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Annual Report 2013-2014
Prepared by Anna Fiore, Head of School.
INDEX
PAGE 4 Mission Statement PAGE 5 Board of Trustees & Faculty and Staff PAGE 6-7 Parent Association (PA) PAGE 8-9 From La Scuola Board of Trustees
PAGE 45-47 Gala 2014 - G iuseppe Verdi 200th Anniversary & Emperor Augustus 2000th Anniversary PAGE 48 Letter from Mayor Bill de Blasio PAGE 49-51 La Scuola d'Italia Celebrates “2014 Year of the Italian Culture in the USA”
PAGE 10 From the Board Academic Committee
PAGE 52-55 Reggio Emilia Approach Workshop with Dr. Lella Gandini
PAGE 11 Financial Overview
PAGE 56-60 Gala Benefit Dinner 2014
PAGE 12 The Annual Fund
PAGE 61-63 English & Italian Book Fairs Roberto Piumini at La Scuola
PAGE 13-14 Special Funds PAGE 19-20 Academic Year Inauguration Ceremony PAGE 21-27 Italian Heritage & Culture Month PAGE 28-29 UKOM Concert PAGE 30-31 Settimana UNESCO PAGE 32-33 Liceo Model United Nations Trip to Mumbai, India PAGE 34 La Scuola d'Italia Headmistress Honored PAGE 35 Rememberance Week of the Italian Victims of the Shoah
PAGE 64-66 Cultural Events PAGE 67-69 Great Accomplishments of Our Students PAGE 70 Media and Liceo Soccer Season PAGE 71-72 CONI Olympic Games in Macerata PAGE 73 Letter from Lorenzo Bertuccioli's Parents PAGE 74-76 Remembering Giovannimaria PAGE 77-81 Middle School and Liceo Poetry Club PAGE 82-83 End of the Year Recitals
PAGE 36-38 La Scuola d'Italia Elementary School Science Fair
PAGE 84-86 Graduations
PAGE 39-40 6th Liceo Farnesina Exchange Program
PAGE 87 Bilingual Bliss Summer Day Camp
PAGE 41-43 5th Grade Class Trip to Manhattan Country School Farm
PAGE 88-89 Alumni Corner & Acknowledgments
PAGE 44 Can Akant “Johnny” Toksu Rememberance
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Mission Statement Adopted by the Board of Trustees April 30, 2014
La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi (La Scuola) is an independent, American educational institution based in New York. The mission of the school is a) to provide an outstanding bi-lingual, classical educational experience firmly rooted in the best Italian/European and American traditions for internationally oriented studies, and b) to award degrees to students who satisfy its rigorous academic requirements. La Scuola affirms the importance of the Western canon and its historic, literary and philosophical continuum, one of whose leading incubators, since Roman times, has been Italy. Academic programs shall be designed to use to the fullest extent the special resources of a highly skilled multi-cultural faculty, an international student body and the extraordinarily rich culture and history of Italy, the United States and New York City. Cultivating students’ minds, supplying them with a substantial fund of knowledge, and providing them with the basis for making sound ethical judgments remain the foundations of the school’s mission and philosophy. La Scuola pledges: 1. to educate the whole human being, in a healthy and balanced manner; 2. to espouse a fundamental commitment to high academic achievement and the development of social responsibility; 3. to provide a broad spectrum of enrichment activities which draws on the inherent talents of the international student body; 4. to develop courses, seminars, and other programs that instill an eagerness to embrace the challenges of a more global future; 5. to develop in its charges the skills and the learning habits that will make it possible for students to advance in their educational careers and beyond with maximum preparedness; 6. to produce graduates who are sought after by the top American and international colleges and universities;
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
7. to create an academic community that fosters intellectual pursuit freely and openly;
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8. to emphasize virtue, as in the classical Greek understanding of arête, as the goal of life’s and education’s undertakings; 9. to work in partnership with parents in an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust, and open communication; 10. to provide a physical environment that invites teaching and learning and that encourages excellence in both faculty and students; 11. to promote and support a sound financial environment; 12. to engage the international community in New York and in Europe to support La Scuola; 13. to conduct its affairs with the utmost ethical and moral probity.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Comm. Stefano Acunto President, CINN Worldwide, Inc. VICE CHAIRMAN Mrs. Piera Palazzolo Falzone Senior Vice President— Marketing, Dale Carnegie Training SECRETARY Maria Palandra, Ph.D. Educational Consultant TREASURER Mr. Jason DeSena Trennert Managing Partner, Chief Investment Strategist Strategas Research Partners, LLC
HONORARY PRESIDENT H.E. Ambassador Alessandro Cortese de Bosis MEMBER EMERITA Mrs. Matilda Raffa Cuomo Founder & Chairman, Mentoring USA MEMBERS Ambassador Daniele Bodini Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to the United Nations Pascal de Caprariis, MD, Consultant Faculty, Lutheran Medical Center, Dept. of Medicine for Division of Infectious Diseases; Dept. of Family Medicine
Mr. Fabrizio Ferri Photographer Stephen S. Madsen, Esq. Mr. Carlo Mantica Co-CEO of Le Cirque International, LLC Prof. Richard Marotta Headmaster, Garden School Mr. Marco Martella US Representative, Banca d’Italia Hon. Dominic R. Massaro, JD Justice, Supreme Court of New York Cav. Thomas Pecora, KM President, Enna Holdings
Francesca Verga, MD Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò Founder, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University EX-OFFICIO Minister Natalia Quintavalle Consul General of Italy in New York Prof. Carlo Davoli Education Director, Consulate General of Italy in New York Prof. Anna Fiore Headmistress
Mr. Aldo Uva Worldwide President & CEO Firmenich Flavors
FACULTY AND STAFF
Pia Pedicini Deputy Head of School & Director of Admissions THE TEACHERS Federica Anichini Annalise Agnello Anna Bartocci Joseph Belfi Brienna Berger Federica Berto Selene Candido Luigi Cavandoli Maria A. Cinquemani Andreina Colarullo Christine Delnaud
Antonia Di Maggio Jennifer Dionisio Bianca Falco Rosa Ferranti Augusta Fleischer Aimee Felton Freedman Patrizia Gerace Flora Ghezzo Mary Giaimo Spiro Gouras Giannalisa Klein Giovanna La Mura Laura La Rocca Petrika Melo Randi Mifsud Alessandra Montalbano Sara Monea Christine Morga Beatrice Paladini Michele Piccolo
Nels Pierce Ilenia Pitti Michael Prater Giancarlo Racanelli Linda Randolph José Rubiera Chiara Senatore Ettore Spatola Simona Tarchiani Francesca Vicchio ASSISTANT TEACHERS Piera Bonerba Erin Dogan Serafina Ferranti Maria Rosaria Fratangeli Giovanna Gambino Migena Jonif Dominique Mattozzi Holly McMahon Lucy Merlino
THE STAFF Ilaria Costa Admir Cungu Maria de Gennaro Christina Doyle Jane Elkoff Joan Faughnan Filomena Lavermicocca Deborah Lazarus Leonora McClernan Paola Migani Bari Norman Adriana Rivas Ismael Ruiz Paola Serrone Astrit Tena
La Scuola d’Italia
ADMINISTRATION Dott.ssa Anna Fiore Head of School
Annual Report 2013-14
2013-2014
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Parent Association (PA)
The mission of the La Scuola Parent Association is to: enhance the day-to-day educational lives of our children; to continue to grow the parent support network to assist the school in accomplishing its goals; to promote an atmosphere of joy, happiness, and love of learning within the school community; to provide constructive feedback to the School’s Board and Administration about the educational experiences of our children; and to promote change to enhance the educational and social environment within the school. Our objectives for the 2014–2015 academic year are to continue to promote: •
a school-wide perspective for this organization;
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an atmosphere of support for our teachers and staff;
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rowth of the support network for new and g existing La Scuola Families;
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f undraising so there is additional money to enhance the education of our children;
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positive atmosphere amongst parents who a are partners in the education of our children.
2013-2014 MONTHLY EVENTS SEPTEMBER Welcome Play Date in the Park for New Students/Families Welcome Breakfasts: Pre-School/Elementary and Media/Liceo (two sites) PA Membership Drive PA merchandise sales: totes, umbrellas, honey, and used uniforms.
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OCTOBER Columbus Day Parade Student Performances Italian Cultural Institute “L'Italia dei Saperi: Ricerca, Scoperta , Innovazione” (refreshments) Fall Wine Celebration at The Friar’s Club
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NOVEMBER La Scuola Open House Yorkville Common Pantry Thanksgiving Food and Turkey Drive DECEMBER Yorkville Common Pantry Holiday Toy Drive Contribution to Teacher/Staff Holiday Party at PizzArte Contribution Refreshments for Media Holiday Party Participation in Scholastic Book Fair Participation in the Italian Book Fair JANUARY Fundraising Event: Sale of used Italian books, used uniforms, totes, umbrellas and honey.
FEBRUARY School-wide Valentine’s Day Bake Sale/Dress Down Day to support 96th St. Library and Annex Library Fund. Contribution Refreshments for Liceo La Farnesina Exchange Program. Contribution to 5th grade Farm Trip. MARCH Project Cicero Book Collection for under– resourced NYC schools. Contribution of Carnevale Chiacchiere, school-wide. Gala Benefit - Ad in Gala Journal 2014 APRIL Fundraising Event: Sale of used Italian Books, used uniforms, totes, umbrellas and honey.
MAY Welcome Breakfast for New Chairman of La Scuola d'Italia Board of Trustees Mother’s Day Breakfast at Gina La Fornarina “Teacher Appreciation Day” Breakfast for staff school-wide Contribution to “Roberto Piumini” Event, Writer and Poet Participation in “Scholastic Book Fair” Participation in “Italian Book Fair” Contribution to and participation in Middle School Dance Memorial Event for Giovanni Maria JUNE Fundraising Event: Sale of used Italian Books, used uniforms, totes, umbrellas and honey.
Parent Association (PA)
Parent Association Activities 2013–2014 Highlights of the academic year include: Contributions:
2013–2014 Parent Association Organization Special Merchandise Projects Marina Bianchi Graziani Special Event Coordinators
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$20,000.00 to support the facility upgrades made at both campuses.
Marisa Colavita, Eleonora Lattanzi,
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ore than $12,000.00 towards the ongoing support of the school M yearbook, the 96th Street Library and the School Directory.
Manuela Maroni, Jennifer Pappagallo,
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ore than $3,500 for refreshments for Parent Welcome Breakfasts, M the La Scuola Inauguration, and other special school events.
Annette Scattoni (JSA Rep.),
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3,000.00 in holiday and end of the year appreciation gifts to $ staff school-wide.
Michaela Pozzetto, Delphine Quieti, Teresa Tarillo, Bevin Trennert Parent Association Class
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2,500.00 contribution to support the first school-wide $ staff Holiday Dinner.
Representatives:
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$1,500.00 to support the initiation of the 5th Grade Farm Trip.
Cristina Aibino Rossi and
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$1,500.00 to support initiation of the Middle School Dance.
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$500.00 contribution to the “Roberto Piumini” event, Writer and Poet
Fundraising Activities: The Parent Association continues to be active in raising funds to support the school. This year's fundraising events included: •
October Wine Celebration at the Friars Club.
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The annual school-wide Valentine’s Day Bake Sale.
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The annual Mother’s Day event.
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Parent support of La Scuola’s Scholastic Book Fair and Italian Book Fair.
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PA merchandise sales: totes, honey, umbrellas and used uniforms.
Severa Hurlock and Kara Fic PreK-A Cecilia Simonini PreK-B Valerie Debler K Diane Lopez 1st Grade A Elizabeth Golluscio 1st Grade B Kathleen Melee 2nd Grade A Micaela Pozzetto and Delphine Quieti 2nd Grade B Rhonda Pringle 3rd Grade Carla Cugia 4th Grade Vetia Searcy 5th Grade Annette Scattoni 6th Grade
Most importantly, it has been a successful year in building community and promoting parent participation in individual and unique ways.
Eleonora Lattanzi 7th Grade
Lastly, the Parent Association participated in a school-wide evaluation of La Scuola commenced by the Board of Directors. As part of this process, the PA conducted outreach to the parents and submitted a written letter that conveyed a general consensus of parent views of school operations.
Lou Gasco and
Thank you to all our parents!
