BCAM Backtalk May 2012
Volume 1, Issue 4
300 Willoughby Avenue, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205
The First-Ever Senior Trip: Over and Done! by Tamara Mouzon '12 and Joanna Sledge '12
It’s been done! Many members BCAM's senior class went to Honors Haven Resort in Ellenville, NY on May 11th. The dreaded "senior curse" of no senior trip didn't affect BCAM’s third graduating class. “I wouldn’t say the curse is broken, it depends on the people if they want to go on the senior trip,” said senior Autumn Edwards. At approximately 6:30 a.m. on a Friday, senior BCAM students met at the school and waited for the bus to arrive. Luggage and bags were checked and loaded unto the bus for a two-hour ride up to the resort for three days and two nights of non-stop fun and relaxation. According to senior Brandon Jones, this year’s senior class were guinea pigs for the whole experience. The trip turned out well, according to senior Sharonda Gardner. “It was fun and exciting. It was an experience that I want to experience again, and I can never forget [it],” said Gardner. According to Jones the trip to Honors Haven Resort was ultimately "amazing." “I would stay there for a year,” said Edwards. Having friends around, participating in activities like horseback riding, paintball, and a bungee run, and having access to an indoor pool/Jacuzzi, free breakfast, lunch and dinner made many seniors wish for another chance to stay at the Resort. Weeks before the trip started, many seniors were excited and
already planning what they would do. Senior Amyr Wynder, had planned to be “sniffing the fresh air and thinking about what I’m going to do, and [asking] where’s the basketball court.” “I’m going to choose the bed first,” said senior Kimberly Scott. Senior Aaron Lewis planned on having fun and jumping on his bed. “I’m going to the pool and swimming. I’m going to do paintball and gonna go horseback riding because I like the scenery,” said senior Alex Casado. Other students saw the trip as a last chance to really bond with friends. “This [was] our first and last trip as a class, after is prom, and that’s our last moment together,” said Lewis. According to Jones, “[The trip is] special because I never really spent a night with classmates and friends.” “This [was] one time we go away before we graduate, and it’s with our friends,” said senior Sharon Vega. 12th grade Economics teacher agreed. “This one is special because it’s the first senior trip,” said Coston. “I’m excited that this senior class gets to go on this trip,” she added. Gardner said she would recommend this senior trip to future seniors at BCAM because it was just fun. ”I think any senior trip will be fun, it doesn’t matter where,” said Gardner.
photo by Tamara Mouzon '12 and Dominique Arzu '12
Senior Aaron Lewis shows his excitement for the senior trip to Honors Haven Resort days before departure.
BCAM Earns ‘B’ on Quality Review by Gevaughn Laird '12
BCAM recently received a 'B' grade from the state.
Eyeshadow on the Lips? Page 2
Recently BCAM received a Quality Review grade from the NYC Department of Education. This grade reflects the progress that the school is making. "I think [the B grade is] fair; however, I would like to see how other schools are being ranked," said 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Pedergnana. Mr. Pedergnana also talked about improvements that BCAM should make in the future. He mentioned "putting things in
place that can show teachers concrete information about how prepared the students are not [only] for college but for the world.” "I feel happy about the grade but mixed about where we are as a school, pertaining to the rubric. I think that we really shined, but we need to continue to improve," he added. Mr. O'Brien felt similarly. O'Brien suggested that the school needs to "be more consistent. As principal I need to improve on
Teacher News! Page 4
supporting teachers in their practice. The final piece that requires improvement is the fact that we need to do a better job as a whole school in allowing students to know how we're doing in terms of their development." "I'm happy that we got a B," said junior Jamelia Thompson. "We as a school should get more after school programs that will increase our grade to an A." Given the course that the school is taking perhaps BCAM will get an A the next time around.
BCAM Sports! Page 3
BCAM Opinions
Page 2
May 2012
Tutor Your Peers! Or Be Tutored by Them! Either way, it's fun, un-stressful, and you learn a lot! by Rayanna Latham '13
My name is Rayanna Latham, and I am one of the tutors in Mr. Diallo's class. Every Tuesday afternoon, I come to help students who need extra help in Algebra II. I became a tutor after getting good grades, mostly A's, on my homework and quizzes in Mr. Diallo's class. My ability to quickly understand the work
word cloud created using wordle.com
in class also got me here. I actually take joy in helping my fellow peers. I normally help my classmate, Janae Holder '13, with her math work. From time
to time, I help Patricia Benoit '13. "Sometimes it's better to learn from your friend because you are comfortable and not afraid of making mistakes," said
Benoit. Patricia enjoys my help because she understands the work better after I work with her. When I finish tutoring her, her
grades go up and so does her understanding of math. If you are interested in tutoring or being tutored in math, please see Mr. Diallo.
