Tag: Articles from 2015-2016

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2015-2016 Archives by Maya J '16 Features students

Letter From The Editor

It has been a great privilege of mine to contribute to the Bacc Rag as a writer and editor over the past five years.

I remember so clearly the first time I, a tiny, terrified eighth grader, was sent to interview upperclassmen and teachers for an article. One of my first assignments was asking several seniors to reflect on the college application process, and I recall thinking about how far away college seemed, and how scary the seniors were, and how long it would be before I would finally graduate from BSGE.

It definitely went by faster than I could ever have imagined. Graduating seems surreal, but so does leaving behind this newspaper, which, although at times can be crazy and dysfunctional (I know the staff will agree with me) is so full of life and spunk. I’ve poured my heart into the Bacc Rag during my time at BSGE, and I can only hope that I have done half as much for this newspaper as it has done for me.

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by Maya J '16

Lady Sting’s Playoff Run Ends in City Quarterfinals

DSC05467This year, BSGE’s varsity softball team had their longest and most exciting playoff run yet. During the regular season the team was undefeated, finishing 15-0 in their PSAL Queens B Division, led by captains Nina Don ‘16 and Rakia Islam ‘16. Lady Sting was seeded #1 in Queens, and was given a first round bye. In the second round, the team defeated Robert H. Goddard High School 10-9 in a 6-run seventh inning rally. BSGE was then granted the overall #3 seed in the city out of the remaining 16 teams. After beating Sunset Park High School 8-1 in the third round, Lady Sting advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in BSGE history. Despite losing 3-0 to the High School for Math, Science and Engineering, Lady Sting still finished the season as one of the top 8 teams out of the total 133 in B Division softball, an accomplishment that the players, the coaches, and the many spectators and fans are truly proud of.

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by Maya J '16

A New Cafeteria Mural for CAS

IMG_5372The vast majority of BSGE students eat lunch in the cafeteria, and many spend time there after school for various extracurricular activities. Thus, for a group of five determined seniors, repainting the cafeteria mural seemed like the obvious choice for a CAS group project that would impact the entire school community. Isabelle Lee ‘16, Alvaro Bermejo ‘16, Joly Zakaria ‘16, Akib Rahman ‘16, and Sara Asprilla ‘16 wanted to replace the long-standing mural with a brighter, fresher design. With the supervision and input of the art teachers, Peter Wilson, and Vanessa Rabines, the group put in 20 hours of after-school work over the course of 2 months, sanding and repainting the original mural and creating the new design on the wall.

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by Moshan G '17

BSGE Travels to China!

IMG_3890During spring break, a group of BSGE students and teachers embarked on a trip to China, which was our school’s first trip to a country in Asia. This year, the school decided to give an opportunity to students interested in Chinese culture and language to experience the country firsthand. The group consisted of 23 students and 4 teachers—Ms. Mihalache, Ms. Silva, Mr. Giraldo, and Ms. Xia. During their 10-day stay in China, they visited a total of three cities: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai.

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by Samantha V '18

Rocking Out for CAS!

The new CAS group project requirements have led many BSGE students to explore interesting ways of fulfilling the Creativity, Activity and/or Service requirement through teamwork. One such project is a rock band created by Jotham Kim ‘17 and seven other juniors. While you may not have heard of the band itself, you may have noticed signs for a Rock Band Club, which is linked to the CAS project. The club involves members of the CAS project teaching other interested students to play instruments and produce music. The eight juniors host their own practices and performances separately.

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by Anab K '20

BSGE Fitness Room Gets a Makeover

The second floor fitness room is used by most BSGE students who have gym for their physical education class. Some students even like to go to the fitness room after school and work out then as well. The room has recently been renovated, with the addition of a mirror and the rearrangement of equipment. However, there are still more changes to come.

Margaret Pasach, the parent coordinator, explained the process of renovating the room. “The PTA worked on getting money from the councilman, because the machines were in disrepair. And he came through. They’d been working on it for 2 years. They were able to bring in enough money to redo the fitness room.” The floors were repainted a bright blue, and mirrors now line the wall behind the weight racks. Some machines, however, were removed, like the equipment for lateral pulldown, and a dysfunctional machine that is supposed to work out the legs but now only serves as a rest station. Over the summer, new machines will be added, like new bicycles, since many of the current bicycles are not entirely functional.

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by Pamela L '20

BSGE Team Comes Third in Pi5 Math Competition

On Saturday, May 7th, 20 students from the BSGE Middle School Math Club went to compete in the New York Pi5 Math Competition, led by Mr. Mehan. The competition is a publicly held event open to students from grades 6 through 8 in any of the 5 boroughs. This year, the competition was held at The Armory (at 168th Street) in Manhattan.

Students formed four teams of five, working together to solve math problems of varying levels of difficulty to earn points. The more difficult the questions were, the more points those questions were worth. The point values ranged from 100 to 500 points. There was a total of 45 minutes per team to answer as many questions as possible. “The quicker and more accurately you answer, the better the chance you have of advancing in the competition,” said Christie Choi ‘20, who represented BSGE at the event.

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by Justin H '17

Model UN: A Model for the World?

Model UN – a club that many have heard of, but few know anything about. Unlike most activities, there are no regular weekly meetings, no advertisements to be in a certain place at a certain time to join. But occasionally a school will hold a Model UN convention, such as the Dalton School in the Upper East Side did on April 23rd, and BSGE will be well represented.