Tamara Gaggi and
Raffaella Cardinali 8th Grade Christina Minelli 9th Grade Grazia Lecca 10th Grade Veronika Balakhovsky 11th Grade Paola Ronco 12th Grade
Annual Report 2013-14
President – Sheree Sebastiani Treasurer – Joanne Borini Parent Representative Coordinator – Barbara Duncan Communications – Giulia Panciera, Bevin Trennert
La Scuola d’Italia
PA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2013–2014
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From La Scuola Board of Trustees
On October 23, 2013 the Board of Trustees, at its Annual Election, unanimously elected: Chairman of the Board – Comm. Stefano Acunto vice chairman – Piera Palazzolo Falzone treasurer – Jason DeSena Trennert secretary – Dr. Maria Palandra Mr. Acunto succeeds Stephen Madsen, who served as Chairman for the past eight years. Mr. Madsen's outstanding service was universally acknowledged by the Board. The Board of Trustees, also developed a Policy for Merit Scholarships to be assigned to our internal La Scuola students. According to this new policy, for the academic year 2014-15, students selected as recipients of merit scholarships will receive awards ranging between 30% and 100% of the tuition cost.
AGREEMENT WITH the UNIVERSITÀ PER STRANIERI DI PERUGIA On March 20, 2014 the Board of Trustees signed two agreements with the University for Foreigners of Perugia. Preside Anna Fiore, Chairman Stefano Acunto & Rector of the University Giovanni Paciullo were present at the signing.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
According to this agreement
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he University for Foreigners of Perugia will T oversee the scientific and methodological quality of courses, will collaborate in creating the syllabus for each course, and will cooperate in the selection of the teachers who will teach Italian language courses at La Scuola d'Italia.
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L a Scuola will take care of the organizational management of the courses, the recruitment of teachers and administrative personnel, and will be in charge of issuing certificates of attendance and completion.
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tudents who attend courses at La Scuola S will receive a certificate of attendance issued jointly by La Scuola d'Italia and The University for Foreigners of Perugia. This certificate is recognized as valid for accessing courses offered at the University in Perugia.
La Scuola d'Italia will become a center where the CELI exam may be taken, in order to obtain the CELI certificate offered by the University for Foreigners of Perugia.
From La Scuola Board of Trustees Board Member Dr. Pascal De Caprariis introduces Dott. Enrico Hell and Prof. Luisanna Fiorini to La Scuola On Thursday, April 3rd, we were very pleased to welcome two special guests at La Scuola: Dott. Enrico Hell, Direttore Ufficio Personale Docente e Dirigente di Bolzano and Prof. Luisanna Fiorini, Head of School and currently assigned to the “Servizio Provinciale Valutazione” of Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adige region.
Prof. Luisanna Fiorini is currently working on a school evaluation project that will serve as a model not only for the Alto Adige region, but for all of Italy and for the Italian Ministry of Education. She is planning to spend several months in New York City next Fall and could be available for some professional development activities geared towards La Scuola teachers, on the topics of Technology in Class and Evaluation. Preside Fiore was very pleased to discover that she has worked extensively with the same experts and professionals with whom she also collaborated during her 15 year- tenure in Milan as Head of School. La Scuola's Community is very grateful to Board member Dr. Pascal de Caprariis for introducing these experts from the Alto Adige region to La Scuola and hopes to begin a long lasting collaboration with them.
La Scuola d’Italia
Preside Fiore illustrated to our guests La Scuola's bilingual and bicultural projects and programs in its four divisions. Together with Dr. de Caprariis, our guests visited our preschool and elementary classes as well as the Middle School and Liceo campus, where they met teachers and students and visited media and Liceo classes as well.
Annual Report 2013-14
Board Member, Dr. Pascal de Caprariis, introduced Dott. Hell and Prof. Fiorini to Head of School Anna Fiore and to La Scuola d'Italia's community to provide us with the great opportunity of sharing ideas and information about bilingual education. In fact, the Alto Adige region, and in particular the province of Bolzano, is bilingual in Italian and German: “Scuole Ladine”, public and private, teach the curriculum in both languages.
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From the board academic committee
The Academic Affairs Committee of the Board (AAC), whose members include Comm. Acunto, Mr. Ferri, Dr. Marotta, Dr. Palandra (chair), and Mrs. Palazzolo, working in collaboration with the Head of School, Dott.sa Fiore, has set an ambitious agenda for the current school year to address issues identified by the Board and questions posed by parents. As a result of the work of the AAC, a more comprehensive policy on merit scholarships has been developed and adopted by the Board of Trustees. The new policy ensures that merit scholarships are made available to internal as well as external students. For the 2014-2015 school year, 5 scholarships have been awarded to students currently attending La Scuola. A study on the feasibility of introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program has commenced; the committee reviewed pertinent articles/reports and is now planning visits to schools that currently offer the IB. It usually takes two academic years from the time a school applies for the program to the time approval is granted by the International Baccalaureate Organization. In the meantime, the AAC suggested that the Head of School explore ways to increase the number and variety of Advanced Placement (AP) exams that our Liceo students may take to enhance their college application portfolios.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
We continue encouraging parents to share their thoughts and questions with us.
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FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
2013-2014 Revenues
Total School Revenue $7,228,853
DONATIONS 3.8%
ITALIAN GRANT 0.3%
MISC. 0.1%
INVESTMENT INCOME 6.3%
TUITION AND FEES: Based on 280 students, including 26 limited time students. DONATIONS (INCLUDING GALA): Net Gala proceeds and other contributions.
Tuition & Fees $6,474,885
ITALIAN GOVERNMENT GRANT: $20,415
Donations (Including Gala) $272,104 Italian Government Grant $20,415
INVESTMENT INCOME: Held in cash, stocks and mutual funds.
89.6%
Tuition & Fees
Investment Income $453,965 Miscellaneous $7,484
ADMINISTRATIVE 5.6% OTHER SCHOOL EXPENSES 4.4%
Total School Expenses $6,504,611
Scholarship-Financial Aid $594,020 Physical Plant $639,357
PHYSICAL PLANT Includes property insurance, building repairs and maintenance and depreciation. ADMINISTRATIVE AND GENERAL: Includes Annex and gym rent, student transportation, professional fees and other administrative expenses.
8.2%
FINANCIAL AID
8.8%
PHYSICAL PLANT
Administrative $401,325
63%
SALARIES & RELATED EXPENSES
Other School Expenses $315,002
OTHER SCHOOL EXPENSES: Includes various miscellaneous expenses.
Reserve Fund $724,243
Number of students in each level of instruction: 2013/14 including Limited Time 120
100
Pre-School = 54 Elementary = 113
80
Middle School = 60 60
High School = 53 40
20 0
SCHOLORSHIPS/FINANCIAL AID: Includes scholarships, financial aid and sibling discounts.
Total Population 280
RESERVE FUND: Excess revenue over expenses reserved for future use. Annual Report 2013-14
Salaries & Related Expenses $4,554,907
RESERVE 10%
La Scuola d’Italia
Expenses
SALARIES AND RELATED EXPENSES: Includes salaries and wages, payroll taxes and applicable insurance.
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THE ANNUAL FUND
2013-2014
La Scuola d’Italia continues to grow by enriching and enhancing its educational offerings, broadening cultural programming, increasing visibility, and strengthening recruitment efforts. Support garnered from the Annual Fund has been instrumental in this growth. Making a gift to the Annual Fund is one of the ways you can help the school reach its full potential. The Annual Fund campaign raised $35,040 in unrestricted gifts and pledges while the Technology Fund, Paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship Fund, and the Can Akant “Johnny” Educational Fund (details follow on subsequent pages) together raised $35,229 for a combined total of $70,269 toward 2013-2014 goals. We extend our gratitude to the following friends and families who have supported our Annual Fund campaign this year.
PRESCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL
PreK
Sixth Grade
Dr. Susan Kim Fong and Ms. Cristina Causone Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Hurlock Mr. and Mrs. Claudio Marsala Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Napolitano Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Tana Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wechsler
Mr. and Mrs. Marco Rossi
Kindergarten
Mr. and Mrs. Len Gutman Mr. and Mrs. Vincenzo Tarantino Prof. and Mrs. Riccardo Viale
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL First Grade
Dr. Eva Maestre and Dr. Robert Peracchia Mr. and Mrs. Anthony V. Marino Mr. and Mrs. Luca Orlandi Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Smithie Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Spinelli
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Annual Report 2013-14
Second Grade
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Mr. and Mrs. Lerick D. Allen Dr. Susan Kim Fong and Ms. Cristina Causone Mr. and Mrs. Paolo Josca Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Land Third Grade
Mr. and Mrs. David Luna Mr. and Mrs. Marco Rossi Fourth Grade
Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Smithie Fifth Grade
Mr. and Mrs. Marco Novello Mr. and Mrs. Giuseppe Tarillo
Eighth Grade
Drs. Anna and Pawel Dyczek Mr. and Mrs. Marco Oppici Mr. and Mrs. John Upton Mr. and Mrs. Aldo Uva
HIGH SCHOOL Ninth Grade
Dr. and Mrs. Virgilio Sacchini Tenth Grade
Mr. Andrea Cuccolini Eleventh Grade
Ms. Kathleen Caronna Mr. and Mrs. John Upton Mr. and Mrs. Aldo Uva
FRIENDS OF LA SCUOLA Mr. and Mrs. Chris and Francesca Beale Mr. and Mrs. Francesco Bonavita Ms. Francesca Borri Nardello Mr. Robert Cafasso Ms. Elisa Coccia Prof. Raffaella Cribiore Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Daraviras Ms. Laura Diamond Dr. and Mrs. Egidio A. Farone Mr. Alfonso C. Frascatore Mr. and Mrs. Giuseppe Lattanzi Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Madsen Ms. Donatella Meneghini Ms. Kyveli Sybil Nesgos-Graziano Ms. Dorothy E. Nicolosi Mr. and Mrs. Mario Nigro
Mr. and Mrs. Martin J. Sandler Mr. Joseph Sciame Mr. Angelo Silveri Dr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Tromba Mr. Gennaro Turci Mr. and Mrs. James Wilkins
FOUNDATIONS AND COMPANIES Cafasso Charitable Trust Coccia Foundation Jerry's Gourmet and More JPMorgan Chase Foundation
SPECIAL FUNDs
2013-2014
Three funds continue to help La Scuola address specific and timely needs at our institution: 1 Technology Fund, 2 Paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship Fund, 3 The Can Akant “Johnny” Educational Fund for La Scuola Liceo Students We would like to thank the following Families and Friends who showed their support this year and on the evening of the Gala Benefit Dinner by making gifts to these special funds. Since its creation, the Technology Fund has provided needed support to address pressing technology needs across our institution. With funds raised during the 2012-2013 academic year, at the Lower School 8 classrooms were equipped with new smartboards and laptops allowing teachers to further integrate technology within the curriculum of each class. At the Upper School, each teacher was provided with an electronic notebook to be used during class enabling them to swiftly record student and class log information directly onto the newly created “registro online” thus also helping the school to become greener by eliminating the paper versions. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gagliano Dr. Armando Grassi Mr. and Mrs. Daryn Kutner Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Law Mr. and Mrs. Stefano Maroni Ms. Amy Porter
Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Sebastiani Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Smithie Mr. and Mrs. Guy Sudsataya Mr. and Mrs. Massimo Tassan-Solet Mr. and Mrs. John Upton Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni Zocche
Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Berardi Lady Cristiana Falcone Sorrell and Sir Martin Sorrell and the JMCMRJ Sorrell Charitable Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Massimo Gaggi Dr. Armando Grassi Mr. and Mrs. Andrea Leva Mr. and Mrs. Ulderico Micara Mr. and Mrs. Alessandro Santoni Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Smithie Mr. and Mrs. Massimo Tassan-Solet
Annual Report 2013-14
The Paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship Fund celebrates the memory of an extraordinary young man who graduated from Bocconi University and went on to work in New York leading a brilliant, but all too brief, career as a finance manager and investor. La Scuola Liceo students who receive awards from this merit scholarship fund are those who demonstrate similar qualities of discipline, hard work, and academic achievement.
