With the school being so small, it can feel hard to find your place or to feel like there are enough opportunities for you to explore your interests, but this is hardly the case.
Being at a school like BSGE, with so many clubs and connections to outside organizations, opportunities to pursue passions outside of school are abundant. Whether you are geared toward the arts or global activism, there’s something for everyone.
Global activism is one of many paths of interest available. Many programs exist outside of school that are centered around it, a passion shared by BSGE students who strive to have their voices heard.
One of these is the Columbia High School Law Institute. The Columbia Law Institute gives lectures about constitutional and criminal law. In this program, constructive talks take place between high school students centering around specific laws and court cases.
Munazza Choudhury, currently a sophomore in BSGE, attends the Columbia Law Institute program. She enjoys the lectures and various activities the program offers and feels that it helps improve her abilities in the school’s debate club. This program further deepened her understanding of law and the procedure for court cases. The constructive discussions took place in breakout rooms because the program is online. The winter semester has recently finished, but this program is every Saturday from 10:00AM to 1:00PM.
Global Glimpse, another opportunity, is a non-profit international leadership organization. This program is connected with our school and is hosted by Ms. Hinson.
Model UN is also connected to BSGE and educates students on certain topics on international relations, the United Nations and diplomacy. This program is hosted by Mr. Ocasio.
There are also many programs that exist that foster creativity in unbridled environments. Art programs include Socrateens held in Socrates Sculpture Park where select students work to create sculptures, and NYC Salt photography that hones photography skills.
There was also an event that took place on October 29th at Socrates Park where BSGE’s Helping Hands committee helped clean up the park in preparation for the annual Halloween Harvest. Members set up various Halloween competitions and games and handed out candy to younger kids, in turn helping the community and building confidence working with others.
Giorgia Horja, a current sophomore in BSGE shared her experience at this event. She said it was a joyful experience because she had the chance to spend time with her friends while also helping out her community.
Stand up Girls is a non-profit organization that inspires girls from many different communities to succeed in male dominated workplaces. This program enables girls to gain confidence and use their own voices and communicational skills to perform stand up comedy routines.
As you can see, BSGE offers many outside of school programs or activities that are open to anyone throughout the school year. BSGE strongly encourages students to join various programs centered around creativity and arts and global activism.
Such opportunities foster a mature work ethic and provide connections with outside resources that can be applied to other endeavors. They’re also fun! These programs range in area of interest, skillset, and financial requirements. Many are completely free and prove that there is so much that can be learned at no cost. An added bonus: any skills developed could prove beneficial in the future!
