Meeting with Anna: Our group met with Anna, an alumn of LREI and a rape victim, on December 2nd. We met her for coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, where a very successful interview would soon take place. Anna was a freshman at Hobart University when she was sexually assaulted by multiple college football…
On Saturday I worked with Carrie Borows and Amy Fabrikant and Zoe Picayo to hang pictures in the Visibility Exhibit. Sam assisted me by helping hang pictures with ever irritating glue dots. We made quick work of putting up the pictures and we were able to view the pictures of LGBTQ members and allies who…
On Thursday the 23rd, we were very lucky to receive a visit from Candis Toliver from the NYCLU. Earlier, when we had visited the NYCLU, she had offered to visit our class. It took a while to set up the visit, but eventually we agreed on a time. It was actually funny because earlier that…
On March 7th, 2014, our whole group attended a meeting with Daniel Wilkinson from Human Rights Watch. We went to the Human Rights Watch offices in the Empire State Building to meet with him. The Human Rights Watch organization works on revealing violations of human rights to the governments of their countries. They work for…
On February 5th, Loveday, Sophia R., Gaia, Chloe and I met the wonderful Patricia McCormick. She is the author of Never Fall Down, Purple Heart, My Brother’s Keeper, Cut and the amazing book Sold. We mainly spoke to her about her work during the creation of the book Sold. Sold is about a girl who was sold…
On Wednesday, December 4 2013, our social justice group met and interviewed Stacey Cedano from the NYC Department of Homeless Services. We got learn about a government controlled organization called Home Base, which directs reaches out to families living in who are living in poverty and can barely pay the rent. Their main goal is…
On December 12th, my group and I went to Jacks across the street from school to meet with model named Crystal Renn. Crystal was amazing to talk she had a very interesting story to tell as to how she became a model. Crystal Renn never aspired to be a model when she was younger, she…
On November 21st 2013, our group met and interviewed Peter Brest, The Cheif Operating Officer of the Metropolitan council on Jewish Poverty we learned a lot about the current problems that has to do with public housing and lack of employment. We also were able discuss different statistics and facts about things such as homelessness,employment,and…
Part if the Solution, we met with the head chef Keith during morning prepOn Monday the 27th our group visited POTS or Part of the Solution. POTS is a soup kitchen in the Bronx that everyday gives out healthy hot meals for anyone who needs them. I saw for anyone because the people that came…
On Friday 14th, my group and I (for the exception of Xavier who could not make it) met Paul Critchlow. He is the husband of Patricia McCormick, author of Purple Heart. He is also a veteran from the Vietnam War. The interview took place in the Coffee Bean. In the Interview he told us that…
On Thursday, February 20th our entire class went to a water treatment plant in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Julia’s mom, Hilary Meltzer, who works at the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) has been helping us and she helped set up the fieldwork in Brooklyn. While we were there a man named Walter gave us a presentation…
On Monday, January 27, our group went with the other women’s group to the Paley Center for Media. We learned a lot about how women are represented on TV and in the movies. Usually women are represented as weak and not able to do things themselves. They are often saved at the end by a…
Today we had the wonderful opportunity to go on a tour of a water treatment plant in RedHook. The plant treats toilet water, industrial wastewater, grey water, and storm water. Their main reason for treating the water is to protect public health. We learned that water borne diseases can in grow easily dirty water, and…
On January 13, Sophia, Bella, Daria and I went to ABC News to talk to Tamar Gargle. Lexi wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed at school. When we first got to the ABC studio, we were told to go to the other lobby. We ended up going to two other lobbies before getting to the…
On Monday, January 6th, our group was able to go to a soup kitchen located in the Bronx called Part Of The Solution or POTS. We were set to meet a woman (who’s last name we could NOT pronounce) and found her waiting for us outside. Turns out, going to this soup kitchen is not…
Last week, Chiara, Scekem, and I went to 51st street to St. Bart’s Church, which is one branch of Coalition for the Homeless. We were able to interview four men about their experiences with poverty and homelessness. Only one of the men was filmed, but his story will be added to the documentary. The stories…
