What program are you part of at Coop Tech? Why did you choose to join Coop Tech? The program that I'm in at Coop Tech is culinary arts. I chose this program because I have experience working in the kitchen, and I want to learn more about cooking so I could cook for myself and my family. What new information have you learned so far? What do you still wish to learn? Some new information that I learned so far is baking methods and knowing different measurements and different conversions that we use when we are baking. I do still wish to learn more about conversions because it's important to know when to use them and how to use them. I also learned how to make your knife sharp; it's a little dangerous, but it's important to know … [Read more...]
About Sheena Luke
WHSAD Students Begin Their Work at Freshkills Park
With the start of a new school year, WHSAD students take on new projects, one of these being Freshkills Park. Similar to prior work with the Greenbelt Conservancy Corps, students enter this new site, also located in Staten Island, with the goals of promoting sustainable design and land use through hands-on learning. However, unlike the established Greenbelt, Freshkills is a new park, and the task assigned to students places emphasis on fundamentals and proposals, with WHSAD having the opportunity to shape the future of this park. WHSAD's first visit to Freshkills occurred on September 13th. With informative talks led by Program Coordinator for NYC Parks Department of Parks and Recreation, Chris Ricker, Freshkills Park Alliance Education … [Read more...]
CANstruction Design Statements
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 2023 Summer Semester
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...]
WHSAD Juniors’ Mask Project
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...]
WHSAD Students Attend Hamilton Performance
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...]
WHSAD’s Fall 2022 Park Avenue Armory Youth Corps
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...]
Interview with Diana Reyna
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...]
MSK’s Breast Cancer Walk
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...]
WHSAD Staten Island Site Visits
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...]