La Scuola d’Italia
Mr. and Mrs. Lerick D. Allen Mr. and Mrs. Filippo Arnaboldi Mr. and Mrs. Stefano Azario Ms. Rachel Borkowski Mr. and Mrs. Andrea Cavagna Dr. and Mrs. Edmund Debler
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The Can Akant Toksu “Johnny” Educational Fund for La Scuola Liceo Students
The Can Akant “Johnny” Educational Fund For La Scuola Liceo Students was established in the spring of 2012 to celebrate the memory of our beloved Can Akant Johnny who virtually grew up at La Scuola, attending from age 3 in the PreK through the Liceo, gaining the respect and love of those whose lives he touched along the way. An insightful and creative student, blessed with a kind heart and wonderful sense of humor, Johnny not only inspired his fellow students in the classroom but was also a great friend to all. Over the course of the school year this educational fund has helped La Scuola address the needs of the growing number of students at our Upper School through facilities improvements; upgrades to the classrooms to accommodate new technology, the science lab that bears Johnny’s name, and our theater space. For the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year, La Scuola will build on this work by moving forward with needed improvements to the gymnasium, providing furniture and other materials for the new art classroom, and bolstering scholarship assistance for our students.
The Toksu Family Lady Cristiana Falcone Sorrell and Sir Martin Sorrell and the JMCMRJ Sorrell Charitable Foundation Ms. Letizia Bardazzi Mr. Anthony Bourdain and Ms. Ottavia Busia-Bourdain Ms. Andrea L. Chase
Ms. Christine Chase Yeres Mr. James Chase Ms. Josephine Pavone Chase Mr. and Mrs. Mark Chase Ms. Victoria Chase Ferren Mr. and Mrs. Massimo Gaggi Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Goldenberg Dr. Armando Grassi The Hyman Family
Mr. and Mrs. Andrea Leva Mr. and Mrs. Ulderico Micara Mr. Mark Montalbano Mr. and Mrs. Alessandro Santoni Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Smithie Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sorbera Ms. Simonetta Sorio Mr. and Mrs. Massimo Tassan-Solet
preschool
elementary
middle school
high school - Liceo
ACADEMIC YEAR INAUGURATION ceremony
Friday, October 4, 2013
We were all very pleased to inaugurate the academic year with our La Scuola Community on Friday, October 4th at the Middle School and Liceo campus.
The audience enjoyed the musical performances of our wonderful students: Daniel Seferi, Adrian Oliensis, Sabrina Debler, Julia Zurlo and Annie Fleury. Two of our poetry club students, 12th graders Josephine Morris and Bianca Serafini read their beautiful poems, guided by Poetry Club instructor Prof. Mary Giaimo.
La Scuola d’Italia
Present at the ceremony were distinguished guest speakers: Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Prof. Riccardo Viale, Director of the Education Office of the Consulate Prof. Carlo Davoli, Chairman of La Scuola d'Italia's Board of Trustees, Stephen Madsen Esq., IACE Chairman Ing. Berardo Paradiso and P. A. President Mrs. Sheree Sebastiani.
Annual Report 2013-14
The ceremony began with our Middle School and Liceo Girls Choir singing the National Anthems followed by the Head of School’s presentation of the main goals to be accomplished during the academic year.
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ACADEMIC YEAR INAUGURATION ceremony
Friday, October 4, 2013
The 8th Grade Class beautifully performed “Il trionfo di Bacco e Arianna”, di Lorenzo il Magnifico, directed by Prof. Giannalisa Klein, with the help of costume designer Anna Bartocci, choreographer Bianca Falco, video maker Prof. Nels Pierce, and music director Petrika Melo.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Many parents attended the ceremony and joined La Scuola staff and administration in wishing our students a very successful and productive academic year.
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ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE MONTH
October 2nd: Liceo Special Lecture by Francesco Micheli in honor of Giuseppe Verdi's 200th Anniversary
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
On October 2nd at the Media/Liceo Auditorium we paid tribute to Giuseppe Verdi; we were honored to host the famous Opera Director Francesco Micheli, who presented a lecture to our Liceo students about Verdi and his life during the Italian Risorgimento. Director Micheli spoke about his most recent work at the Teatro Romano in Verona where he put on stage works from Shakespearean tragedies accompanied by music from Verdi’s most famous Operas. It was truly an outstanding presentation, very inspiring and meaningful for our Liceo students, who were literally mesmerized by Maestro Micheli.
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ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE MONTH
Columbus Day Parade
On Monday, October 14th, La Scuola's community once again participated in the COLUMBUS DAY PARADE. Thanks to Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle, Vice Consul Lucia Pasqualini and La Scuola d'Italia Board Member/Treasurer Jason DeSena Trennert, La Scuola d'Italia was among the first to march in the Parade.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Vice Consul Lucia Pasqualini also organized the participation of the famous Italian actor, theater director and TV showman Enrico Brignano, the protagonist of the popular “Rugantino”. We felt extremely honored when he joined our group and marched with us. Our La Scuola students were proud to display the banners marking “2013 Year of the Italian Culture in the USA” and “Giuseppe Verdi’s 200th birthday”. Many of La Scuola's Parents marched in the parade and we warmly thanked them for allowing their children to be part of this important celebration of the Italian Heritage and Culture. This year we were also covered on ABC 7.
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Italian Heritage and culture month
WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE XIII Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
On October 16th we celebrated the Week of the Italian Language with the “Day of the students of Italian”. Our 4th and 5th grade students inaugurated the Week of the Italian Language with an outstanding performance on the topic “L'Italia dei Saperi: Ricerca, Scoperta, Innovazione”. The students showcased their talent and knowledge thanks to the direction of teachers Selene Candido, Francesca Vicchio, M. Rosaria Fratangeli, Andreina Colarullo, Luigi Cavandoli and Laura La Rocca.
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Italian Heritage and culture month
WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE XIII Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo In the afternoon we presented a very rich program held in conjunction with many Italian institutions at La Scuola Middle School – Liceo Auditorium. Introductory remarks were made by Claudio Angelini, President of the Dante Alighieri Society of New York, followed by a reading of the famous Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, who shared videos about his poems and work on Dante's Inferno.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Further in the evening Dott.ssa Ilaria Costa, IACE Executive Director, presented the famous “maestro del gusto” Giovanni Rana who shared his unique culinary experience and conducted a Q&A session with La Scuola's Middle School students. Special thanks to Liceo Student, Gioia Uva, who acted as interpreter during this session.
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Italian Heritage and culture month
WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE XIII Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo We also enjoyed a reading by Giuseppe Catozzella, a young Italian writer, who spoke about his latest book. This was followed by Italian Teacher Cav. Josephine Maietta, who introduced tenor Christopher Macchio's performance of famous Opera arias. Last but not least, we had the pleasure of learning the Tarantella Minturnese with Mickela Mallozzi.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
La Scuola was indeed very proud and honored to have hosted and participated in these important and wonderful events, representing the Italian culture.
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Italian Heritage and culture month
XIII WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE Teatro Stabile of Torino, director Mario Martone
“ LE OPERETTE MORALI”
by Giacomo Leopardi October 30th and 31st at La Scuola d’Italia's Middle School-Liceo Auditorium
Thanks to the collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute and its Director Prof. Riccardo Viale, we hosted two prestigious performances of G. Leopardi “Operette Morali” adapted for the theater by famous Director Mario Martone, Artistic Director of Teatro Stabile in Torino. One show took place on October 30th for our Middle School and Liceo students, and the second one took place on October 31st which was geared towards La Scuola Families, Friends and the general public. On October 30th, our Auditorium was magically transformed into a theater set and our audience of over 100 guests was extremely impressed with the performance. Among the special guests present at the event was former Gala Guest of Honor John Turturro, famous actor, writer and movie director, who complimented the performance. Our 8th Grade and Liceo students also enjoyed this wonderful event and the topic of the performance which perfectly compliments the Italian literature that our Liceo students were learning in their Italian classes. Some Liceo students commented that this performance was by far the best organized by La Scuola over the past few years. On Thursday, October 31st, we had the pleasure of having the same performance and once again had a crowd of 100 guests present, including Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle and a very a special guest, Piero Fassino, Mayor of Turin, who introduced the show with his welcoming remarks.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
The performance was a great success and La Scuola was extremely pleased and honored to host it. We warmly thanked the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Prof. Riccardo Viale for providing La Scuola with this outstanding theatrical piece from Teatro Stabile in Turin, and its director Mario Martone.
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La Scuola d’Italia
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UKOM Concert
United Kids of Music from Italy and La Scuola Girls Choir at La Scuola Middle school-Liceo Auditorium On Tuesday, November 12th, we welcomed at La Scuola “UKOM”, United Kids of Music, who presented at La Scuola's Middle School/Liceo Auditorium an orchestral concert, including the Italian, American and European Anthems and “La Scuola Song” which was sung together with our Middle School Girls Choir, conducted by our music teacher Petrika Melo. UKOM® is an international children orchestra run by the Associazione ImmaginArte of Varese (Italy). It is an international orchestra composed of about 50 children aged 5 to 15 years mainly from the I Piccoli Musici Estensi orchestra of the Suzuki School of Varese. Despite its recent establishment UKOM ®, thanks to the high quality of its performances, has already performed in Paris, Pavia, Rome and Venice. The UKOM concert was attended by our Middle School Division and by our 4th and 5th grade class. All of our students were very attentive during the concert, showing interest and appreciation for this cultural event. Each of our students from La Scuola, the young musicians from UKOM and all the adults present at this concert felt united by the great educational and spiritual power of music. We thanked La Scuola's Girls Choir and UKOM for a wonderful performance, Maestro Petrika Melo and the PA for providing delicious refreshments.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
This event was organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in New York and Vice Consul Dino Sorrentino.
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La Scuola d’Italia
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Settimana UNESCO
November 18–24, 2013
Thanks to the initiative of La Scuola Science teacher Prof. Anna Bartocci, this year our Middle School students actively participated in the UNESCO WEEK, working intensively on a series of interdisciplinary initiatives on the topic of “Bridges in the Italian Landscape”. All Middle School teachers organized a series of class activities, seminars, and debates to explore this topic “Bridges in the Italian Landscape” from environmental, economic, and functional features. This project has been recognized as part of the initiatives during of the week of sustainability (November 18-24, 2013) patronized by the Commissione Nazionale Italiana for UNESCO.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
A bridge is a great symbol of the culture, events, and art of Italy. It is synonym of continuity between civilizations and time and represents one of the first examples of sustainability in human history with invaluable economical contributions. More than ever, the bridge symbolizes the connection between nature, architecture and sustainability.
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Settimana UNESCO
November 18–24, 2013
La Scuola d’Italia
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Among the various activities of the UNESCO week, on Wednesday, November 20th, Middle School students attended a conference about the Messina Bridge Project conducted by the engineer Maria Grazia Bruschi, who works as a manager at the Parsons Corporation and who was actively involved in this project. She explained very clearly all the main features of the Messina Bridge including the Project's pros and cons. Students took part in demonstrations and asked many insightful questions about the Bridge. We thanked Ms. Bruschi for her thoughtful presentation and her enthusiasm in working with our students.
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LICEO MODEL UNITED NATIONS trip to mumbai, india
November. 22 - December. 2, 2013: An unforgettable experience for our Liceo students
The trip to Mumbai, India took place from November 22nd to December 2nd: eight 11th and 12th Grade Liceo students, Alessandro Caronna, Matilde Ferri, Giulia Magnani, Claudia Milanesi, Teodoro Fabri Upton, Uva Gioia, Nicola Paoli, and Giovanni Maria Ronco, accompanied by teacher Michael Prater and Ilenia Pitti and by Preside Anna Fiore, participated in the Model UN at the Dhirubhai Ambani International school. Mumbai is a huge, vibrant metropolis, with 20 million inhabitants and could be considered the New York of India, being the most dynamic and diverse city of this extraordinary country, whose culture and civilization dates back more than three thousand years. Walking through the crowded and chaotic streets of Mumbai, amidst a melting pot of widespread extreme poverty and emergent richness, we had the opportunity to reflect and understand more about a country of the world which is so different from our western experience and which is conquering key sectors of the world economy. The DAI School that hosted the Model UN conference is a K-12 co-educational private institution: with a school population of 1058 students, it is ranked as India's no. 1 International school and Mumbai's No. 1 School. It offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education Program and the IB- International Baccalaureate Program. About 55% of the graduating students attend colleges in the USA and 20% in the UK. The School received affiliation to THMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations) in 2006 and the topic of this year's conference was “Foreign Intervention”. The Model UN conference was attended by about 800 students, including other Indian schools, such as the Singapore International School, the Liceo Farnesina from Rome and another Spanish school from Madrid. Our La Scuola students took an active role in the International Court of Justice, the Security Council, the Human Rights Commission and the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council).
