September 7th marked the partnership between the Department of Buildings (DOB) and WHSAD for CANstruction’s 31st Annual Design Competition. Canstruction is precisely what its name suggests, the construction of designs solely using cans which get donated to food banks at the end of each project. DOB asked that WHSAD students come up with a design which included the text “DOB CARES”, an apple representing New York City, and a city skyline upon student suggestion. This prompt received several student submissions who all brought a level of uniqueness to the table. In the end, the design that was chosen belonged to WHSAD Junior, Alonzo Jones. The next stage of this project will take place on Monday, September 26th where the WHSAD community will … [Read more...]

Park Avenue Armory's Youth Corps summer semester ran from July 10th to August 17th. This semester, as with previous semesters, Youth Corps members like myself experimented with a range of artistic mediums, some of which were unfamiliar. In addition to this experimentation, Youth Corps also attended two residencies led by artists Helga Davis and Larry Jackson, were given multiple tours of the Armory, and attended trips to several sites. We visited Central Park to learn processional movement, the Poster House Museum to experience their Black Power to Black People: Branding the Black Panther Party exhibit, and Brooklyn Bridge Park to view Nicholas Galanin's "In every language there is Land / En cada lengua hay una Tierra" sculpture. … [Read more...]

Since October of 2022, the Junior Design class led by Ms. Moos and Mr. Crockford, has been working on designing and constructing masks. The process began with having students define what a mask is, along with researching their own masks and going over the history and significance of masks. After grasping the concept of a “mask,” students were then able to take creative liberty and design a mask of their own. This involved sketching several views of their imagined masks so that when the construction process began, they would have a clear idea of what they would be building. When the time to build the masks came, the main materials used were cardboard, tape, and staples. This was followed by papier-mâché and the eventual painting and … [Read more...]

On February 1st, US History students attended Hamilton, a Broadway performance, and were able to experience the lights, songs, and immersive theatrics of it all. Hamilton, a musical following the life of founding father, Alexander Hamilton, focuses mostly on the time period surrounding the American Revolution. Despite the questionable historical accuracy, the show cites several historical documents, many written by or contributed to by Hamilton himself. Some of these documents were made familiar to students in US history, building context and a connection between learning and the arts.  Some students who attended the event share their experience below: Alexander Diaz As a part of the Gilder Lehrman Foundation, WHSAD Juniors were … [Read more...]

Running from October 17th, 2022 to December 22nd, 2022, Park Avenue Armory’s Youth Corps fall semester was a way for high school students such as myself to further connect to and explore jobs in the arts. Those who participated had the opportunity to view and discuss the featured installation at Park Armory at the time, Julian Roosevelt’s “Euphoria”. Our discussions primarily revolved around the work’s themes, setup, and how we may want to let factors from this installation influence our final capstone project. But outside of the installation viewing and our capstone project which occurred in late November through December, our experience consisted of the following things, all of which occurred on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays following … [Read more...]

On November 14th, former Deputy Borough President and long-time WHSAD supporter, Diana Reyna, visited WHSAD. I, along with George Pinto, had the opportunity of interviewing Diana and getting some insight towards her values and goals for the future.  The beginning of the discussion started with recollecting Diana's support of WHSAD'S Architectural Preservation Program all the way back in 2009. Diana Reyna: "I saw the potential of career readiness and truly embracing all the components that a student at a young age can be excited about learning… And have what is a school that can model an education that invigorates a classroom, that has the potential to make learning fun and be able to change the course of that young person. The … [Read more...]

Through October 10th to October 14th, WHSAD's MSK raised money towards the American Breast Cancer Society in support of spreading awareness for breast cancer throughout the community. Throughout the week baked goods along with other snacks were sold with the funds then being donated to the American Breast Cancer Society. On the Sunday following this week, October 16th, some of WHSAD'S staff and students attended Making Strides of Central Park, to spread awareness and show support for both survivors and those lost to cancer. Sweatshirts were designed by K-Shima Noble and Regina Reneus, two WHSAD seniors, for MSK members to wear while walking, as a display of their support. Below are statements from some of those who attended the walk: … [Read more...]

Students from WHSAD took part in a trip to Staten Island on Saturday, March 26th, to see the sites of different projects they have been working on since last school year. The sites students visited during the tour included the Tompkinsville Esplanade, Downtown Staten Island, Richmond Terrace Esplanade, and H.E.A.L.T.H. for Youths Skyline Community Garden. Many of the students had the opportunity to view their project locations for the first time in person and gained a better understanding of the respective site on which they’re designing a proposal. In addition to touring their sites, students heard from H.E.A.L.T.H. for Youths co-founder and long-time WHSAD partner, Heather Butts, about the sites. In this comment from Heather Butts, she … [Read more...]

WHSAD Sophomore, Jared Birks, took all photos in this story. On Thursday March 3rd, 10th Grade WHSAD Students attended Park Avenue Armory to experience Rashaad Newsome's exhibit, Assembly. This exhibition featured a large room with projected imagery on the walls, a walk through of art media showcasing both Black Queer and West African culture, and the exhibit's focal point, an A.I. named Being. This part of the exhibit consisted of an interactive workshop on decolonization that students and staff were able to engage in through dances, meditations, conversation, and questions led by Being. Those attending the workshop were asked to think about their own relationship to the capitalist, white supremacist patriarchy and how they can free … [Read more...]

In this series, students from Mr. Rodriguez' Grade 10 Architectural Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) class share their insights regarding their past, present, and future work. In the interest of context, Mr. Rodriguez first provides some thoughts about purpose and process. Then, Derek offers his thoughts about his work. Throughout the story are examples of Derek's work. Mr. Abraham Rodriguez What went into coming up with this project idea and execution?  This year, the 10th Grade class is focusing on developing basic research, design, and technical skills by working on a year-long design project of a residential home. The main objective of the class is to introduce students to computer-aided design software such as … [Read more...]