On Thursday, February 6th, my social justice group screened a movie for the class. The movie was called Bhopali. It was about a gas disaster that happened in Bhopal, Indian because of union carbine. There was a gas spillage and around 20,000 people died. Union carbine has not taken responsibility and because the only thing…
Today, February 11th, my group and I went to speak with Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officer of Not So Super. Not So Super is a social media driven campaign dedicated to educating people about sex trafficking in the US, and how sex trafficking connects to the Super Bowl. We sat down with Tom Murphy to…
Our group had been trying to contact Holy Apostles for a very long time, and we finally heard back form them and were able to volunteer on Monday, February 3rd. We arrived at 10:30am, which was a mistake in communication because we were supposed to be there at 9:30 to prepare the food, but in…
Our social justice poverty group visited the Covenant House and interviewed Alice Steigerwald, the volunteer coordinator and talked to her about Covenant House and poverty in New York City in general. Covenant House is a privately run organization with mostly individual donations and some government funding. The Covenant house is a transitional housing unit for children…
On Wednesday the 15th of january the middle school received a special visit from fernando bermudez. We had seen him speak before but the things he talked about this time showed us how moving one story can be. In 1991 Fernando was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He spent the next 18…
On January 24th, my group and I participated in a Veteran-Civilian Dialogue. First we wen to an exhibit that was of photographs of soldiers during and after the war. The photographs showed ranged from the Mexican war to the most recent wars. It depicted everything from scars and results of the war to the homecoming…
On Thursday, February 6th, my social justice group screened a movie for the class. The movie was called Bhopali. It was about a gas disaster that happened in Bhopal, Indian because of union carbine. There was a gas spillage and around 20,000 people died. Union carbine has not taken responsibility and because the only thing…
In early December, our poverty group went to Homebase, a homeless prevention network. Homebase helps people who are at risk of becoming homeless. They offer a range of services, including job placement assistance, help relocating and services to prevent eviction. At Homebase, we interviewed Stacy Cedeno, who is the head of the protection services. Stacy…
Last Thursday, my group and I had the opportunity to share with our grade a film called Bhopali. I reached out to the director of the movie, Max Carlson, and he and I worked together to create questions to ask before and after the screening of the film. We presented selected clips of the movie…
Here is a photo of the rest of my group. And behind them was the board we drew on and then later on put a quote in the middle. The quote says, “Life is tough, but so are you” – Kid President Monday 27, 2014 we went on a fieldwork to POTS (Part Of The…
Today we had an adventurous, successful and interesting fieldwork. Fo this fieldwork we went to GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) which is located at 90 Broad Street. GLSEN is an organization that researches LGBTQ youth experiences at school and the parents experience of having an LGBTQ. This organization also teaches and helps make…
Today I was able to interview GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) with the LGBTQ group. This was a very enlightening and inspiring experience, complete with freebies. We learned about how the organization is operated and how they support schools and young people. They take part in many different events that raise awareness and help…
Today, February 5th, Patricia McCormick came to our school to be interviewed by my group, and also to give our grade a presentation on how and why her travels to India and Nepal inspired her to write one of her novels, Sold. Over winter break, each social justice group was assigned to read a book…
On December 17, My group and I ventured up to McCann Worldgroup, to visit Martha Brooks at the L’Oreal advertisement agency. We quickly made our way there by taking the 6 train from Bleeker st. Station. When we got there, we went upstairs, and Ms. Brooks gave us a tour of the floor she works…
On the 17th of january the forgotten heroes took part in a special intersections. This dialogue was tied in with an exhibit at the Brooklyn museum. The exhibit was a collection of photos from wars ever since the Mexican-American war to current day. There was no censors on the images and the photos were very…
On Tuesday, December 10, we went to City Hall to meet with Samantha Levine, the woman who came up with the idea for the I’m a Girl Campaign. Samantha had been affected by women in the media from a young age. She was always conscious about girls that were struggling with body image. These things…
On December 12, my group had an interview with the model Crystal Renn at a coffee shop. Early in her career, Ms. Renn developed the eating disorder, anorexia. She became a model at a young age, without a complete understanding of what modeling was. She thought that to be a model you have to be…