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Our Liceo students were very excited to work with their peers from India, who were extremely well prepared, thanks to our outstanding Model UN coordinator prof. Ilenia Pitti; they were very happy to meet in Mumbai and debate with the Liceo Farnesina students while working in the different committees. Their behavior was always excellent and we were very proud of having La Scuola d'Italia represented by this outstanding delegation.
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LICEO MODEL UNITED NATIONS trip to mumbai, india
November. 22 - December. 2, 2013:
At the closing ceremony, La Scuola d'Italia obtained a special mention and it was praised in particular for the work done by Claudia Milanesi and Matilde Ferri, 11th Grade, as advocates at the International Court of Justice. Matilde Ferri was awarded a special honor diploma. We also had the opportunity to sightsee in Mumbai, along with the Liceo Farnesina students, and visit some UNESCO world Heritage sites, such as Elephanta Caves, Indù temples, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Mumbai art decò colonial buildings, (the famous Victoria Terminus station and Bombay University) as well as the renowned Bollywood district. Accommodation and meals, provided by the DAI School, were fine, and none of us had health problems, notwithstanding the very hot and humid weather.
.2 billion Population, half of them under the age 1 of 25, India is the largest democracy of the world.
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ne sixth of the world population lives here, O Mumbai has 20 million inhabitants.
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s western economies struggle to recover from global A recession, India alongside China earns its place as one of the two world’s emerging economic markets. ccording to the International Monetary Fund, Indian A GDP ranks the country as the third in economic power, after the USA and China followed by Japan and Germany.
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I n 1991 India's global economic ranking was 10th, the size of its economy was comparable to those of much smaller countries.
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Adult literacy is 74%; life expectation is 67.
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220 million live on less than one dollar a day
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00 million live on 2 dollars a day and without 5 potable water and an effective sanitation system.
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00 million are part of the emerging Middle class: 2 200,000 engineers graduate every year in India.
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems” – Mahatma Gandhi
La Scuola d’Italia
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About India
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LA SCUOLA d'ITALIA HEADMISTRESS HONORED
The National Association of Italian American Women presented the Women of Wisdom Award to La Scuola d'Italia headmistress Dott.ssa. Anna Fiore on Friday, January 10, 2014 at the Columbus Club on New York's East Side. Among the many well-wishers present at the event were members of the Board (pictured below). The award was greeted with great applause by those in attendance. Dott.ssa Fiore responded with a presentation on the importance of La Scuola in the Italian and Italian/American communities in New York and emphasized to the many women and guests present the unique position of La Scuola d'Italia in New York, urging their support and its promotion among members of the community. The NOAIW was founded to present women of Italian descent living in the United States in a favorable light and to undo stereotypes that existed for many years. Surely, with this latest award and with the other winners present that evening, NOIAW seems well on its way to achieving that goal. Congratulations, Dott.ssa Fiore! Board of Trustees
La Scuola d’Italia
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Stefano Acunto Chairman
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La Scuola Board of Trustees and Preside Anna Fiore receiving the “Women of Wisdom Award”
Remembrance Week of the Italian Victims of the Shoah
Our students visit the Museum of the Holocaust at the Bronx Science High School
As in the previous year, La Scuola d'Italia participated in various important events dedicated to the commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in New York, the Centro Primo Levi, the Italian Cultural Institute, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo` at NYU and the Calandra Italian-American Institute at CUNY. On Monday, January 27th, our 8th Grade and Liceo students participated in the reading ceremony of names of Italian Jews deported from Italy and Italian territories, at the entrance of the Consulate General of Italy. Students always take very seriously their participation in this ceremony and they lined up many times to take their turn again in the reading of the names. Parents of our Middle School and Liceo students were also present at this very moving ceremony. On Wednesday, January 29th, we presented the film “Hannah Arendt” by the German director Margarethe Von Trotta at our Middle School and Liceo Auditorium. Liceo students were in attendance. After Preside Fiore’s introduction, highlighting why it is important to reflect on the work of the philosopher Hanna Arendt and the report she wrote about Adolf Eichmann's trial, Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle thanked our students and La Scuola d'Italia for participating in Remembrance Week and Italian Prof. Flora Ghezzo, along with Alessandro Cassin from the Primo Levi Center, conducted a Q & A session. La Scuola Parents were also present at this screening.
On Thursday, February 6th our guest students from the Liceo Farnesina visited the Bronx Science High School Museum of the Holocaust, accompanied by some of our Liceo teachers, Preside Anna Fiore and by Dr. Natalia Indrimi, Executive Director of the Primo Levi Center. Ms. Sophia Sapoznikov of the Holocaust Studies class and museum at Bronx Science hosted this visit. Our students were taken on an informative tour of the museum by Bronx Science students, some of which spoke Italian. We were extremely pleased to know that Bronx Science High School offers AP Italian classes and has a strong Italian department. We are very grateful to Dr. Natalia Indrimi, Director of the Centro Primo Levi, for organizing this event in collaboration with the Bronx Science High School and we hope to begin a lasting bond with this school, also in the areas of Science and sustainability.
La Scuola d’Italia
“The light that Hanna Arendt work brought into the world still shines. And because her work is invoked by an ever increasing number of people, it becomes brighter every day. In a time when most felt obligated to adhere to a specific ideology, Arendt was a shining example of someone who remained true to her unique perspective on the world” (Margarethe Von Trotta, 2013)
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Hanna Arendt's report on the Eichmann trial, as represented by the German movie director Margarethe Von Trotta, provided our students a great opportunity to think deeply and reflect on good and evil from a philosophical and political perspective.
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La Scuola d'Italia Elementary School Science Fair 2014
The Elementary School Science Fair took place this year on Friday, January 31st at our 96th street building.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
The fair, organized by the Elementary School Teachers Laura La Rocca and Aimee Felton, showcased the projects of our 4th and 5th Grade students. Our young scientists illustrated their projects to the 6th Grade class that came to visit the Fair, accompanied by the Science teacher prof. Anna Bartocci and by prof. Augusta Fleisher, Middle School coordinator. First, second, and third place certificates were awarded by Ms. Larocca and Ms. Bartocci, along with special category certificates, and participatory certificates for originality, presentation and use of scientific method. We were very pleased to see our student's creative ideas and hard work! Head of School Anna Fiore, along with Teachers, Laura Larocca, Aimee Felton, Anna Bartocci and Augusta Fleischer were very impressed with students' work.
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As a school, we are conscious of the importance of broad scientific literacy in a world in which science and technology are playing an ever-increasing role. As such, we seek to prepare students to engage in scientific conversations that bear on global matters, as well as the arts and humanities. We ask our students not to simply memorize an ocean of facts, formulae, and unfamiliar terminology, but to develop a way of looking at the universe, and ultimately a mode of asking and answering questions via critical thinking. We look forward to the students and parents continued support of our science program at La Scuola!
La Scuola d'Italia Elementary School Science Fair 2014
We warmly congratulated all of the students who participated in the Elementary School Science Fair. Each participating student received an award certificate. Categories included, best model, best use of the scientific method, best presentation, best display board, most creative project, and most environmentally friendly project.
5th GRADE
1st Place - Allie Smithie: At What Temperature Does Sea Water Freeze?
1st Place - Patrizio Mariani: The Discovery of Fluids by Archimede's Principles
1st Place - Martina Siddu: How Temperature Affects Sea Levels
1st Place - Francesca White: Effectiveness of Soaps
2nd Place - Giulia Alberti: The Cleaning Power of Hand Sanitizer
1st Place - Maya Graziani: How do Sink Holes Form?
2nd Place - Lorenzo Carta: The Cleaning Power of Hand Sanitizer
2nd Place - Stella Fusaro: Is there Bacteria Living in Yogurt?
3rd Place - Meriel Crowley-Wang What Food Can Do
2nd Place - Margherita Marras: Are Fingerprints Influenced by Genetics?
3rd Place - Giacomo Maroni: How does Salt Melt Ice and Snow on Roads?
3rd Place - Giovanni Tartara: Airplanes - The Importance of Wings
3rd Place - Giorgio Valente: Separation of Sand and Salt after Mixing
3rd Place - Lilliana Tartillo: Capillary Action in Flowers
Honorable Mention Lidia Colavita: The possibilities of Math Experiments
James Novello: The Bounce of Tennis Balls
Joshua Fundler: Bristle Bots
Joelle Vitale: Silly Putty
La Scuola d’Italia
4th GRADE
Annual Report 2013-14
The awards certificates were given as follows:
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La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
La Scuola d'Italia Elementary School Science Fair 2014
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6th LICEO FARNESINA EXCHANGE PROGRAM – 2014
EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE MA February 4th – February 12th From February 4 to 12, 2014, a group of 17 students, 12 girls and 5 boys, accompanied by the teachers prof. Raffaella Santorelli and Anna Focolari from the Liceo Farnesina in Rome, came to visit us in New York, for the 6th year of the exchange program with La Scuola d'Italia. From February 7-9 the Liceo Farnesina group, along with 10 La Scuola Liceo students, participated in the MITMUN project, a Model United Nations organized at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge MA. During their ten-day visit, the students from Rome also attended classes at La Scuola's Liceo with our 11th and 12th Grade students; they participated in a lunch reception at the Italian Consulate and in a session at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations, in preparation to the MITMUN in Cambridge. We warmly thanked all La Scuola families for their collaboration and generosity, especially those who hosted one or two students.
EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN ROME AND RIMUN Model UN march 26th – april 2nd From March 26th to April 2nd twelve Liceo students participated in the prestigious Rome International Model United Nations. Our students were very proud to represent the delegations of Chad, Egypt, and Indonesia, as well as the International Court of Justice. After the Opening Ceremony at Council Hall “Giulio Cesare” Piazza del Campidoglio, young delegates began working on Resolutions in the 6 Committees, the 4 Commissions and 2 Special Commissions, in the Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Delegates were from 30 schools in many countries: Poland, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Spain, Romania, Turkey, Morocco, Mauritius, Kazakhstan, New Delhi and Mumbai, India, and many other schools from Rome. In the days leading up to the conference, our students, accompanied by prof.ssa Ilenia Pitti and prof. Michael Prater had the great opportunity to visit the Vatican Museums and Pompeii.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
We warmly thank the students for all their hard work in the months leading up to the conference and during the conference. We would also like to recognize the efforts of our hosts at the Liceo Farnesina, who welcomed our Liceo students and made this experience in Rome a very special and unforgettable one.
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La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
6th LICEO FARNESINA EXCHANGE PROGRAM – 2014
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5th GRADE CLASS trip to MANHATTAN COUNTRY SCHOOL FARM
MARCH 3-7, 2014
This year for the first time we were able to offer to our 5th Grade students a wonderful experience: an entire week at the Manhattan Country School Farm, engaged with the natural processes that support life, providing them with an unparalleled experience of community life and sustainability.
Before the departure, parents of the participant students are generally asked to write nice brief letters to their children. These letters are handed in to the children every night, while at the farm at bedtime. We proposed this unique experience to our 5th grade students and we were able to put together a group of 13 fifth graders, who, accompanied by the teachers Ms. Laura LaRocca and Mr. Spiro Gouras, sustainability program coordinators, spent a week in the Catskill Mountains experiencing a sustainable working farm, located in Roxbury, New York.
La Scuola d’Italia
On Tuesday, November 12th we were extremely pleased to host an informative session about the farm program offered to our 4th and 5th Grade classes, presented here at La Scuola in our conference room by the Head of the Manhattan Country School, Dr. Michele Sola and Mr. Ed Fersch, Acting Director of the Manhattan Country School Farm. There were also two parents from MCS who had already sent their children to the farm for several times. They explained that the activities throughout the week are very well structured and organized: every time that the kids have an outdoor activity, the farm personnel makes sure that they are properly dressed and they also provide boots and jackets in case the children need them. During the day, when the children are not engaged in outdoor activities, they can select a class to participate in, such as textile making, cooking, and preparing food ingredients. The students' dormitories (rooms of four or five) are very close to the rooms of the accompanying teachers. We also learned that the sleeping accommodations allowed boys and girls to be in separate living quarters. Each room can accommodate between 4 and 5 children.
Annual Report 2013-14
Over the school year we began collaborating with the Manhattan Country School, our 96th Street neighbor school. MCS, a Pre-K-8th Grade institution, is unique among NYC independent schools in having a 180-acre working farm integral to the curriculum. During Summer 2013 the Manhattan Country School invited La Scuola d’Italia students to participate in its prestigious farm program for one week in March 2014.
