Blog

  • Congratulations to our Class 2011 seniors!

    Our fifth school year is coming to a close as students finish their final exams and prepare for the summer. For our second class of graduating seniors, it is the end of their educational careers at East-West and the beginning of their futures.

    Odarri Lewis' dragon mural in the 404 hallway. Odarri’s mural formed the design of the graduation program.

    Graduation will be held again at the Queens High School for Teaching and Evans J.R. Revere, an esteemed American diplomat with expertise in Asia, will serve as our keynote speaker. The ceremony will be held in honor of Odarri Lewis, a beloved East-West senior who passed away this year.

    On June 1st, we welcomed new parents and students for both middle and high school into our school community. During the orientation, they met East-West administrators and teachers and were given tours by student volunteers. 245 students placed East-West as their top choice for 90 open seats in 6th grade this year.

    East-West with our fantastic new school sign, thanks to Signarama. From Spring 2011

    Next year, we will see our first graduation of students who entered as 7th graders back in 2006. The following year, the first group of students who entered as 6th graders in 2007 will graduate. As we usher in new families and wish the best to our graduating seniors, the East-West community continues to grow beyond its walls, as does its potential to create a positive legacy in an increasingly globalized society.

  • Ms. Chang writes:

    China Institute exhibition reception. From Spring 2011

    Let's congratulate the students and their parents!

    Cecilia Sze7th Grade

    Gloria Stoyanova, 7th Grade

    David Wong, 7th Grade

    Suin Jung, 7th Grade

    Jaylin Yee, 7th Grade

    Their artwork (Chinese paper-cutting) were selected to be included in the Blossoming Seeds of Vision exhibition, a Bi-Annual showcase of artwork by China Institute’s students and teachers. We went to attend the opening reception yesterday and had a good time enjoying students' excellent work. If you are free, please visit the gallery at 125 East 65th Street (China Institute); admission is free.

    Congratulations! From Spring 2011

     

  • Ms. Kim writes:

    Jackey Cheng won the summer scholarship to Korea and he received his award on Tuesday, June 7th. The ceremony was held at the Korean Consulate General. The award was given by the Consul General, Young-Mok Kim.

    He will be spending three weeks of his summer in Korea with 40 other scholarship winning students from the states.

    Jackey Cheng and Ms. Kim, front row from the left. From Spring 2011
  • By Hiba Rashid, student reporter
    Photos by Ms. Cheng
    (Ms. Cheng's note: This is Hiba's follow-up to our previous feature on Student Government: "Meet the new student leaders")

    Student Government 2010 - 2011. From Spring 2011

    As the successors, Anthoulla Themistokleous and I interviewed the current President and Vice-President, Max Poumie and Ogo Morka to gain more insight about Student Government. We began by asking further about the purpose of this system in East-West. “Student Government gives students something to believe in and assure that their voices reach the administration,” according to Max. The students need representation to realize that their opinions matter, even in the school environment. This idea intertwines with the main goals of Student Government including the unification of the high school and the middle school.

    The incoming Student Government, for 2011 - 2012. Cabinet members (top row). Student representatives from 6th to 12 grade (bottom row). From Spring 2011

    Student Government is a committee in East-West which was created in its first year to allow our students to have a voice in school beyond the classroom. Students can contribute to better experiences and the success of our school. Meetings are held once a week, where members gather ideas and take initiative to put them into effect. Ms. Marinos is the supervisor of this committee and is responsible for making the magic happen. Student government goals and priorities include raising money for school, as well as encouraging school spirit and student involvement. There is even an official Student Government Constitution.

    As President, Max was responsible for thinking of new ideas, debating decisions, leading meetings with administrators, writing proposals, and assuring they were approved. The Vice President had similar obligations and assisted in writing proposals, taking over when the President wasn’t available, and consulting with the Chancellor.

    We discussed the most significant accomplishments of Student Government in this past year. Max mentioned that the team was able to “stay true to their promise” and meet all the expectations. These included putting up the flags in the hallways to celebrate diversity, creating the official school store, and organizing memorable events such as “The Glo” and the Olympics. Student Government established “The BOIS” (The Bank of International Studies) which provided their own account to keep and manage the money they fundraised. Leaders then give grants to support extracurricular activities after school.

    Max and Ogo were most proud of creating a structure for Student Government, especially since this was the guinea pig year for this system. They were able to establish a separation of powers, check and balances, and all the components of a democratic government; this is also evident in the Student Government Constitution.

    Next year, Anthoulla and I hope to continue the goals which were left incomplete from the previous year and create new ones. Max and Ogo gave us a foundation and hoped for us to “finish what we started” and learn from their mistakes. They advised their successors to stay confident and determined. They believe we will believe in our ideas and keep fighting until they’re fulfilled.

    We look forward to the new school year. Thank you Max and Ogo for providing us with your opinions about Student Government and “setting up for our success!”