On Thursday, January 30 my group and I went to Sanctuary for Families. We helped them make care bags for the raid that a few of their staff members were going to go on this weekend. We put clothes, toiletries and pads in a backpack for the staff to take with them. The reason behind…
On Monday, January 27 my group and I went to the Paley Center of Media to discuss how women are portrayed in the media and how it affects women. We were first told a few facts, that REALLY surprised me. One was that 80% of girls, who are 10 years old believe that they are…
Yesterday me and my group members watched the documentary, Bhopal. It was a heart wrenching film about the devastating gas leak in Bhopal, India where Union Carbide International, now a subsidiary of Dow corporations, had set up an untested chemical substance factory at the center of the small and poor community. It brings to light…
Peter Putka is a filmmaker who is currently working on a movie about gun violence. The goal of his film is to send the message that little events like your coffee being to hot can lead to a bigger event such as a shooting etc. One of the reasons he may have wanted to make…
My group and I visited The Paley Center For Media where we met Rebekah Fitz and participated in a Women in the Media class. Rebekah told us facts about how many girls suffer from eating disorders or how many girls struggle with the way they look. I learned that 80% of ten-year old girls are…
It is very surprising to hear that someone like my mom suffered from self esteem issues when she was my age. She shared with us that in somalia she was not considered a beauty. She was very skinny and the standard of beauty in somalia was more full figured women. She was very skinny with…
On the 16th of January, my Social Justice group and I went to Sanctuary for Families, an organization that works to assist survivors and end the circle of domestic violence though shelters, counseling, financial assistance, career training and much more. We spoke with Emily, the Assistant Director, about what she knows about sexual violence and…
1/29/14 Yesterday both women’s groups headed up to the Paley center to attend, Girls, Self Esteem and the Media class. The class originally was supposed to be for 30 people, but we decided to only go with the other women’s group so we could learn things that we could put in our teach in. I…
After a wonderful interview with Mary Mckay (director) and Ammu Kowolik (assistant director) at the McSilver Institute, we were able to schedule a date for Ammu and Gary to visit our grade and give a presentation about poverty. They decided to do an exciting gameshow, instead of just having a not so exciting conversation about…
Although I wasn’t able to attend the meeting that my social justice group had with Mary McKay from the McSilver Institute, I was present when Ammu Kowolik, the assistant director, and Gary Parker came to talk to our class. Instead of potentially boring our class with a constant stream of statistics, Ammu and Gary put…
On Monday January 27th, both women’s groups in the eighth grade went to the Paley Media Arts Center. The Paley Media Arts Center keeps recordings of radio broadcasts, television shows and commercials. Our goal from this visit was to try and gain information about women and how they are portrayed in the media and how…
Today, January 30th, my group and I went back to Sanctuary for Families to help sort donations. Recently (two weeks ago) our group went to Sanctuary for Families to meet with Emily LoBue and sort through donations, but at the end they invited us to come back whenever we could because they always need help,…
On Monday, January 27, my social justice group doubled up with the sexual violence group to go to a class at the Paley center about women’s portrayal in the media. The woman who talked to us, Rebecca, was really nice, and shared with us many interesting, and some very horrifying facts about women in the…
We met with the director of the Soup Kitchen, 12/16/14 Our group went the the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen from 9:00-1:00 to help out with whatever the Soup Kitchen needed volunteers for. The rest of the group bused tables after people were done eating while I wrapped spoons in napkins. The goal of this fieldwork…
On January 15th me and my group, The Forgotten Heroes set up a meeting with the wonderful Rebeca Summers. Rebeca Summers is one of the heads of an organization called Intersections. Intersections is an interactive experience between two people like no other. The branch that Rebeca works for is veteran-civilian dialogues. The goal of here…
On December, my Social Justice Group and I met with Susanne on a Skype call. She is a stylist and a feminist that works in Brooklyn and we decided that it would have been interesting to learn what she thought about feminism. She told us a lot about what clothing means for a women and…