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5th GRADE CLASS trip to MANHATTAN COUNTRY SCHOOL FARM
MARCH 3-7, 2014
This Farm School program is located 150 miles from New York City. The facilities include a textile studio, nature lab, barn, recreation building, sap house, chicken house and historic stone house. On 180 forested and cultivated acres, our students participated in workshops and gained hands on experience doing farm work, learning about nature, textiles, taking cooking classes and engaging in activities that promote conservation and sustainability. For a week, our students lived together as a large family, in an independent community that relies on each person’s work to sustain the farm. A typical schedule at the farm includes the following: the first day on Monday is arrival and orientation; the final day on Friday is departure; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are devoted to nature studies and hands on workshops. But please, let us read and learn more directly from the Teachers’ journal…
Journal from the Farm Trip by teachers Spiro Gouras & Laura Larocca
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
DAY ONE: The smiles on the children's faces have been priceless. They got off the bus, unpacked their bags, and found their rooms. They enjoyed an excellent session where they looked at rules for the house and the farm, and then proceeded to start the activities. Jaws dropped when the children saw the extent of the facilities: the rows of friendly cows (we met Yogurt, who provided the cream for the butter they just put on our bread), sheep, chickens, pigs, textiles classroom, etc. They went sledding, sat and read books, played board games, and got to work on their jobs. Every child has already been given a task around the house and they are handling everything with a responsible and independent spirit. So, the first impression so far from Ms. Laura, Mr. Gouras, and from the kids was “wow!”
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DAY TWO: The students had an exciting and busy second day at the farm! The children have been well behaved, eager, and have shown great independence. All of the children were so excited to begin their day! Children on barn duty awoke at 6:45 am and helped take care of their designated animal in the barn. The rest of the children completed their morning chores and participated in a morning meeting. After some delicious pancakes for breakfast, some well-deserved outdoor free time (including sledding and hay jumping), the children split into four class groups. During the two daily sessions, the children participated in two of the following classes: Farming, Cooking, Nature Study, and Textiles. By the end of the third day, each child will have completed all classes. Spiro attended the Nature Study class on a long morning hike and Laura attended the Textiles class where they learned step by step the process of making a piece of fabric, from the sheared wool all the way to the finished product. By Friday the class will have a woven masterpiece to bring back to school!
DAY THREE: The children seem to be enjoying each day with new interactions with the farm animals, new confidence in their jobs, new independence…they continued their lessons in nature, farming, textiles, and cooking. After dinner, they enjoyed some outside play and settled down for board games and journal writing.
DAY FOUR: The students enjoyed clear blue skies and priceless experiences here at the farm on their fourth and final full day. They have continued to show great independence and initiative. They know exactly what jobs need to be done, how, and when to do them. After completing one session of each class on Tuesday and Wednesday, today the children were able to choose which classes they wanted to repeat. They participated in one morning and one afternoon class and chose from nature, farming, textiles and/or cooking. In nature the children continued to explore the flora and fauna of the farm and surrounding lands. In farming the children completed important tasks around the farm such as putting down more saw dust for the chickens. In textiles the children created their own woven masterpieces on mini looms, and finally in cooking the children prepared dinner and snacks for tomorrow’s bus ride home.
We also warmly thank the Head of the Manhattan Country School Dr. Michele Sola and Mr. Ed Fersch, Acting Director of the Manhattan Country School Farm.
La Scuola d’Italia
On Friday March 7th our group returned to school at 1:30 p.m and all parents were happy to welcome their children back from such a wonderful and unique experience at the Farm. We warmly thanked Mr. Gouras and Ms. Larocca for assisting our students and for their dedication towards the children throughout the 5 days.
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DAY FIVE: Back in the city!
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CAN AKANT “JOHNNY” TOKSU REMEMBRANCE
On Thursday, February 20th, the students of the Liceo marked the two-year anniversary of the passing of our beloved student Can Akant “Johnny” Toksu. In a moment of remembrance, the students shared some of his favorite foods, and also their fond memories of Johnny, a student who was warm, fun-loving, and caring and whose spirit continues to live in the hearts of all of us.
A LETTER SENT BY JOHNNY’S PARENTS ON OCTOBER 7TH, JOHNNY’S BIRTHDAY
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Dear All:
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Please accept our gratitude to everyone who has contributed to Johnny's Education Fund for Liceo Students. We so very much appreciate your helping to support La Scuola in our Beloved son's name. There are no words to describe how important it is for us to continue supporting Johnny's La Scuola Community, the perfect way to keep Can Akant's fun loving and learning loving spirit very much alive. This is the time of the year where we think back on all the birthday celebrations Johnny had at school and with school friends at home. Our son was always grateful for any gift he received, even if he already had what was being presented, taking extra care to thank everyone and make them feel that their gift, no matter what monetary value, was the best ever! We feel that way about contributions to his fund. Like NPR says, to give what we can is all we can do. One of Johnny’s favorite times was selling raffle tickets at the Gala with and for his friends, and their mutual bilingual and bicultural education. Learning is what kept Johnny vital and happy all his life. No matter what age, we are all works in progress, just like he was, hopefully throughout our entire lives. We are forever grateful to his perfectly balanced (between challenging and nurturing) La Scuola d'Italia, Johnny's home away from home. Tante, tante grazie, Johnny's grateful parents, Elizabeth and Ihsan Toksu.
LA SCUOLA D’ITALIA CELEBRATES
“2014 YEAR OF THE ITALIAN CULTURE IN THE USA” TEATRO delle ALBE, RAVENNA TEATRO STABILE IN THE USA - February 2014 La Scuola d'Italia 'G. Marconi', in collaboration with “La MaMa Theater” in New York, Montclair State University NJ-The Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian-American Studies, the IACE Italian American Committee on Education, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó at NYU, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, was very proud this year to present the US tour of the Teatro delle Albe-Teatro Stabile of Ravenna, that took place in January and February 2014. This complex theatrical project, involving so many institutions in New York City, was prepared in theatrical workshops and presentations that took place in New York in February 2012 and 2013. Teatro delle Albe, founded in 1983 by Marco Martinelli, Ermanna Montanari, Luigi Dadina and Marcella Nonni, is one of the most important theatre companies on the Italian and international scene. It has been recognized with fourteen Ubu Prizes (the Italian “Oscars” for theater) and several prizes at international festivals. Teatro delle Albe combines the modern re-visitation of classical plays and the development of new ones with the pedagogical practices of its workshops held both at their “non-school” in Ravenna and around the world. This U.S. tour was made possible by the invitation of La MaMa Theatre of NYC. La MaMa, a historic avant-garde theatre in Manhattan, founded by Ellen Stewart and today directed by Mia Yoo, presented the Teatro delle Albe's show Noise in the Waters (Rumore di acque) for three weeks at the First Floor Theatre.
PRESENTATIONS Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò/New York University 28 January at 6 p.m.: Presentation of Marco Martinelli's book “Noise in the Waters”, Bordighera Press, English translation by T. Simpson, in collaboration with CEMS (Center for European and Mediterranean Studies) at NYU
La Scuola d’Italia
5 February at 6 p.m.: The poetics of the Albe throughout a 30 year journey: the experience of the “non-school”.
Annual Report 2013-14
Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York
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LA SCUOLA D’ITALIA CELEBRATES
“2014 YEAR OF THE ITALIAN CULTURE IN THE USA” PERFORMANCES “NOISE IN THE WATERS” AT LA MAMA January 30 – February 16, Thursday-Saturday at 7.30 p.m., Sunday at 2.30. p.m. “HERESY OF HAPPINESS” February 11, 6:00 p.m. at La Scuola d'Italia Middle School-Liceo Auditorium, 406 East 67th Street
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
THEATRICAL WORKSHOP AND PERFORMANCE AT LA SCUOLA
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The theatrical workshop took place at La Scuola d’Italia's Auditorium every Saturday from January 18th to February 8th. Directed by Marco Martinelli, the workshop involved 8th grade and Liceo students from La Scuola d'Italia, Middle School students from Corpus Christi Catholic School, High school students from UNIS and Bronx Science H.S. in collaboration with IACE, and concluded with a final performance open to the public at La Scuola d'Italia. “Heresy” is centered on the so called “non-school”, the Teatro delle Albe's twenty-year theatre-pedagogical practice with teenagers from all over the world and is based on the poetical and theatrical work of Vladimir Mayakovski. On Tuesday, February 11th, our 8th Grade and Liceo together with other students from the above mentioned schools, performed in the show “Heresy of Happiness” at La Scuola's Middle School & Liceo campus. This event was a great success; we warmly thank Marco Martinelli, Director of Teatro delle Albe and Alessandro Renda, actor who conducted the workshop with the students.
in collaboration with “La MaMa Theater” in New York, Montclair State University NJ-The Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian-American Studies, the IACE Italian American Committee on Education, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó at NYU, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, is proud to present
Teatro delle Albe-Teatro Stabile of Ravenna “Rumore di acque (Noise in the Waters)”
Teatro delle Albe, founded in 1983 by Marco Martinelli, Ermanna Montanari, Luigi Dadina and Marcella Nonni, is one of the most important theatre companies on the Italian and international scene. It has been recognized with fourteen Ubu Prizes (the Italian “Oscars” for theater) and several prizes at international festivals. Teatro delle Albe combines the modern re-visitation of classical plays and the development of new ones with the pedagogical practices of its workshops held both at their non-school in Ravenna and around the world. This U.S. tour was made possible by the invitation of La MaMa Theatre of NYC. La MaMa, a historic avant-garde theatre in Manhattan, founded by Ellen Stewart and today directed by Mia Yoo, presented the Teatro delle Albe's show Noise in the Waters (Rumore di acque) for three weeks at the First Floor Theatre.
La Scuola d’Italia
January 30th – February 2nd PREFERRED RATE: Adults $15; Students $10
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January 30 – February 16, 2014 Thursday – Saturday 7:30 p.m. & Sunday 2:30pm At La MaMa First Floor Theatre
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REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH
workshop with Dr. Lella Gandini On Tuesday, March 11th, La Scuola d'Italia hosted a lecture followed by two workshops with Dr. Lella Gandini, the US liaison to the Reggio methodology. The event was open to preschool and K teachers from other Reggio inspired schools in New York City, with the participation of our preschool staff, and lasted an entire day. We had over 60 participants who were extremely happy and pleased with the workshop. The participants had the opportunity to make several Reggio Emilia inspired works using “paper, clay and wire”. A workshop was also held for Parents in the late afternoon and that was a great success. We warmly thank Dr. Lella Gandini for conducting the workshop, Mr. David Kelly and Lauren Monaco from the Blue School for helping with the afternoon session and Ms. Ilaria Costa for cooperating on the organization of the event. We are very proud for hosting this prestigious event, which highlights La Scuola as a reference point in New York City for the Reggio Emilia approach in preschool education.
w w w. l a s c u o l a d i t a l i a . o rg
is proud to present
LELLA GANDINI US liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach in
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“Developing projects constructed with children in the Reggio Emilia atelier and reflecting on the documentation process”
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A Conference for Early Childhood Teachers (age 3-6) On Tuesday March 11th from 8:45 am to 3:30 pm “Being an active Parent in a Reggio Emilia inspired school: working with Teachers and school community to develop The Hundred Languages of Children” A Conference for Parents (ages 3-6) On Tuesday March 11th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm At La Scuola d'Italia “G. Marconi” 2nd Floor Conference Room
REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH
workshop with Dr. Lella Gandini
L’ANGOLO REGGIO EMILIA From the preschool division, some of the most beautiful Reggio Emilia inspired work of our children.
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The preschool division learned the alphabet according to the Reggio Emilia Methodology.
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REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH
workshop with Dr. Lella Gandini
In the Pre-K B class, with the Atelier teacher Ms. Rosa and the Italian teacher Ms. Patrizia, the kids made another fantastic project “Reggio Emilia” inspired. They made colorful leaves using Liquid Water Color paint. They were excited to discover how the colors change when mixed together. On each leaf we wrote what they are “Thankful For…” “Siamo Grati Per…” and using sticks collected at the park and some wool they made an original display of their masterpieces.
Buon Natale from our Reggio inspired Preschool. The children from our preschool division discovered that by using recyclable materials they can create something beautiful and unique for this Christmas. Using plastic bottles and yarn for the decorations, they made a Christmas tree!