Creativity Has No Bounds Why I think BCAM's eyeshadow lipstick trend is a good one by Daijonae Moses '12
There has been a phenomenon going around BCAM. Blue, yellow, black and even green has been seen on mostly the 11th grade girls' lips. Just what is this on their lips, you ask? Many think it's just lipstick. Wrong! The girls actually came up with a clever idea: by first applying a layer of lip gloss then a selection of eye shadow right over it, then applying lip gloss again, they come up with a lipstick with an interesting color and longlasting wear.
I feel this shows the artistic creativity here at BCAM, and it works just as well and looks just as good as regular lipstick. “I think it’s a great idea said junior Kasheena Bloomfield. Melissa Smith, who started the trend here at BCAM, said “I got the idea in the summertime after trying to match my lip stick with my outfit." She said she’s delighted that BCAM girls have gotten down with her trend.
However some people disagree with the idea. "It is 'un-smart' and some of the colors are inappropriate for school,” said one student who will remain anonymous. While going to a school of the arts, I feel it's our duty to express our artistic creativity. I feel this makeup innovation is just our students living up to our BCAM motto: “academic, artistic and professional preparation for the 21st century.”
photo by Daijonae Moses '12
Natkwynjai Floyrd '13 and Melisa Smith '13 pose for the camera.
What do you think of the eyeshadow-as-lipstick trend? Celina Caesar '12: "They obviously think its cute, so they’re doing it.”
Ms. Murray, School Social Worker: “Some girls use the eyeshadow as an alternative to lipstick because compared to actual lipstick it’s a lot cheaper.”
Leon Godard '12: “If the colors they wore were brighter, there would be less of a problem.”
Mylaecha Aska '13: "With regular lipstick you won’t get that much of a variety in colors like the eye-shadow.”
BCAM Sports
May 2012
Page 3
Flag Fball Team Loses First Big Game ...but that doesn't stop them from winning three others (at press time)! by Zakeira Edwards '12
The new BCAM flag football team has now been going on for about three months. The football team is named after BCAM's mascot: “Lions.” Coach Bullock says there’s a total of 14 BCAM students that are participating onthe BCAM football team. The 14 BCAM flag football players are ready to play and also ready to win. The players are senior Shatiqua Smith, senior Damany Smith, senior Niasha Jenkins, senior Kayann Thompson, senior Brittany Williams, junior Alison Holder, senior Autumn Edwards, senior Kassandra Perez, junior Alecia Parris, junior Ashieka Scott, senior Dominique Arzu, and freshman Chasidy Walker. Coach Bullock said the football
team will do good things for BCAM High school. “The football team will give BCAM another sport to look forward to. It’s something new, and something to experience from.” Bullock said the girls are easy to work with. “They all work hard in practice. They come to practice all the time, and it's actually fun.” The football team will help the senior students because it’s extra experience that they can put down for college. “It's very different but fun. I’m happy that I’m getting to experience it,” said senior Shatiqua Smith. Just before the first game, the players were nervous. Hours before the game started, Jenkins was asked
Boys Team Ripped; Girls Team Skipped! The girls' bball team will lose a key player to graduation by Logan Rodriguez '12
The Boys Basketball 2011-2012 season came to an unfortunate end, after a well-fought playoff schedule, while the Girls Basketball team, struggled to keep up. During the Boys varsity season, the team had a record of 12 wins, and 6 losses, placing 5th in the Brooklyn B West 20112012 ladder. "I believe we received some misfortune during the toughest stretch of our
last game. We didn't lose the game we ran out time," said coach Lawanda Greene. Coach Greene also expressed her feeling for the seniors on the team. She started by saying "We started BCAM's PSAL Basketball together. Four years ago, I walked into a building with no idea of what our future held as an athletic program." She continued. "We've been blessed
how do she felt. “Um um um, I’m nervous but I think we can do it if we really want to do it,” she responded. Some of the girls were upset about losing their first game but still seemed to be motivated. “We played. We lost and they was [sic] cheating. Niasha was elbowed in the cheek. And Damany was bumped multiple times by one of the other school's teammates," said Arzu. "We played a good game. We just got two intersections and the points was [sic] 12 to 18,” Arzu continued. The flag football team will continue to practice after school and work on winning the rest of their games before the season and the school year end.
