writer in Residence program.

Underscoring the importance of literacy and writing, the Writer In Residence program leverages the expertise of working authors to bring an authentic contemporary writing experience to all students.

Through elective classes, students sparked by writing dive deep in the art forms of poetry and nonfiction, creating The Raven and One Pen, our news/magazine and literary journal publications.

All students are served by our Writers Forum, which brings professional authors five times per year for rich assembly experiences.

Students are offered opportunities to connect to the writing world beyond school, meeting with special guests, attending field trips such as the National Book Awards, and submitting to contests. Over the years students have won awards and honorable mentions at City College’s City Outreach High School Poetry Contest!

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