On January 15th, my group and I had an interview with Rebecca Summers. She is the Manager of Veteran-Civilian Dialogue. She told us how veterans are not always how people picture them. Also how what some people believe is angry ness, is actually Hyper Vigilance. This is caused by being the stress the war induces…
On January 15 our group went to meet with Rebecca Summers, a former Iraq veteran. At first sight Rebecca Summers wasn’t what we all expected. She looked completely ‘normal’ and didn’t look like she had just gotten back from war 9 months ago. This further made me indulge myself in this conversation. During our…
Our group was lucky enough to get to visit New York University and see a screening of Gideon’s Army. The movie shows us the life of a public defender. It is public defenders job to be attorneys for people who don’t have their own. One of the eye opening things that we noticed was that…
On December 2nd Lauren Mucciano visited Our class and explaied her relationship with the family’s she filmed and how she got the ideas to make the movie. She told us that she met the family’s she interviewed at a homeless shelter. What I learned from her is that anyone can make a difference no matter…
On Thursday, January 23rd, Candis Tolliver, senior organizer for the NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union) came to speak to the Eighth Grade. The day before, three high schoolers came to Middle School Meeting and told of their experiences with racial profiling, so the topic of Stop and Frisk was one we had been discussing.…
Today in class we decided to show a film called Trevor recommended to us by our schools director about a struggling teen named Trevor who is rejected by his school because he is gay. In the movie it fallows the life of a sweet hearted boy who starts to have feelings towards his best friend;…
Today we phone interviewed with mr. Bill Torez. I think me and my group did a really good job. The interview is just the star, the origination didn’t really have much we could help with because we are too young. My group doesn’t really have a direction yet on what lgbtq project we want to…
TAMAR GARGLE 1/13/14 Today, Bella, Daria, Eve and I went to go visit Tamar Gargle at ABC studios. Lexi hasn’t been feeling well lately so she decided to stay at school while we went. Getting to ABC studios was fairly easy, we just took the 1 to 66th street, but finding the Tamar’s lobby was…
On January 20th my social justice group Volunteered with a night food van at Coalition for the Homeless. We arrived at 6:30 and handed out food in the Bronx until 9:30. There were very few people because it was Martin Luther King’s birthday. We handed out sandwiches, oranges, milk, orange juice, and little chocolates. Because…
Today, the 27th of January, both women’s groups, The Sexual Violence Group, and the Media Group, went to the Payley Center for Media to attend a lesson that was given by a very nice woman named Rebekah. The lesson was on how women are portrayed in the media. My group, the Sexual Violence Group, went…
On Tuesday, December 17 my group and I interviewed a Brooklyn based designer named Suzanne Rae on Skype. Suzanne graduated from Parsons, The New School for Design and she also holds an economics degree from Bryn Mawr College. We learned about how her clothing line is feminist in philosophy. Her line investigates the numerous connections…
My group and I got the opportunity to meet with filmmaker Peter Putka. He is currently working on an “interactive movie” which shows the things that leads up to a mass shooting. This interview showed us the unique ways people are addressing violence. For example Putka was making a movie where you can change the…
On Monday, January 13th, we visited Tamar Gargle at ABC. We left school at 11:00 so we could get there at 11:30. When we got there, Tamar gave us a tour. First, we saw a woman who designed the title pages for news shows. She showed us her workspace and how she had to…
On Thursday, January 23- We had a wonderful visit from Candis Tolliver from the NYCLU. We had contacted Candis and coordinated a visit in 2013, when we met with the NYCLU to talk about Stop and Frisk and Police brutality. (To see more look at post Visit With NYCLU) Riley had been contacting her, and…
We spoke with Marisa and Avonna, on 12/5/13 Coalition for the Homeless is a organization that helps people from financial aid, to helping people get food and off the streets, to helping women who were homeless due to sexual violence find their voice. When we visited them we got a tour, we helped them get…
Today our group went to ABC News to interview Tamar Gargle, and get a tour of their workspace. We took the one train to 66th street, where ABC was across the street from the subway exit. When we got there, Tamar talked to us a little about herself, and what she does. Tamar is the…
On December 17, my social justice group and I went to the advertising center of L’Oreal to meet with a creative director for their advertising who is also an LREI parent. Getting there was by simple, despite the snow, and the subway ride was quick. Being in the center was amazing. Martha showed us a…