to have student-athletes who are dedicated to persevering despite obstacles. Finally she ended her response with "The seniors paved the way for our foundation and the underclassmen will follow." However the girls struggled, with a record of 3 wins, and 10 losses, placing 4th in the Girls Brooklyn B1 East 20112012 ladder. Coach Hasaun Hunter said his team, at first "did not have good chemistry, but as the team progressed, they got increasingly better." He also stated that next season he just wants for them to "improve, and get better." But the star point guard of the team, Damany Smith, is a senior, who graduates this year. Coach Hunter explained that when she leaves the team is going to lose out on "points, assist, rebounds, a lot, which
photo by Mr. Greer
The girls' team and Coach Bullock put on their best game faces after their first ever football game.
photo by Dominique Arzu '12 and Tamara Mouzon '12
Coach Hunter is in charge of the girls' basketball team, The Lady Lions.
means the team has to improve and step-up overall." Both teams and coaches played their hearts out, and hope for greatness in the next upcoming season. "I feel like several people on the team need
The Soccer Team Continues to Evolve by Jeremy Matthews '12 and Ms. Morris
photo provided by Coach Diallo
Memory lane: Coach Diallo poses with the first-ever BCAM soccer team.
For a long time BCAM's soccer team has been in the shadows of the basketball team. Fewer students attempt to be on the soccer team, the soccer team has few to no games for spectators to watch, and the team is still not a part of the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), according to Coach Diallo. The soccer team has at times been a team that played against other schools and at other times has been a club where kids have fun kicking a
ball. Practicing every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays has not helped the team grow in popularity. Mr. Diallo, founder and coach of the soccer team, has been instructing students in developing their soccer skills ever since 2007, when he first started the team. And since the first team of soccer players at BCAM, the team has had a few away matches against small high schools in Queens.
to stand up, like Kennieka, Shatiya, and Candice," said Damany Smith. "They need to become strong rebounders, and aggressive scorers, and if they work on that during the summer, they should have a very productive season." Because the soccer team no longer plays against other schools, it has become more of a club. That said, some students continue to participate. "I'm still on the team to become more skilled at the sport," said senior Anthony Parris, a team member for two years. The newest freshmen, sophomores and a small number of seniors and juniors, appear to participate mainly to spend time with friends while kicking a ball on the new field. "I'm just on the team 'cause I have nothing better to do most of the time," said sophomore Luis Santos. "At BCAM, football (soccer) is regarded as a second-class sport, at least for now," said Mr. Diallo.
Teacher and School News
Page 4
Ms. Jones Married! Mr. P is Next! by Leandra Ramkissoon '12
BCAM’s science teacher Ms. Jones got married on April 16th to Antonio Llopiz after dating him for five years. There are no current plans for any babies but there are up coming honeymoon plans for next year. Since they were not able to have a big honeymoon after the wedding, they plan on going to Hawaii soon. "I don’t feel any difference or change [now that I'm] married," she said, and apparently her last name did not have much change either. “My husband's last name is hard to pronounce, and since all my students knows me as Ms. Jones, it’s a lot easier to keep my name the same,” Ms. Jones said. In other news Mr. Pedergnana, BCAM’s 11th grade English teacher, is also going to be hearing wedding bells soon. His wedding will be
held in Saratoga on July 1st. He will be marrying Amy Crawford, a first-grade school teacher at “The Island School” on the Lower East side of Manhattan. After dating for 3 years, when away at a vineyard on a hill over looking the grapes, Mr. Pedergnana got down on one knee and proposed to his fiancée. “I’m not nervous as yet but it might hit me when the actual day comes,” Mr. Pedergnana said of his wedding. “I don’t know what to expect after I get married, I don’t even know if the school play will continue," Mr Pedergnana said regarding the school play. Although Ms. Jones decided to keep her maiden name, Mr. Pedergnana's wifeto-be, Ms. Crawford, has chosen to change her last name to Pedergnana on their wedding day.