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Ms. Rosa & Ms. Laura
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REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH
workshop with Dr. Lella Gandini
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In collaboration with the Italian teacher Ms. Patrizia and the Atelierista Ms. Rosa, in order to follow Pre-K B's monthly theme which is the “Ocean”, the children decided to make a huge fish for the classroom. Pre-K B students named the fish “Pesce Arcobaleno” and it was on display in the Pre K B classroom.
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www.lascuoladitalia.org
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GALA BENEFIT DINNER
MARCH 21, 2014
What a fantastic evening! With about 450 guests, our Gala 2014 was truly a memorable event. We were very proud of our Honoree, Lady Cristiana Falcone Sorell, Senior Adviser to the Chairman World Economic Forum who is a role model in the Italian American community. It was so rewarding and heartwarming to see parents, children, teachers and friends of La Scuola celebrating and dancing together with joy, happiness and a renewed strong pride for our Italian culture and Italian identity. As is customary every year, the Ambassador of Italy to the US, H.E. Claudio Bisogniero opened the event with his introductory remarks; Chairman Acunto presented the Pavia Award for distinguished service to former Chairmen of La Scuola d'Italia. We congratulate George Pavia, Esq., Mr. Aldo Uva and Mr. Steven Madsen, Esq.
We are all very grateful to our outstanding Gala Committee, who worked tirelessly to make La Scuola d'Italia's Gala the most successful, elegant, popular and fun event of the Italian community in New York. Each member of the committee worked very hard, with dedication and commitment. Our heartfelt thanks go to our wonderful Gala Committee Chair Piera Palazzolo Falzone who led the committee to the best of its potential. We are all very grateful to La Scuola's devoted Parents: the best result of this labor of love is that we are building a strong and united community, which truly represents the best of Italy today, here in New York.
La Scuola d’Italia
Thanks to the input and work of two of our Gala Committee members, Mrs. Nishta Boodhoo and Mrs. Amy Bennet Mantica, this year for the first time we were able to implement an important technological innovation: a new mobile bidding system that made the auction as well as donation experience easier and more fun for our families and guests. Attendees were able to view the items in the auction and bid at their leisure right from their seats during the evening. Registrations at the entrance were also performed electronically.
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Special Thanks to our Master of Ceremonies, Maria Bartiromo and to our Special Guest Lorenzo Cherubini “Jovanotti” who “improvised” his performance by creating a song for La Scuola d'Italia. Truly a wonderful moment for all in the audience; he captured everyone's attention with his performance and shared his wonderful experience of being the parent of a La Scuola student and his support towards our organization.
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La Scuola d’Italia
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GALA BENEFIT DINNER
MARCH 21, 2014
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GALA 2014
Gala Revenues Total Revenue $397,163.00 Expenses $161,940.52 Net Revenue $235,222.48
RAFFLE 3%
TECH FUND 1%
DONATIONS 6%
SCHOLARSHIP FUND 7%
8%
Dinner $228,750
Advertising
58%
Auction $65,158 Donations $23,140 Tech Fund $4,500 Advertising $33,550 Scholarship Fund $29,050
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Raffle $13,015
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16%
Auction
Dinner
WINTER AND SPRING ENGLISH AND ITALIAN BOOK FAIRS ROBERTO PIUMINI at LA SCUOLA We truly shared our love for reading at La Scuola this year! Thanks to our wonderful teachers, English Book Fair Coordinators Jennifer Dionisio and Christine Morga and Italian Book Fair Coordinators Selene Candido and Chiara Senatore and to La Scuola parents who volunteered in this endeavor, we were able to organize: Two Book Fairs in the winter: Italian Book Fair on December 4th and 5th at the Elementary and Middle School English Scholastic Book Fair on December 19th. Two Book Fairs in the Spring: English Scholastic Book Fair on May 1st and 2nd Italian Book Fair on May 8th and 9th at the Elementary and Middle School Our La Scuola Elementary and Middle School students were able to select and purchase books from a variety of genres in both languages. More than 500 volumes were sold at each book fair and all of the proceeds will be used to enrich and enhance our Italian and English classroom libraries for the 2014-2015 school year.
ROBERTO PIUMINI, special guest at La Scuola On the occasion of the Italian Book Fair that took place on May 7th and 8th, the week of May 5th was “Roberto Piumini Week”. Thanks to the instrumental help of Manuela Zanzi Maroni, mother of two La Scuola students, Giacomo and Matilda, one of the most famous contemporary Italian writers for children, Roberto Piumini agreed to run a series of workshops geared towards our K, Elementary and Middle School students. These workshops took place on May 5th, 6th and 7th and were extremely successful; students at La Scuola from Preschool to Middle School loved Roberto Piumini and his ability to connect with the audience, to enchant our children with the wonderful world of words and stories, poems and rhymes, creativity and much more… A special breakfast with Roberto Piumini for all of our La Scuola families was organized on Tuesday May 6th in the conference room at the 96th Street main campus. Roberto Piumini also conducted a magic workshop for La Scuola Parents about Reading and Books on Tuesday May 6th at La Scuola 96th Street main campus.
ITALIAN BOOK FAIR In conjunction with the May 8th and 9th Italian Book Fair, the ISL Elementary department teachers had the opportunity to introduce parents to an exciting new educational electronic game entitled “Italia in gioco. Il Bel Paese spiegato ai bambini”. This project was created in order to facilitate the learning of Linguaculture through fun and technology.
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his is the beginning of an interesting collaboration and a remarkable step forward T for the Italian department. The project was presented at the Italian Book Fair on May 8th by ISL teachers Selene Candido, Maria Rosaria Fratangeli, and Francesca Vicchio, with the assistance of “educa-game” curator Mirko M. Notarangelo.
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CULTURAL EVENTS
MAY 2014 The week of May 5th was filled with outstanding cultural events, representing important enrichment opportunities for the curriculum of our Elementary, Middle School and Liceo students. On Monday, May 5th at the Media and Liceo campus we welcomed the outstanding Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, along with Prof. Paola Salvi from the Accademia di Belle Arti, Brera. They proposed to our Liceo Students, and also to La Scuola families and Friends, a lecture on “Renaissance and Rebirth” on the work done by Maestro Pistoletto on the Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci. The lecture of Prof. Paola Salvi and Maestro Pistoletto, was followed by a video screening of previous performances on the same topic, that took place in Italy (Milan, Florence and Venice) in 2012 and in 2013. We were very grateful to the FONDAZIONE NY and former Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York Prof. Riccardo Viale, for proposing to La Scuola this terrific project. On Wednesday, May 7th, at the Media and Liceo campus, we welcomed another famous protagonist of Italian culture today: the actor and comedian Enrico Brignano who marched with La Scuola in the October 2013 Columbus Day Parade. Enrico was absolutely hilarious while interacting with our students, recalling his years in Manhattan when he arrived after completing his studies in Italy, with many dreams, no money and a talent ready to take off. He also spoke with our Liceo students, La Scuola Families and Friends, about the famous Italian musical “Rugantino”, that was brought back to New York on June 12th, 13th, and 14th, 2014, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of its first Broadway Debut. A group of our Liceo students, coordinated by Letizia Airos, Editor in Chief of i-Italy and teacher of La Scuola's journalism course, interviewed Enrico Brignano after his presentation at La Scuola. The interview of our young journalists was broadcasted on Channels 22 and 25, during the i-Italy weekly program.
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We warmly thank Vice Consul Lucia Pasqualini, who introduced Enrico to La Scuola.
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GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR STUDENTS
Liceo American Math Competition On February 19th our Liceo students successfully participated in the American Math Competition. American Math Competition- Math Olympics results: AMC 12 (11th and 12th Grade) 1) Davide Morselli (73.5 points) 2) Morandi Aurora, Riotto Eleonora, Ferri Matilde (57 points) 3) Favazza Marcella, Magnani Giulia (52.5 points)
AMC 10 (10th and 11th Grade) 1) Bengiyat Ari (58 points) 2) Castillo Dualis (55.5 points) 3) Sobell Gabriel (54 points)
NARNI SUMMER PROGRAM WITH IACE FOR OUR LICEO STUDENTS We are very pleased to announce that two La Scuola students, Ilana Price (8th Grade) and Anne Fleury (10th Grade) qualified as the recipients of a prestigious scholarship awarded from IACE, the Italian American Committee on Education, that allowed them to attend a wonderful Summer program in Narni, in the Region of Umbria. On May 29th, the award ceremony took place at the Italian Consulate, with the presence of Consul General of Italy Min. Natalia Quintavalle, IACE President Berardo Paradiso and IACE Executive Director Dott.ssa Ilaria Costa. Twenty students, 8th graders and high school pupils, from the tri-state area were the winners of this competition. The summer program lasted for two intense weeks from July 8th to July 21st, and was comprised of Italian language classes, participation in the Narnia Arts Academy program of events, directed by famous musician Cristiana Pegoraro, guided tours to famous sites, such as Assisi, Spello, Rome, Ponte Augusto, Marmore Falls and Ecological Park. The program also included cooking classes, painting and ceramics classes and many musical events and performances of the Narnia Festival. Participants covered only the flight expense, being that all other costs were covered by the scholarship provided by IACE. We warmly thank La Scuola teachers Prof. Ilenia Pitti and Prof. Federica Anichini who helped our students Ilana and Anne to prepare their projects. Extended thanks to IACE President Berardo Paradiso and IACE Executive Director Ilaria Costa, for offering this great opportunity to our La Scuola students.
La Scuola d’Italia
One of our new Liceo students, Isli Hoxha, was interviewed in Italy over the Spring break to share his experiences in the USA. We are happy to announce that he has been accepted to the Lee Strasberg Acting School of New York where actors like Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, Robert DeNiro, and Dustin Hoffman have attended.
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ISLI HOXHA a new 10th grade student at LA SCUOLA
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GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR STUDENTS
Columbia University Astronomy Public Outreach - Friday, May 9th 5th Grade Students Maya Graziani, Federico Kayadjanian, Lapo Guidi, Antonino Di Stefano, Francesca White & Stella Fusaro enjoyed the lecture held at Columbia's physics and astronomy building on a rainy, foggy Friday night. The lecture topic, “How to Build a Solar System”, by graduate student Jeff Andrews, focused on how the solar system (specifically the earth and its moon) were formed. The discussion was extremely educational (also for the parents who came out in the drizzly cold that night!) Some major points discussed were the creation of the earth's moon, by a rock the size of Mars that hit the earth, that the moon is slowly moving away from the earth at a rate of about an inch per year, how the effect of the moon's gravitational pull on the earth control our tides and how sediment records confirm that millions of years ago the moon was closer to the earth and the days were shorter, as well as how the solar system formed from a cloud of gas after a giant explosion!
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A big thank you to Stella's mother, Mrs.Vetia Alana Searcy, for help in organizing this great event!
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MEDIA AND LICEO SOCCER SEASON
La Scuola soccer season was extremely successful this year! We won many games at both the Middle School and Liceo Divisions.
LICEO SOCCER La Scuola's Liceo division was proud to announce a victory in the first soccer game of the year against the Avenues School. The score was 5-2, with four goals scored by team captain, Marco Risi, and one goal scored by Giacomo Lumer. The Liceo was also very proud to announce another victory of our Soccer team: they beat Staten Island Academy 2-1, with goals scored by Marco Risi and Giacomo Lumer. Congratulations also to Prof. Rubiera for his great leadership and hard work. On Friday, October 25th, The Liceo Boys soccer team defeated the Masters School 2-0, with Marco Risi of the Fourth Liceo scoring both goals. We would like to congratulate all of our players on a great season, especially our two seniors, Nicola Paoli and Giovanni Maria Ronco, on a great season, as well as a great four years playing soccer for La Scuola.
MEDIA SOCCER On October 15th La Scuola's Middle School soccer team had a soccer match against St. Ann where La Scuola had a victory of 7 to 0. Francesco Ferri scored the first goal opening the door for the rest of the media students to start scoring. Francesco scored two goals follow by Luigi Uva who also scored two goals. Carlo Caltagirone scored one goal along with Bruno Gaggi who also scored one goal. This drove the Avenues team to score an auto goal.
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On Thursday, October 17th, La Scuola's Middle School soccer team also won against Staten Island Academy 1 to 0. Francesco Ferri scored the winning goal.
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We are proud of our Middle School Soccer team for a season of great success and we warmly thank our athletic director Mr. Josè Rubiera.
CONI OLYMPIC GAMES IN MACERATA
Thanks to the CONI U.S. Representative, Cav. Uff. Mico Delianova Licastro, once again our Middle School student have been invited to attend the CONI Olympic Games.
