WHSAD is blessed to have so many community partners that help make our students’ years in high school more dynamic and connected to the real world. Because of these partners, students enjoy opportunities that develop their learning, provide them with a greater understanding of the world, and, oftentimes, give them a leg up by providing internships and even careers beyond high school. One such partner, The Park Avenue Armory, has helped enrich our school in the past and will continue to do so this school year. One particular instance of such enrichment is when WHSAD students traveled to the Armory this past Tuesday, September 17 to witness the work of artist-in-residence, Rosa Barba. In the following narratives, students provide their … [Read more...]
WHSAD CareerClue Students Visit CookFox Architects
CookFox Director of Communications, Jared Gilbert, introduces us to the CookFox office and how sustainability has been the focus of its design. Photo credit: Oliver Whitson Thanks to the Salvadori Center, WHSAD students in the summer CareerClue program have been able to explore the multi-faceted nature of the architectural field. Students have learned from professional architects, engineers, construction managers, and many others. This week’s trip to CookFox architectural firm provided another experience to develop our students’ understandings of how vast and diverse the industry is. On this trip, we saw how CookFox practices sustainable building in their projects as well as in their own office. WHSAD Sophomore, Santiago Torres, … [Read more...]
Career Clue Trip to WSP Engineering Firm
WSP Civil Engineer, Brendan Smith, provides an overview of the firm's work on the LaGuardia Airport project. This summer, WHSAD students who have been participating in the SYEP Career Clue program have been granted several opportunities to travel to various firms to meet with architects, construction managers, engineers, and other professionals who work in the building process. These trips have provided students with insights as to what it takes to succeed in such firms, the collaborative processes involved in designing structures, and the need to approach projects with an open-mind and creative vision. All of these experiences have been possible due to the support of the Salvadori Center and its teachers, Roxanne Mejia, Lauren … [Read more...]
WHSAD Senior Oscar Bejarano joins the Solar One Green Construction training program.
WHSAD Senior, Oscar Bejarano, was recently accepted into the Solar One Green Construction training program. With his acceptance, Oscar will receive four days of hands-on training at the Solar One facility, an automatic paid internship in the green construction trades at the completion of training, free industry recognized training and OSHA certification, and job placement through March 2020. The following are some thoughts from Oscar about the opportunity. The Solar One Green Construction program is both a training program and an internship opportunity. The point of the four days of training is to teach the students about safety and the many possible dangers on a construction site in varying fields (electrical, carpentry, plumbing … [Read more...]
WHSAD Partners with Sheridan Academy for Young Leaders to Increase Literacy
Students, staff, and community leaders enjoyed working together to help literacy grow throughout New York City. WHSAD students continue to work to enhance literacy throughout New York City. This time, our students, supported by Ms. Heather Butts of Health for Youths, and teachers Mr. Alain Codio and Ms. Sandra Spaziani, visited Sheridan Academy for Young Leaders in the Bronx. During this event, students and staff members from both schools collaborated to build more Little Free Libraries, read to one another, and enjoy seeing how libraries built in the past have flourished. A Sheridan Academy for Young Leaders safety agent supports students in building a new library. A total of seven libraries have been built between two events. … [Read more...]
WHSAD Students Celebrate NYC Jazz Past and Present
Thank you to Keldwin Portes (left) and Lisa Lewis (right) for providing support for students throughout their creative processes. Over the last few months, select students have been working on projects to pay homage to the storied history and current energy of New York City jazz. Partnering with the New York City Department of Buildings and Architecture Grille, students learned an array of technical skills and built their networks for the future. Dariel Paulino explains his thought process to Keldwin Portes, AutoCAD Drafter at Architecture Grille. WHSAD would like to thank all of those who worked with our students through the creative process. In particular, Keldwin Portes and Jason Allocco from Architecture Grille; Lisa … [Read more...]
Freshman Deselle Thompson’s Review of Jean-Michel Basquiat Exhibit at The Brant Foundation
Thank you to The Brant Foundation for hosting our students and providing them with insights regarding Jean-Michel Basquiat's life and work. Jean-Michel Basquiat was an extraordinary artist from New York City in the 1980s. Basquiat created very non-traditional pieces of art that pushed limits and boundaries, which can be seen through his vibrant use of color and intense brush strokes, as well as the unconventional objects he used as his canvas. His unique style gained him a large amount of prestige and fame in the white-European dominated art world, which I personally found amazing, considering he was a poverty stricken man of Puerto Rican and Haitian descent. Students received an introduction to the works and life of Basquiat. … [Read more...]
WHSAD Students Attend King Lear
Ms. Newton's students enjoyed the experience of attending the Broadway production of King Lear at the Cort Theatre. “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” It is such sentiment that makes a work such as King Learn transcendental. Wondering about identity is something prevalent in each high school student’s experience, and an adolescent often looks to others to help define identity. Therefore, when students examine William Shakespeare’s work, it is in those students’ best interests to see the Bard’s words as relevant to a modern context. This year, Ms. Newton’s freshman English class has been studying Romeo and Juliet. Through this work, students have seen examples of relationship dynamics and impulsive nature commonly … [Read more...]
WHSAD Students Present Final Incubator Projects
WHSAD students along with the teachers and mentors who supported during the process From this past October to last week, students have been working with WHSAD teachers and community mentors in developing innovative products. Throughout the course of the Incubator project, students have learned how to plan, pitch, and execute on their ideas, and how to modify their work based on feedback from teachers and mentors. Due to the efforts of teachers Ms. Pia Moos and Mr. Ira Geringer, and mentors Sinclair Smith, Director of Groundfloor Incubator at School of Visual Arts; Noel Wiggins, co-founder of design and manufacturing company, Aeraware; and Bill Harvey, a sculptor and housewares designer, musician, supporter of WHSAD for many years; … [Read more...]
WHSAD Students Memorialize Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Victims
From left to right: Juniors, Jonah Vazquez and Ariana Lowery; Seniors, Trevon West and Dante Meade For the 2nd year in a row, The Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design juniors/seniors took part in Ruth Sergel’s living art that commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. On March 25th, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire took the lives of 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women and girls. The tragedy began a movement to deal with dangerous working conditions in the city. This commemoration is a capstone for the students following a unit of study on immigrant communities at the turn of the 20th century. This year our students commemorate the lives of seven victims of the fire, many coming from the same … [Read more...]