"I don’t feel any difference or change [now that I'm] married." Ms. Jones
May 2012
Ms. Pelletier Not Returning Next Year by Samantha Richards '12 and Ms. Morris Samantha Richards '12 asked Ms. Pelletier the details of her upcoming departure from BCAM. 1. When are you leaving? I'm leaving NYC this summer and moving to Portland, Maine. 2.Why are you leaving ? My husband and I want to be closer to our family and begin a new chapter in our life in a new place. 3. What are your emotions towards leaving? I have mixed emotions. I'm sad to leave BCAM because I love the people I work with and I'll miss many students, but I'm also really excited to experience something new and different.
those students who come to BCAM who don't think they can create art, but realize they are creative and talented after they take my class. 5. What would you want the students to continue doing or to start doing ? Draw all the time! Experiment with different art materials/supplies and seek out every art opportunity outside of school that comes along. 6. What techniques or cool projects would you want the students to do, if you had a chance to plan the curriculum? My favorite projects over the years have been the grid portraits, Photoshop Awareness Posters, and the Wire Portrait sculptures.
photo by Dominique Arzu '12 and Tamara
10. Are you done teaching, or are you continuing somewhere else ? I'm still going to teach. I'm waiting to hear from a few schools that I've applied to in Maine. I won't teach forever because I have other goals I want to accomplish, but for now, I love it.
Ninth grade art teacher Ms. Pelletier will be teaching in Maine next
4. What will you miss about BCAM, and your current and old students? I'll miss many students who I've watched grow up throughout their years at BCAM. I'll also miss
BCAM Enters The Modeling World by Katelyn Moeser '14 Andrea Cross '13 and Tykeah Baker '12 are two rising models to be. Cross and Baker have both been taking modeling classes with Barbizon, a modeling school. The class trains girls on how to carry themselves, how to take photos and how to walk the runway. "Modeling can be hard because you have to be well trained, know what you're doing and knowing how to walk the runway.[It] can be hard because you're going to be in heels that won't be comfortable wearing," stated Cross. "It can be stressful at times, but it could also be a lot of fun; you just always have to be ready [to] fit something new," said Baker. Modeling has always been an interest and passion for both girls. "I started modeling because I thought it was cool and everyone was telling me I should be one [model] because I have the looks, the height and everything. I wanted to try it out," explained Cross. "I've always considered modeling to be interesting because it was part of the entertainment business," said Baker. Modeling has influenced both Baker's and Cross's lives. "Modeling made me become more confident and changed the way I dressed and carried myself. Since I started [modeling] my manners improved," said Cross. "I've tried not to eat high calorie food , I've also been trying to stay away from junk and [I] been exercising more lately," said Tykeah. Being in modeling school has both positive and negative aspects. "The ups are having fun and being able to express yourself. The downs are being yelled at , but I don't re-
ally mind because I never get yelled at personally ," said Tykeah. "It can be hard and it can be easy. You get a lot of respect for doing modeling ,which feels good," stated Andrea. Both Andrea and Tykeah plan on modeling as a career. "Modeling has affected my life by teaching me certain skills that would help me along the way in the real world and modeling world. I definitely plan on taking on modeling as a career," stated Tykeah. Andrea has already been in photo shoots and walked the runway. Tykeah was recently in a fashion show on May 5th at the Tribeca performing Arts center.
photo provided by Tykeah Baker '13
Tykeah Baker '13 poses for the camera in full modeling regalia.
Update on the Fifth School by Dominique Arzu '12
photo provided by Ms. Jones
Ms. Jones poses for the camera on her wedding day.
We won, but yet we lost. The new school, Urban Dove Charter School for Sports, Health and Fitness, will be added to the building but they won't be here as long as we thought; the fifth school will be in the MS 117 building for one year instead of two. In return, the building may be getting a few new upgrades. "They told us to make a wish list of things we need," said Mr. O'Brien. Mr. O'Brien had a long list
of things he told the committee he would like done. He asked for the following fixes: - The gym and auditorium need to be upgraded. - The girls' and boys' locker rooms need to be fixed. - There are two classes in the basement that are burned out. One room could be an art and media room, and the other room could be a technology lab. These are a lot of fixes to ask for. The BCAM community will have to wait and see if the requested changes end up happening.