A Coni USA track & field team participated in the V Province of Macerata Olympics/Youth Games 2014. The Coni USA Delegation included 12, 11 to 13 year old young Italian American athletes, 6 girls and 6 boys, two adult coaches-chaperones, and the Head of Delegation, the Cav. Uff. Mico Delianova Licastro. National tryout started in the tri-state area are on April 26th and April 27th. On June 2nd, during the Italian National Day Sport competition at La Scuola d’Italia, the following Middle School students qualified in the tryouts and were selected for the CONI Olympic Games in Macerata: Lorenzo Bertuccioli (8th Grade); Bruno Gaggi and Emma Ferri (7th Grade). The student Lorenzo Bertuccioli took part in the CONI Olympic games in Macerata from June 25th to July 1st. We are very proud to announce that Lorenzo won a bronze medal in the relay race and scored fourth in the long jump.
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All the competitions took place in the city of Macerata, in the Marche Region, the athletes also visited important cultural and tourist sites. International travel, food and lodging were at Coni's expense for all of the participating students.
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Letter from Lorenzo Bertuccioli’s parents
Spett.Le Scuola d’Italia e Gentile Dr.ssa Fiore É con vero piacere che desideriamo informarLa, allegando doverosamente delle foto, che Lorenzo Bertuccioli, unico alunno della Scuola d’Italia a essere stato chiamato a far parte della delegazione del CONI USA ai giochi olimpici della Gioventu’ a Macerata 26 Giugno-2 Luglio, (vi sono state delegazioni del CONI per giovani di origine italiana anche dal Brasile, Venezuela, Argentina, Canada e Svizzera oltre che da varie regioni d’Italia) ha vinto la medaglia di bronzo nella Staffetta ed é arrivato quarto nel salto in lungo. La Rappresentativa CONI USA oltre al bronzo nella staffetta ha colto due argenti nella corsa 1000 metri maschile e femminile riportando un lusinghiero successo al di lá delle aspettative che prevedevano al massimo due medaglie. Prego informare di tale bel risultato di Lorenzo il Professore di Ginnastica e il Coordinatore delle Attivitá Sportive della Scuola d’Italia che evidentemente hanno saputo ben contribuire alla “gestione” fisica di Lorenzo nel corso dell’anno! E rivolgiamo un pensiero particolare di gratitudine alla Scuola d’Italia che ha consentito, organizzando con il CONI la giornata sportiva/celebrativa proprio quel 2 giugno, al CONI di conoscere Lorenzo e prenderne in considerazione la possibile candidatura come poi é stato. Al di lá della medaglia che onora La Scuola d’Italia, la esperienza che Lorenzo ha entusiasticamente vissuto é stata indimenticabile, grazie ad una organizzazione eccezionale del CONI USA curata impeccabilmente dal Dr. Cav. Mico Delianova Licastro: tutto é stato perfetto, dalla accoglienza perfetta anche dei genitori nel primo giorno a Long Island per la sessione accuratissima di allenamenti per tre giorni, alla visita al Consolato; al viaggio di andata e ritorno, alla permanenza in Macerata che ha con sensibilitá incluso importanti momenti educativi e culturali. Veramente notevole e un gran motivo di orgoglio per quanto l’Italia sa creare per i suoi giovani nel mondo. Colgo la occasione per augurare alla Scuola d’Italia di poter mandare altri giovani sportivi in futuro a iniziative del genere del CONI USA magari informando l’Istruttore di Ginnastica per preparare dei giovani in vista delle selezioni!
Con molti cordiali saluti
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Bruno Bertuccioli e Barbara Sartore
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REMEMBERING GIOVANNIMARIA On Friday May 30th La Scuola d’Italia's community gathered together to celebrate the 1st Anniversary of the passing of our beloved 1st grade student 2012-13 Giovannimaria Rainaldi. Parents, teachers and students joined Giovannimaria’s mother, Cinzia Fratucello and his sisters Elisa, Celeste and Olivia, at the mass and inauguration of the Shrine of Christ the High Priest in memory of Giovannimaria at the Church of St. Catherine of Siena. Afterwards, a commemorative event took place at the 67th Street Middle School and Liceo Auditorium. Head of School Anna Fiore opened the event with introductory remarks, highlighting the extraordinary spiritual strength showed by Giovannimaria during the course of his illness and until his last days of life. His brief life will stand in the memory of the entire La Scuola community as a strong message of Love and Hope, in any adversity life holds for us. Elisa, elder sister of Giovannimaria, then took the floor, recalling many episodes of Gio’s brief but very intense life. A video about Giovannimaria, created with the help of Liceo coordinator Prof. Michael Prater, was then showed. Right after, Elementary ISL coordinator and teacher Selene Candido introduced the Poem Contest launched in the spring of 2014 in the Elementary School department, dedicated to the memory of Giovannimaria: it was a very moving moment when some La Scuola elementary students read their poems. Poems read by the students are below. Closing remarks were made by Father Enrique who spent many hours at the hospital with Giovannimaria and Cinzia Fratucello, Gio’s mother. Refreshments were offered by the P.A. We warmly thank the parents who organized this outstanding event, in particular we thank Delphine Quieti, Giulia Panciera, Lorella Uva, Micaela Pozzetto, Manuela Maroni, Sheree Sebastiani and Giovanna White.
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Poesie – Memorial per Giovanni Maria Rainaldi
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L'amicizia (di Sara Licini, 3° elementare) L'amicizia è come un tesoro Con dentro monete d'oro! L'amicizia è una cosa bella Sembra come quando guardi una stella. L'amicizia è una cosa preziosa Ogni volta che hai avuto una giornata gioiosa. L'amicizia va coltivata Come un cespuglio di insalata. L'amicizia vera Ti rende felice mattina e sera. L'amicizia è come una poesia Che resta sul foglio e non vola via. L’amore (di Alex Berchin, 3° elementare) L’amore è come una farfalla, brillante e colorata, che gira e gira e si posa su una stalla, ma non importa, lei ci sta beata! L’amicizia (di Lorea Roson, 3° elementare) L’amicizia brilla come una stella, è lenta come una chiocciola e splende come una lucciola. L’amicizia è una cosa meravigliosa profumata come una rosa.
Poesia della felicità (di Julian Bertellini, 3° elementare) La felicità è un tuffo nel mare che non vedi l’ora di rifare. La felicità è mangiare un gelato del tuo gusto preferito. La felicità è un giorno di primavera che poco prima non c’era. Grazie (di Eleanor Law, 2° elementare) Grazie amico Sei un grande amico. Le tue braccia Sono le mie braccia. Le tue gambe Sono le mie gambe. Il tuo cuore È il mio cuore. Amico (di Valentino Quieti, 2° elementare) Ciao amico, amico di cuore, sei venuto per dare l’amore. Ciao amico, bravo, intelligente, furbo e intraprendente. Ciao amico, per sempre amico.
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L’amicizia (di Luca Rakowski, 4° elementare) Nasce da un seme, come tutti, ma col tempo ne rilascia i frutti, comincia come una piantina, piccola ma carina, diventa grande e forte, come le porte. Col tempo si espande, e diventa grande. Poi fa i frutti, il resto lo dovrebbero sapere tutti… Comunque ve lo dirò, è proprio quello che farò! Poi i frutti cascano e i semi dei frutti si piantano, E così l’amicizia continua, senza tristezza e senza fine.
Quello che noi chiamiamo futuro… (di Luca Rakowski, 4° elementare) Quello che noi chiamiamo futuro, è a dire il vero un canguro, salta e balla nel tempo infinito, ma a volte si ferma, stanco e sfinito. È proprio in questo momento che succede qualcosa, accade che la speranza si metta in posa: la speranza ti fa pensare che qualcosa di bello in futuro ti può incontrare. Più speri, più pensi che si avveri. Se si avvera, tu balli tutta la sera, se quello in cui speri non si fa trovare, è sempre meglio che continui a sperare. Ma l’importante è che la speranza viva sempre in te.
La Scuola d’Italia
Amicizia (classe 1° elementare) L' amicizia, quella vera, è un fiore che sboccia e non appassisce mai. È un' immagine d'amore che dà tanto colore al cuore. A volte è dolce, a volte è amara, è come un gelato al gusto di cioccolato.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL and LICEO POETRY CLUB
February 27th MIDDLE SCHOOL POETRY READING On Thursday, February 27th, the Middle School Poetry Club held its annual reading in the gym. Mary Giaimo, Poetry Club facilitator, with the presence of Head of School Anna Fiore, along with Admir Cungu and Astrit Tena, transformed the gym into a cafe, complete with music. Michael Prater and Nels Pierce created a slide show of poets studied in the Club as well as the poetic paintings of well-known abstract artists. Parents generously brought refreshments as well as their enthusiasm and support. Our poets included Carolina Stocchi, Martina Gallo, Martina Chirco, Sabrina Debler, Pier Francesco Stocchi, Emma Ferri, Adrian Oliensis, Emanuele Cirelli, and Francesco Ferri. The Poetry Club meets after school once a week, from 3:30-5:00. The first semester is geared towards Middle School students and the second is for our Liceo students. Each week the activity begins by reading poems from renowned poets. Then a poetry idea inside these works is found, and the children write their own poems. Poets studied this semester included Robert Herrick, William Carlos Williams, Pier Paolo Pasolini, John Donne, D. H. Lawrence, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Charles Simic, Elizabeth Bishop, and others. The children's work was exquisite. We thank them for their heart, spirit, courage, and poetry. We warmly thank Mary Giaimo for conducting the Poetry After school activity and for organizing this wonderful reading.
June 4th LICEO POETRY READING On Wednesday, June 4th, the Liceo Poetry Club held its annual reading in the gym. The evening began with an introduction by Mary Giaimo, Poetry Club facilitator, with the presence of Head of School Anna Fiore. Michael Prater and Nels Pierce once again created a slide show of poets studied in the Club as well as the poetic paintings of well-known abstract artists. Parents generously provided delicious refreshments. Our poets included Josephine Morris, Bianca Serafini, Luciano Niedermann, Dante Hin-Gasco, Zamansky Twum, and Dualis Castillo. Poets studied this semester with Liceo students included Denise Levertov, William Carlos Williams, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Langston Hughes, D. H. Lawrence, Walt Whitman, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, E. E. Cummings, and others.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
The students' work was outstanding. We thank them for their exquisite poetical production.
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media POETRY CLUB
Secret Selves
Song
Beautiful Girl
I look weak really I am strong.
A witch yes a witch Witch changing your soul Witch mixing bone soup Witch with you in a deep tunnel Witch with a magic stick Witch turning you into good Witch casting my spell on you You bewitched You feel fire heat burning screaming inside me You becoming light-headed You flowing in the air like vapor You in your imagination You who became vapor You who flew into the witch’s soul You who became the good in the witch’s soul You the good a crystal, barking like a puppy
There she is coming to school with her white phone, her hands. Wearing gold on her right wrist blue Uggs on her feet. She crosses the street like a beautiful teenage model. Oh, she just arrived to school. She sprays perfume that smells like little roses, Puts her hair behind her seashell ears. Gold earrings, soft brown hair.
I might be short but I am fierce. I seem to be all about sports but really I like to read. I seem crazy really I’m calm. I seem noisy but really I hate it when I am. I’m mean sometimes but inside I’m sweet as a plum.
—Emma Ferri, 7th grade
I seem always joyful but really sometimes I’m sad.
