Author: matthewd2019

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by Matthew D '19

Helping Hands’ Eco-Partnership

Helping Hands, a fundraising organization in BSGE, has long been known for collaborating with organizations that wish to help the environment. Surprisingly, Helping Hands’ most recent eco-friendly project is with the successful makeup company L’Oréal.

L’Oréal is in the process of moving into a green building in Manhattans’ Hudson Yards, and has contacted Helping Hands to make 1500 keychains for their employees by reusing unwanted art supplies. All of the supplies are being provided through Materials for the Arts, which some BSGE students may be familiar with.

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by Matthew D '19

The Day of Silence: Shhhhh!

Every April, BSGE participates in a nationwide event called the Day of Silence. The day highlights how it is unfortunately common for members of the LGBTQ+ community to be discriminated against in the United States. By participating in the Day of Silence, whether someone is just supporting or actually silent, students send a message of acceptance and support to LGTBQ+ teenagers across the country.

A member of BSGE’s Sexuality and Gender Acceptance club explains that “the Day of Silence, for some, is a way to evade participating in class. For others, it’s a way to show the people of the LGBTQ+ community that they are not alone.”

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by Matthew D '19

Students Helping Honduras: Combating Poverty and Violence

Most BSGE students are aware of the Helping Hands Committee, which strives to help those without a voice. In addition to the one main committee, students organize their own sub-committees to combat either local or international issues. One of the sub-committees inside Helping Hands, Students Helping Honduras, or SHH, raises money to help build schools, houses, and children’s homes in Honduras. The committee is connected to the international NGO of the same name, which is how the money is donated. As explained by one of the committee members, “we focus on raising money to build schools and houses for villages whose children do not have access to schools or whose schools are very far away from their homes.”

The members range in age from 7th grade to 9th grade. The main way that the committee fundraises is by holding bake sales and candygrams, recently hosting a raffle as well. SHH has been very productive, raising over $1000 for the people of Honduras since the start of the school year.

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by Matthew D '19

Video Games and Violence

Source: sportskeeda.com
Source: sportskeeda.com

It’s a cold Saturday morning and you are in your cozy room. Outside, snow is falling peacefully onto empty streets. Dim light floats through the window and onto your desk, where a warm cup of tea is waiting for you to drink. You feel like you’re in your own little bubble, playing a video game where the troubles of the world seem to disappear into the pixels.

Video games have long been something that people of all ages have turned to for a fun way to relieve stress and explore countless numbers of virtual universes. As someone that has played video games for well over 3000 hours of their life, I am no stranger to the joy that comes from hearing the crinkling sound of plastic as you tear it off a new game, or even the satisfaction you feel when something has been downloaded in Steam, just waiting to be opened.

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by Matthew D '19

Twitch and Shout: Living With Tourette Syndrome

Not many people are aware of a condition that they may have noticed in somebody they have met. It is called Tourette syndrome (TS), named after the person who discovered the disorder. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes defines Tourette syndrome as “a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics.” It is fairly common, with over 200,000 cases per year in the United States.

As somebody who happens to be close to a person with mild Tourette’s, I found it disturbing that almost none of the people I talk to on a daily basis know what Tourette syndrome is.

Of course, many parents, at least at first, don’t understand what is happening to their child. “The first time that I saw the change was when my child was about 9 years old,” the mother of the child with TS says. “People reacted by asking questions and staring at my child. I always explained why they behaved in that way, so that they would be able to understand it better.” Later on, she shares, “I felt confused, but satisfied that we finally had a diagnosis for the problem.”

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