    The incoming and outgoing student leaders. Ogo Morka and Max Poumie (top). Hiba Rashid and Anthoulla Themistokleous (bottom). From Spring 2011

    Incoming government:

    Cabinet

    • Anthoulla Themistokleous
    • Hiba Rashid
    • Tameem Ahmed
    • Katherine Gutierrez
    • Cameron Burrows

    Representatives:

    • Kern Hui
    • Carlos Coreas
    • Isabella Franca
    • Cynthia Yip
    • Sonia Bhardwaj
    • Lorin Cheung
    • Jimena Galindo
    • Brian (Yu) Park

    Outgoing Government

    • Max Poumie
    • Ogo Morka
    •  Cameron Burrows
    • Brian (Yu) Park
    • Anthoulla Themistokleous
    • Katherine Gutierrez
    • Carlos Coreas
  • By Hiba Rashid, student reporter
    Photos by Mr. Shibata (view event photo album)

    East-West students spelling S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

    On May 25th and 26th, East-West held a production of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! Ms. Hartong was responsible for directing the production with the help of our students. There were hours and hours of effort and rehearsing before opening night! Two auditions were held before rehearsal officially began. Nearly 60 students auditioned for 25 roles. It was difficult to make decisions, especially since our students were so passionate about acting and singing.

    This play was chosen because the characters reflect the personalities of the East-West students; they’re dedicated and have a desire to succeed. Also, the comedy and the music in the play is fun!

    Rehearsal began in January and it was held every Thursday for about three hours. But as the show dates grew closer, rehearsal was held for nearly 6 hours a week. The last rehearsal on May 24th was the longest one, it lasted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All these hours of practice clearly paid off because opening night was a success!

    Thirty minutes before the show began, seats had begun to fill up in the audience. Everyone was excited to watch this long awaited performance by our students. The play began with a brief introduction of the plot and characters, followed by numerous songs and dances. Each character’s personality began to unveil through the show and stood out uniquely.

    The audience smiled with excitement as actors and backstage crew hurried to make the show perfect for them.

    The response to opening night was a full house!

    A few minutes into the play, the actors were singing and dancing. It was really enjoyable to see our students’ confidence to not only act but even sing in front of a large audience. Each song told a story about the characters and made the performance all the more interesting.

    From the dialogues to the movements and attitude, this musical was a comedy. But it incorporated a variety of emotions. The audience responded with empathy and laughter.

    William Ma as William Barfee with a "Magic Foot" spelling technique

    Excitement began to rise in the audience with the use of special elements used in the performance such as outrageous songs, candy throwing, and random appearances on stage.

    Greyson Soukup as Chip Tolentino

    These audience interactions left everyone in awe and inspired them to encourage their fellow peers on stage. It made the show feel like even the audience was part of it. Some actors improvised in parts of the play, which created a more realistic setting for the play itself. Despite a few technical difficulties, the students continued to embrace their characters and led the show on till the end.

    By the end of the night, the audience went home with satisfied smiles. Many even whispered about looking forward to the future East-West plays.

    Full cast at the final number

    We thank our students for all the effort they put into making the play a success and Ms. Hartong for giving them an opportunity to express their talents. Everyone really put on a great show!

    View the full photo album here and leave your comments for the cast on this post!

    Londel Collier, soloist. From School Musical 2011
    Spelling bee. From School Musical 2011
    Sharon Chang. From School Musical 2011
    Timmera Brown. From School Musical 2011
    Talia Morales, soloist. From School Musical 2011
    Ms. Hartong (center), drama teacher and director. From School Musical 2011

    THE 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
    Cast List

    Name and Role/Part
    John Eckartz: Mitch Mahoney
    Talia Morales: Soloist/Olive’s Mom/Rona LEAD
    Greyson Soukup: Chip Tolentino
    Priya Chohan: Olive Ostrovsky
    Sharon Chang: Logaine Schwartz
    William Ma: William Barfee
    Alejandro Sanchez: Leaf Coneybear
    Londel Collier: Soloist/ Olive’s Dad
    Kevin Hassan: Vice Principal Panch LEAD
    Timerra Brown: Marcy Park
    Nathan Gomez: Jesus

    The Spellers ( The Chorus)
    Mina Cheung
    Jae Cheong
    Taichi White
    Nalya Veloz
    Anaya Phoenix
    Saphya Council
    Ting Li
    Leigh Singer
    Katherine Colindres
    Raven Waters

    Backstage Crew
    Director: Ms. Hartong
    Stage Manager: Martha Colindres
    Stage Manager: Kwaku Oware-Addai
    Assistant Stage Manager: Shan Chen
    Lights and Curtain: Onyeka Morka
    Costume and Makeup: Elizabeth Vallejo
    Program Designer: Ketorah Harris
    Sound Engineer: Vincent Mc Bean
    Assistant Sound Engineer: Andre

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