Going In
—Francesco Ferri, 6th grade A Destination of Wonder
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The Night Spell
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Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell tonight? Bed. My spell is a dream. My name is Capricorn. I wear a red jewel. My favorite letter is S like the river song. The world is big. I love it. I have matryoshka dolls I got during the summer. They’re blue as violets. My favorite color is blue. Darkness on my face. On my head a light blue hat. Enchanting with white fur. My hair is gold, black, purple. My eyes green and pink. My world is beyond ugliness. Nighttime. The owl is awake. There’s distance between the future and me. Oranges in the sun. The owl sleeps while I read. The Earth is Air, Water, Fire Void. I learned that in fencing. I dream and sleep. I lie beneath your spell tonight. —Sabrina Debler, 8th grade
—Martina Chirco, 8th grade
I know a destination 5 miles east of where you wanted to go Where the sky is Verde and so is The grass Verde, the Clouds are Azurro, the Flowers are red and yellow Where the leaves are orange And violet Where the water is purple And wood is Verde, where the White makes a smooth Humming. —Pierfrancesco Stocchi, 7th grade
My Book I write about a thousand lies and A thousand stars in a thousand skies. I write about what I seem to be and about what I actually am. I write about dreaming girls, clumsy girls missing shoes. I write about dead worms and spring gardens. I write that hate is love and love is hate. I write about a thousand I’s. —Martina Gallo, 8th grade
Going inside an orange I went to see how it’s formed what colors it has. I am very curious. I want to meet a talking orange I want to see its veins And its language. I went into an orange It was big All orange only that color. One time I asked myself How big when it grows? I am so curious. It is like a sphere big and orange that color I saw that was strong and protected me. I was happy, going inside. I went out thanks to Francesco who opened and out I went from the big orange. —Emanuele Cirelli, 7th grade
media POETRY CLUB
Ongoing Actions A man trips and falls on his way to work The cat is on the rough bark of the tree leaning over the red siren of a fire truck A clock ticks in the room as a man waits in the room to know when his future will come into that room A girl jumps, and then stops, tastes blood on her lip, on the rough ground The man drinks warmth tastes brown strong coffee The plumber feels the clear cold of dirty water from the leak in the grey pipe A boy is warm and walks to the white building and meets a girl, her perfume of strawberry A man wakes up to the sound of red bells, but goes to sleep, to the taste of smoke A flower of yellow attracts a buzzy bee which tastes its sweet nectar A woman looks up to the sun, looks down to the earth, and sends part of herself back The cab driver drives yellow picks up a man of green, and stops at red The scientist excited creates the next blue ink pen line The robot flashes for a second as living, it hears a chatter, smells a buzz, then sleeps again The Dancer waits lonely, on an empty stage, waiting for the team of swans to come A fish swims in the cold water tastes green smells a hard rock of dull The architect bits his toast and imagines the smell of a taller building He jumps up, higher than that building, rushes out of the scented bar to his white office and writes —Adrian Oliensis, 7th grade
—Carolina Stocchi, 8th grade
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The circumference of my love is always a set number. The number of us. Hate is the lightning that caused the fire in my heart to burn for you. Excitement is the way a question and answer work. You want to know, but then you find out there is no way you can change it to how you want it. It is set. Sad is the water in low tide that doesn’t want to go the full way up the beach, you have no strength left within you. Loneness is Pluto. All by itself, sometimes wanting company sometimes not. Nervousness is not wanting to but wanting to. It is big as thunder, small as an ant. It swallows you up like the ocean, then spits you out as a lion spits out bones.
Annual Report 2013-14
The Way I Think of Them
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Liceo Poetry Club
Silent Poem Take #1: A child fixes his gaze upon a window A drooling window Take #2 In the window across from north A child fixes his stare upon a window glass Stained with the fog’s embrace, he wonders what Aggression the droplets had Upon each other to race so vigorously
Banish all the Harry Potter books. That would be nice. Buy a dog when there are no more dogs.
Take #4 Fog engulfs The stranger Who never recalled being there.
Go to Walmart and don’t save money or live better.
—Josephine Morris, 12th grade
—Dante Hin-Gasco, 9th grade
Back in the night when I was born A woman was screaming I saw a white dove with a hole in both His wings and foot saying I’ve got you Taxis ignoring us The train passing by reminding me It’s going to get better My feet soaked in warm water My clothes She knew I was going to get to the top Racism, discrimination, and prejudice spun around my head Annual Report 2013-14
If you like me, do this stuff:
Make the Swiss declare war on somebody.
Grandpa was buried in the gold soil
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Hi!
Take #3 The train ride Home after The kiss in street Lights Was too quiet. I fell asleep.
Nocturne
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My Requirements
I took it all and sent it to hell I mean that is where it is from I told myself I would be able to do it I did do it —Zamansky Twum, 9th grade
Ride a swing without sitting on it. Eat sushi from a gas station and not die of a terminal illness. Go into a seedy area in rich attire and not get mugged. Don’t drink tea. Don’t blame Obama. It’d probably be good if you succeeded in just the last one.
Liceo Poetry Club
Red Back in the night when I was born, all they said was, “She’s red!” Everyone seemed so happy, they tell me, that I was born red. But no one else was red, Everyone was blond or brown or something in between. No one else was red. Back in the night when I was born, all they said was, “She’s red!” If only they knew the solitude of being so different and red. Would Dad have been so happy then? Knowing how different I was. Back in the night when I was born, all they said was, “She’s red!” Every time a little girl or boy in a stroller came by All I thought to myself was, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to be different too. I’m sorry for your solitude. Back in the night when I was born, all they said was, “She’s red!” But as time goes by I realize you can’t change anything Not even your eyes. And every time a stroller comes by with a little girl or boy who is red, I think, I’m here too. No more solitude. —Bianca Serafini, 12th grade
Translation Colin Pierra puts in the font I’ll make the pace merited. Joy is far, joy is rain, and I love the mountains Love is tinkling of grass A battered rosary is rescued And the corks of champagne are bottled up Forests of the sun are battered in the trees No champagne for Lola, no champagne for me Can I go to a place far away? —Luciano Niedermann, 9th grade
Dualis Castillo Dualis Castillo Castillo Beautiful how my parents shared a last name derived from complete opposites
But opposites attract And here I am: Dualis Castillo Castillo Dualis Castillo —Dualis Castillo, 9th grade
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My dad from Villa Fundacion bordered by beaches Far East Light-skinned people sea-blue eyes freckles under eyes wealth mansions college students the ocean and the shore love family and culture sugar cane
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My mom from Las Matas bordered by Haiti Far West Dark-skinned people deep brown eyes dark beauty marks on cheeks poverty little shacks young delinquents artificial pools hate materialism platanos
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END OF THE YEAR RECITALS PRESCHOOL We would like to congratulate our young preschoolers for their wonderful performance on May 30th. Extended thanks to all the teachers & assistant teachers for helping the children make the recital so special.
elementary school We would like to congratulate all our students for their wonderful performances during the week of June 2nd. I want to warmly thank all our Teachers in the 4 divisions for their commitment, devotion, hard and dedicated work with all our La Scuola students. Thank you also to all the Parents, for their continuous support! And, as usual, let us finish with “Ad maiora!!!”
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
1st Grade A & B Ar Te atro performance
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2nd Grade A & B
3rd Grade
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Annual Report 2013-14
Middle School
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GRADUATION
June 20 and June 26, 2014 On June 20th and 26th we were very pleased to honor our 8th Grade and 12th Grade students with graduation ceremonies that took place at the Consulate General of Italy in New York. On June 20th, the 8th Grade students and their families gathered at the Italian Consulate. La Scuola Head of School Anna Fiore, congratulated the students with a heartfelt speech, pointing out the excellent academic level of the class, as proven by the results of the exams. Distinguished guest speakers at the ceremony were the president of the Exam Commission, Prof. Maria Cristina Mignatti, Secretary to La Scuola Board of Trustees, Dr. Maria Palandra and Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle, both warmly congratulated our outstanding 8th Grade class. Following are the names of the 8th Grade students who have been awarded their Italian diploma.
8th Grade Graduate Class: Devon Jayne Berkeley Riccardo Berti Lorenzo Bertuccioli Peter Borini Carlo Caltagirone Martina Chirco Sabrina Loredana Debler Francesca Diamond Isabella Dyczek Martina Gallo Gabriel Gruber Estella Lumer Jeremias Marraffini Oscar Lucien O’Brien Stefano Oppici Ilana Price
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Isabella Rutigliano
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Carolina Stocchi Daniel Sudsataya Matteo Sumatra Martina Fabri Upton Lugi Uva
On June 26th, our 12th Grade class, after completing a long and very challenging Italian Maturità exam, dressed in cap and gown, received their diplomas from Consul General Min. Natalia Quintavalle and from Comm. Stefano Acunto, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Consul General Natalia Quintavalle commended La Scuola Liceo students for the various projects and activities, both academic and cultural, implemented throughout the year in close collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy and the other Italian institutions in New York. Head of School Anna Fiore congratulated all the 12th Grade students and pointed out that the excellent results of the final exams confirmed the high level of academics reached by the students throughout their 4 years at La Scuola’s Liceo. For some of them La Scuola has been their second home, having attended it since the preschool. Preside Fiore expressed her heartfelt thanks towards all the Liceo teachers and to the exam commission, she also thanked the President of the exam commission for her hard work during both 8th Grade and 12th Grade exam sessions, and for her expert guidance and sensitivity towards the students. President of the Exams Commission Maria Cristina Mignatti congratulated our graduates and commended their preparation in both scientific and humanistic subjects, in both the Italian and English languages, and the level of maturity that all of them demonstrated during the exams.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
The graduating class will attend very fine colleges, including Bocconi University and New York University.
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GRADUATION
June 20 and June 26, 2014
12th Grade Graduate Class: Carlo Bufalini Marcella Favazza Aurora Morandi Josephine Emilia Morris Nicola Paoli
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Benedetta Potito
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Marco Risi Giovanni Maria Ronco Sabrina Scattoni Bianca Serafini
Bilingual Bliss
for Kindergarten through Grade 5
Day Camp This year from June 16th - June 27th we once again successfully organized a wonderful summer camp at La Scuola, for two weeks of learning and playing. The camp was attended by almost 40 students, with all activities coordinated and organized by La Scuola teachers Spiro Gouras, Jennifer Dionisio and Rosa DiMaggio. Bilingual activities included Arts and Crafts, Field Trips, Science Experiments, Outdoor Activities (obstacle courses, relay races, organized games), Music (camp songs and cheers), Citizenship Skills (morning meetings, circle time). Campers experienced visits to the American Museum of Natural History, catch and release fishing at the Harlem Meer, guided tours through the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum, a Marionette Show at the Swiss Cottage in Central Park, a visit to Central Park Zoo, Sports Day and Picnics, and an Art Session at the Central Park Conservatory Garden.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
The coordinators and teachers involved truly worked hard together to plan a camp that was both educational and fun. Children came home every day to share stories with their parents of the interesting things they learned and fun experiences they had.
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ALUMNI CORNER
La Scuola Alumni Remember and Reflect Following this year’s academic year inauguration ceremony in October, we were very pleased to hold the first on-campus reunion of the New York Metro Area Alumni. Attendees included Fabrizio Azzolini, Roberto Costanzo, Maria Graci, Josephine Graci, Eleonora Lattanzi Siddu, Mickaela Marichal, Gemma Richardson, Joseph Tromba, MD, and Francesca Verga, MD.
La Scuola d’Italia
Annual Report 2013-14
Former students attending La Scuola within the last several years through the first year were in attendance. Old stories were shared and new friendships made over lunch and a brief tour of the Upper School. Alumni from the earlier classes at La Scuola commented on the facilities and academic offerings that differed from their time at the school. Dr. Tromba from La Scuola’s first graduating class shared photos from that historic first year as well as a clipping from the local Italian language newspaper of the time.
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alumni corner
La Scuola Alumni, we want to hear from you! Please send in your news, announcements, and photos for publication in an upcoming La Scuola newsletter. Submissions should be sent via regular mail to Leonora McClernan in the Development Office at 12 East 96th Street, New York, NY 10128 or via email to develop@lascuoladitalia.org. Leonora can also be reached by phone at 212.369.4433.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In recognition of their leadership and support during the 2013-2014 academic year: La Scuola d’Italia gratefully acknowledges
The Parents Association 2013-2014 and all La Scuola Parents for their efforts and ongoing support throughout the year
SPECIAL THANKS TO The Gala Committee 2014 and its chair Piera Palazzolo Falzone for their extraordinary efforts to support staff in implementing a new system in record time to manage the Gala Benefit and its auction. Lady Cristiana Falcone Sorrell and Sir Martin Sorrell and the JMCMRJ Sorrell Charitable Foundation for their leadership support of scholarship funds made on the occasion of the 2014 Gala. La Scuola d’Italia Faculty and Staff for their ongoing support, dedication and for teaching our students to become citizens of the world.
Eligio Sgaramella iperdesign, Inc. www.iperdesign.com Paola Serrone Assistant to the Head of School for her help and support in the organization and creation of the Annual Report Project.
La Scuola d’Italia
Extended Thanks to
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The numerous La Scuola Community Members and Friends who generously volunteered their time and expertise during the course of the year at our many events and programs. We thank you for your service and for your dedication to the school.
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Annual Report 12 East 96th Street, New York N.Y, 10128 www.lascuolad足足足italia.org phone: (212) 369 3290
2013-14