Three juniors and five seniors, along with supervisor Ms. Meisler, attended said conference, where students from many different schools attempt to solve world issues in eight to ten hours. Each school is assigned one or more countries to represent, and for the weeks leading up to the conference, the students learn about their country’s strengths and issues so they can be accurate representatives. In this case, BSGE was assigned Australia, Belgium, and the Philippines, but due to a lack of people, the Philippines ended up being ignored. During the conference, there are many subcommittees that focus on world issues such as climate change and disease control, and each participant joins one of these subcommittees to represent their country. Hours of spirited debate ensue. Eventually, proposals are created, voted on, and announced to the rest of the conference, sometimes with awards for countries and/or schools whose representatives stand out.

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by Samantha V '18

Six Things To Do Over the Summer Rather Than Binge-Watching Shows on Netflix

1) Free Summer Concerts

From May 20 to September 2, Good Morning America and the Today Show will be holding free summer concerts at least once a week. Both GMA and the Today Show will be holding their concerts every Friday, but the GMA ones will be in Central Park and the Today Show will be holding their concerts in Rockefeller Center. All concerts are open to the public, but some require you to reserve the free tickets. These concerts are a great way to boost your energy for the day and are just an inexpensive fun event to enjoy with friends and family. With performers such as Blink 182 and James Bay, you are sure to find an artist you’ll want to see. Afterwards, you could just relax in Central Park or walk around the city. For the lineup for GMA concerts, go to: http://www.centralpark.com/guide/activities/concerts/gma-concerts.html. For the lineup for the Today Show concerts, go to: http://cititour.com/NYC_Events/2016-NBC-Today-Show-Summer-Concert-Series/23434.

2) The Magnum Ice Cream Bar Shop

After going to a morning concert, you are sure to be in need of an energizing snack. The Magnum shop in Soho is definitely a tourist attraction, but that doesn’t mean it is any less of an attraction for us natives. Magnum is a company that creates ice cream bars and this shop is a place where you can customize these chocolate bars. For $7, you could get a fully customizable ice cream bar with up to three toppings. From dark chocolate chia seeds to rose petals, there is a wide variety of toppings and an infinite number of combinations. This is a great snack for a hot summer day and it is just a fun experience watching your beautiful creation come to life. For more about this ice cream shop, visit: http://www.amny.com/eat-and-drink/magnum-ice-cream-and-dipping-bar-pop-up-to-open-in-soho-1.11679050.

3) Bryant Park Film Festival

If you aren’t much of a concert-goer, then maybe you could go out for a movie instead. For the entire summer, HBO will be showing films in Bryant Park every Monday. The movies will be showing from 5:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. and are open to the public for free. Movies such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Omen will be showing all summer long. Grab a picnic blanket, some food, and a handful of friends and enjoy a nice movie on the lawn. This is a great way to just relax and enjoy New York City scenery and summer weather. For information about what movies will be showing, go to: http://www.bryantpark.org/plan-your-visit/filmfestival.html.

4) Alice’s Tea Cup

Speaking of movies, with the recent release of the movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Alice’s Tea Cup is a fun place to check out. With the original restaurant on the West Side and “Chapters” II and III on the East Side, Alice’s Tea Cup is easily accessible. The Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant makes every person revisit their childhood. Complete with Alice-themed decorations and pastries, this restaurant is perfect for fans of the books and movies. The restaurant offers amazing tea and overall is a great place to hang out and get lost in Wonderland. If you’re really feeling like a little kid, you could ask to wear one of their many fairy wings while at the restaurant—they’ll even sprinkle “fairy dust” on you! For more information about finding Wonderland, go to: http://alicesteacup.com.

5) I Survived the Room

An adrenaline-packed activity that is great for groups of friends, I Survived the Room is an intense game that is all about testing your limits. I Survived the Room has two rooms to choose from (and one open only on Fridays). A group of friends is placed in a chosen scenario from which they have an hour to escape. You must learn to work with your friends to find clues and solve riddles to escape the room, but if you fail to do so, then game over! The whole scenario feels real, especially with actors who play special roles. It is a bit scary, but definitely worth it because it is interesting to see how your group can work together to solve a hypothetical situation. For more information about how to book a room, go to: http://isurvivedtheroom.com.

6) Smorgasburg

Although a bit further away from the city, Smorgasburg in WIlliamsburg is definitely worth the trip. Every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Smorgasburg is filled with vendors of food, vintage clothing, antiques, jewelry, and many other knick knacks that appeal to all types of people. Great weather, friendly vendors and a variety of handmade and vintage goods make this flea market a popular spot. Most of the vendors at Smorgasburg are running their own small businesses, and many love to chat with customers. Smorgasburg is also a great place to discover new foods because of all the unique twists put on everyday snacks. Concoctions like “Raindrop Cakes” and “Takumi Tacos” can all be found at Smorgasburg. For more information about the market and its vendors, go to: http://www.smorgasburg.com.

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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 Jaime T '20 by Jasmine S '20

Teacher of the Month: Mr. Mac

 

IMG_4112What were your favorite sports in high school? Why?

I enjoyed golf and tennis because they were individuals sports where I was competing against myself or one opponent, but I also loved playing basketball too for the team experience.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Rhode Island, which is about 40 minutes south of Boston.

Other than sports, what other interests did you have as a kid?

I truly fell in love with taxidermy. Have you ever stuffed a dead cat? It’s a passion of mine!

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by Daniel S '20 by David M '20

BSGE’s Night Out in Flushing

For the second consecutive year, BSGE students, parents, and faculty purchased tickets to see the Mets at Citi Field on Friday, May 20th. For every $25 spent on a ticket, the school made $5. 85 members of the BSGE family sat together in a block of seats at the baseball game, and although it was a smaller turnout than last year, the school successfully raised $425. Although it was a chilly day, May 20th was an exciting game. The Milwaukee Brewers scored first, but the Mets ultimately won 3-2. Everyone in attendance also took home a free shirt from Citi Field.

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