On December 12, my social justice group and I went to Jacks to talk with a model who is considered plus sized named Crystal Renn. Crystal was an amazing person to talk to, with a very interesting story and idea on modeling. Crystal was anorexic (she was starving herself to fit the modeling qualities) when…
On January 16, 2014 Chloe, Loveday, Gaia, Sophia R. and I went to Sanctuary for Families. We went to Sanctuary for Families to help them organize and update their store, called the Butterfly Boutique. Before we started to work, we met with the Senior Manager of Volunteer Resources, Emily Lo Bue. We spoke to her about…
On Thursday, January 23, 2014 we interviewed Sandra (Chap) Chapman who is the Director of Diversity and Community at LREI in Greenwich Village. To add on she is also the Co-chair of the New York Chapter. During this interview we asked questions mainly about the LGBTQ civil rights movement, history about the community and her…
On December 10, my group went to City Hall to meet with Samantha Levine. She worked for the former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. Ms. Levine started the “I’m a Girl” campaign. If you have read my earlier blog posts, you know that we have already had an interview with Denis Ahlgrim, the designer…
The LGBTQ group’s fourth fieldwork involved showing Trevor and then asking questions about the movie. I was surprised how much effect screening Trevor had on the eighth grade and we were very glad that many people were eager to answer. Our goal for today was to bring LGBT awareness to the class by showing them…
Today, the LGBTQ group was able to talk with Sandra Chapman about her work and life in the LGBTQ community. Her opinions were very interesting and it was very informative to talk to her about our topic. LGBTQ group: How does this topic affect NYC, specifically? Chap: “If you think about history the movement started…
On Monday night, my social justice group was given the opportunity to go on a food van that delivered dinner to the homeless or poor throughout the Bronx. Amanda Moretti, mother of former LREI student, helped to facilitate our collaboration with Coalition for the Homeless’ food van. Amanda. Moretti told us that running the food…
On Sunday we went to the Gowanus Canal and helped participate in cleaning the canal. When we got there, we met up with Natasia, who is an important member of the organization helping cleaning this canal. She explained what we would be doing. The Gowanus Canal organization has been extremely helpful in the clean up…
Just before winter break, my group and I Skyped with Suzanne Rae Pelaez, a Brooklyn based clothing designer. Suzanne Rae Pelaez designs feminist clothing called ‘Suzanne Rae’ and tries to incorporate feminism into her line as much as possible. Pelaez graduated from Parsons The New School for Design and also holds an economics degree from…
In 2006, my dad read an article about the Innocence Project in the newspaper and told me about it. I realized it was a good cause and donated, but it wasn’t my main focus, I donated more to Heifer, another great organization. In 2009 my dad read an article about Fernando Bermudez, and again told…
Today we watched a movie called Trevor. It is about a thirteen year old boy who is discovering his sexuality. He meets a boy named Pinky and they become friends. He tells Pinky his life goal of becoming an actor. Pinky accepts that and is fine. Later a rumor spreads through his school saying that…
Our social justice group got the amazing opportunity to speak outside city hall in front of reporters for major news networks and very important politicians. The goal of the field work was to get as many new contacts as possible and to speak in front of many people. From this trip, I learned how big…
About a week ago my group and I attended the Gowanus Canal Mulchfest and Trash Cleanup session for about two hours. Mulchfest is an event done every year after Christmas where many people go out, find thrown away trees, and bring them back to specified areas to be mulched. The Gowanus Canal Conservatory is one…
On Wednesday, the 15th of January our group was honored to have Fernando Bermudez visit us at Middle School Meeting. Fernando Bermudez was wrongfully incarcerated for a murder he did not commit in 1991. He was imprisoned for 18 years, until in 2009, with the help of the Innocence Project and Karen Wagner he was…
Ms. Lauren Mucciolo speaks to 8th grade, 12/2/13Ms. Lauren Mucciolo came to speak to our grade about her documentary, and the information in it. The goal of this fieldwork was to educate the grade about the issue this movie addressed, which was the hardships facing children in poverty. I feel that we did accomplish the…
On December 14, 2012, the Sandy Hook Newtown shooting took place. One year later, my group went down to city hall to take part in the ceremony commentating the one year anniversary. Many people spoke including a teacher who survived the colombine high school massacre only to be shot some time later by a mugger…
