The Column

Student reporter, Miguel Hernandez, interviewed Matthew and wrote this story. On December 15th, 2025, Matthew Wintje, a senior at WHSAD, received an award called the MVP Scholar-Athletes award. He is one of the 55 students who receive the award across the 5 boroughs. They received the award and a dinner in their honor at Yankee Stadium.  What is the Scholar-Athlete Award? The Scholar-Athlete Award is an award given to students across the 5 boroughs of New York City. 11 students from each borough are selected to receive this award. To receive the award, they have to meet certain criteria. They have to achieve at least an 80% GPA throughout all four years and to have participated in at least two sports. To have either of those is … [Read more...]

Thank you to Sophomore, Chris Chen, for sharing thoughts regarding this year's CTA program. For the past three years, CTA Architects has been partnering with WHSAD as an architectural program. What is CTA Architects you may ask? CTA Architects is an architecture firm, established in 1987, and primarily focused on large buildings. CTA offers a chance for students to be able to have that opportunity of how it feels to be an architect. This afterschool program allows students to work with real architects as mentors who give students feedback to work on and grow a presentation of a specific project that allows them to experience the feeling of working and presenting to a client.  The students work based on a schedule where students … [Read more...]

Photography club focuses on helping students take charge of their work and learning through hands-on experience. Members get various opportunities to shoot in school events because the club is so involved with the school and its students. At the same time there is a strong emphasis on exploration and self direction, which is encouraged through trips and time outside of school. On Friday, November 21 photography club students took a trip into the city, starting at the One World Trade Center, a historical landmark located on 285 Fulton St near Tribeca. Students began at the Oculus, drawn to the building's exterior, unique and striking when compared to the modern office buildings that surrounded it. The Oculus connects to the subway housing … [Read more...]

WHSAD Junior, Miguel Hernandez, wrote this article. On Wednesday Novermber 11,  Paula Wallace, president of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) came to WHSAD to give information about the college. SCAD has four locations: Atlanta, Savannah Lacoste, France, and its online school, SCADnow. The presentation was focused on the school's acting and architecture programs. Their Acting program is very extensive and very modern. Not only that, but when you're majoring in acting, you are actively being looked up for professional casting into real films and tv Production with well-known companies such as Netlfix, CBS and BET. This is the only on-site college that does this. This single opportunity could launch you into your career in … [Read more...]

For the New York natives and those looking for another New York experience, Roosevelt Island—found on the F line, in between its transition from Manhattan to Queens—is an experience like no other, specifically Four Freedoms Park. I remember the instant relief I felt when I took my first steps on the island. The subtle breeze and satisfying waves of the East River consumed my senses, and I thought, “has this place always been here?” As I walked towards the park, I realized the distant sounds of Midtown Manhattan and how far they felt when they were only 1,000ft away. In just a few minutes, I would learn the history of Four Freedom’s Park–the living legacy of Louis Kahn and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Louis Kahn, a designer and architect … [Read more...]

Thank you to Mr. Stewart Villilo for inspiring our students to pursue their artistic passions. On view in the exhibit is Junior, Alison Sanchez' photograph of Mr. Villilo. Her interview, along with insights from fellow club member, Elizabeth Cruz, and Mr. Villilo, is below. What inspired your photo? How do you feel about having your work displayed in Grand Central Station?  Before submitting my work I looked into the artist who was preparing the exhibition. Brandon Stanton is a photographer who places a lot of importance on people who are around us everyday, not necessarily celebrities or extremely known people but just people who we interact and communicate with on a day to day basis. I feel like there’s so many important people … [Read more...]

WHSAD Junior reporter, Miguel Hernandez, wrote this story. On Tuesday, September 30th, Shine Global presented honorees with plaques that were designed by our very own students at WHSAD. The plaques honored those who have created films that affected many people’s lives. Shine Global, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to creating films raising awareness to injustice around the world. As per its website, “Shine Global’s mission is to improve the lives of children by telling powerful stories that raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change​.” In addition to the plaques, Shine Global presented cash prizes to award winners. Some of the people and films receiving plaques are as follows: Jesse Draper- Jesse is a venture … [Read more...]

WHSAD Junior reporter, Alison Sanchez, wrote this narrative. An accompanying narrative from WHSAD Junior, Mia Brito, follows. On Friday, October 3rd, Junior English teacher and select students attended '11,000 Strings' at Park Avenue Armory, a long term partner of WHSAD that has provided students with numerous opportunities to engage and learn about the arts and become involved with the community. This trip centered around students who play or have had some experience playing an instrument in the past due to the fact that the trip centered majorly around music and the unique use of instruments.  ‘11,000 Strings’ is a beautiful performance that experiments with various sounds and emotions. It's a piece that is made to make the … [Read more...]

As part of last year's summer bridge program, our incoming freshman class began their work in designing a new green roof at the Newtown Creek Alliance headquarters in Greenpoint. This project immediately exposed these students to one of the many opportunities WHSAD has to offer. Over the years working with NCA, our students have designed and launched floating docks, landscaped nature walks, and cultivated a crucial partnership with an organization that aims to improve the environmental landscape of an area that has incurred tremendous damage from human activity. Acting as both stewards of sustainability and engineers of innovation, WHSAD students continue to aid Newtown Creek Alliance's mission "to restore community health, water quality, … [Read more...]

While New York City is vibrant, exciting, and diverse, it is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Excursions into nature offer us an arena for reflection and meditation, and such journeys are particularly important for adolescents who rarely travel beyond the concrete urban landscape. On their trip to Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center, located 50 miles north of the city, students encountered a landscape that showcases humans' ability to blend architecture with nature. The retreat … [Read more...]