Richard Aborn is the president of the citizens crime commission of New York City, and organization that seeks to reduce crime, especially gun violence and to improve methods used to convict criminals. In our interview Richard Aborn talked about how guns are restricted to varying degrees depending on what state your in. Many illegal gun…
On 12/16/13 my social justice group and I visited The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. We left school at 9:00 and then we got on the train and took the C train to 23rd street. As we entered Holy Apostle Church Bob (who we contacted to volunteer) greeted us and gave us Hats, Aprons and gloves.…
Last weekend, our group had the opportunity to volunteer at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. We worked with Nastasia Sidarta, who we had interviewed before. The volunteering event included tasks such as composting, tree stewardship, and assisting the conservancy with their participation in the Mulchfest program. Mulchfest is a program in which people leave their Christmas…
This is now our 4th fieldwork for the LGBTQ group. In class we showed a short film called Trevor directed by Peggy Rajski. The summary of the film is about a boy named Trevor, who recently discovers that he is gay at the age 13. Throughout the short film it shows the struggles of him…
Today the 16th of January, my group and I went to Sanctuary for Families to volunteer to organize some if their donations and speak with one of their heads, Emily LoBue. Emily LoBue is Sanctuary for Families’ overseer in their intern program. When we first arrived, we have a fascinating conversation with Emily LoBue and…
On December 10, my social justice group and I went to meet with Samantha Levine who works for city hall. Samantha was the second person we interviewed about the I’m a Girl Campaign, the first being Dennis Algrim, the designer, but she is the manager, so it was great to see where the idea came…
On November 25, my social justice group and I met in a cafe near school with Iman Abdulmajid. Iman said in her early years she was a refugee from Somalia because her mother had feared for her fathers life. She was a major in political science and had never worn makeup, heels, fancy clothes, or…
In December my Social Justice group and I interview a “feminist” designer named Suzanne Rae. Suzanne Rae spoke to us about how she views clothing. She began by explaining to us that her “feminist” designs were made to create an experience. She explained that clothing is a “visual language” and that it is something we…
On November 25, we interviewed Iman Abdulmajid, the former model who now has a top selling line of make up advertised for women of color. We had a great conversation with her, and learned a lot about her opinions and experiences. One thing that I definitely want to remember for my teach-in is a line she…
On Tuesday December 3rd my group with met with Hilary Meltzer, the Deputy Chief Enviornmental Lawyer for the city. We had originally scheduled to meet with Meltzer earlier in November but 3 of our group members were sick so we had to reschedule our appointment for the next month. When we arrived at the meeting…
An Inconvenient Truth is a well recognized Environmentally based film directed by Davis Guggenheim. Al Gore, former Vice President share his fascinating research study into the issue of global warming. He speaks of the need to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions as a “moral imperative,” If we don’t do something about the environment soon, things will get very…
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-congress-dont-let
Keith Daly January 9, 14 On December 10, 2013 my social justice group and I took a trip to the building of The Crime Commission of New York and met with their organization’s president Richard Aborn. As soon as we arrived we were greeted with smiles from members of the commission all excited…
The poverty group went on a fieldwork yesterday. We visited the Covenant House which is a transitional housing unit for youth in NYC. The goal of this visit was to find basic information about poverty and what difference our group could make in our community. We were a couple minutes late because of difficulty…
On December 12th the LGBTQ Social Justice group welcomed Charles King the director and founder of Housing Works to speak with the 8th grade. Housing works is an organization that helps LGBTQ youth find housing and provides medical attention for youth that need it. We wanted to learn more about Housing Works, including different ways…
On Tuesday, December 17th, we had an interview with Martha Brooks, the Executive Creative Director at L’Oreal. She told us about what she has to keep in mind while designing posters and commercials for products, and who the target audience is. They have to make their posters appeal to their audience, whether it’s young, middle…
On December 12, 2013 my social justice group and I took part in a fieldwork at City Hall. For this fieldwork my group and I were invited to speak at City Hall to honor the progress New York has made as a state in the fight against gun violence. I was specifically chosen to write…
