ACSI Creative Writing Festival
The Association of Christian School International (ACSI) hosts a Creative Writing Festival annually in which students from Grades 4th through 12th can submit works in the categories of rhymed poetry, free verse poetry, short story, and essay. This year, Evangel Christian School submitted 30 entries and we celebrated our students’ accomplishments by awarding them their certificates and ribbons during a chapel service on Friday, March 12th. Out of the 30 entries, 14 students received an award for “Good,” 14 for “Excellent,” and two of are students received an overall mark of “Superior.” These two students will have their entries sent to the Regional level where if they receive a mark of Excellent or Superior they will be published in the ACSI Creative Writing Festival national publication. We are so proud of all our participants noted below with their overall standing. Great job, everyone!
Grade 4: Embely Farinango (Excellent); Grade 5: Rebecca Edwards (Excellent), Kayla Juarbe (Excellent), Amber Colon (Good), Rachel Bou (Excellent), Taesharra Hopkins (Excellent), Zhane Lamb (Good), Jennifer Munoz (Excellent); Grade 6: Joseph Carrasquillo (Good), James Hinton (Good), Christian Vicuna (Excellent); Grade 7: Ryan Poonai (Good), Isaiah Bienemann (Good), Samuel Garcia (Excellent); Grade 8: Alexis Versoza (Excellent), Ray-lee Cuadrado (Good), Samantha Byrne (Good), Eli Morales (Good), Isabella Batista (Excellent), Francisca Armeniakos (Good), Angelie Cesario (Superior), Samantha Vazquez (Excellent); Grade 9: April Joanne Arbotante (Excellent), Janine Faulkner (Excellent), Lauren Vicuna (Excellent), Robert Epps (Good); Grade 11: Alahna Dones (Superior), Brianna Franco (Good), Rebecca Wong (Good); Grade 12: Christine Gonzalez (Good).
ECS Inventors
This month our 10th grade Global classes began the unit on the Industrial Revolution. Learning that this time was marked by many great inventions by great inventors, we decided that we too can become inventors. Our classes are beginning to come up with ideas on their very own inventions.
Mr. Berrios
Imperialism
This month our students are exploring the effects of Imperialism on China. Before we began this chapter, we debated in teams the following four statements:
(1) Countries must be economically strong to be free.
(2) Countries must be militarily strong to be free.
(3) Countries must be democratic to be free.
(4) Countries must be technologically advanced to be free.
Which do you most agree with?
Mr. Berrios
Why are you in leadership?
Students have been looking at spiritual leadership this month. Throughout the year we have looked at both good and bad leaders and they are now beginning to see why certain people are pastors or in some type of ministry leadership. As we head into March, I will be having students interview those that are in ministry and see what characteristics they have that qualify them for the job.
Mrs. Racoma
How did you get to New York?
Our Korean International students had a project this month where they had to interview a non-native New Yorker and write about his/her journey to NYC. They had questions prepared beforehand and this was an opportunity for them to practice their speaking and listening fluency. Many of them chose to interview their teachers and although they were nervous at first, they expressed how much fun they had with the project. One student came back saying that she ended up not only interviewing the teacher but being asked back the same questions about her journey to NYC from Korea. She said it was an exciting experience sharing her life story in English. I am planning on more projects to give them an opportunity to practice speaking with their English-speaking peers.
Ms. Park
Do Assembly Lines Rerally Work?
Students were introduced to economics with a series of pictures that showed outlandish scenes: a booth at a beach with a sign saying “Sunset viewing- $10”, a shack amidst mansions, a small, local delivery company promising to deliver a package anywhere in the country within the day. All of these pictures demonstrated a certain economic principle that the students had to figure out. Since that introduction, we have made our own budgets, tested the efficieny of assembly lines by planning and implementing our own assembly line to make bookmarks, and have studied figures from Adam Smith to Henry Ford.
Mrs. Lapp
Read What ECS Students Think About…
Students worked on writing their own opinion editorials to submit to local newspapers, magazines, and websites. Students chose a public policy issue that they were passionate about, spent the semester researching it, and then wrote a 750 word essay explaining what the government should (or shouldn’t) do to alleviate a specific social problem. Project topics varied among students but included abortion, MTA fares, animal rights, gay marriage, adoption, child abuse, and school charters.
Mrs. Lapp
Progressive Reformers
In order to learn about the Progressive Movement, we took advantage of the history of the city in which we live. Many of the Progressive Reformers were from New York, including Jacob Riis and Teddy Roosevelt. We looked at pictures and video clips–from the PBS Series, New York–of the city’s conditions in the 1800s and learned about movements to reform the tenements, sweatshops, and education system. Students also worked on an immigration project, in which they interviewed a modern day immigrant and then presented their story to the class, comparing modern day immigration to the groups that came through Ellis Island at the turn of the century.
Mrs. Lapp
Civil War News
As a class we talked about the Reconstruction of the nation after the Civil War, looking particularly at a few video clips about Grant’s presidency and the problems facing the south after the war. I was also able to show students old newspaper clippings of my great-great grandfather, who served in the Civil War and was on the hunt for John Wilkes Boothe after Lincoln’s assassination! We also explored westward expansion, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of the Transcontinental Railroad and other developments during the period.
Mrs. Lapp
Exploravision Contest
February is the ending month of the Exploravision contest. Every group had great ideas and there is a possibility that in the future some of these very ideas will come to be real items that will be available on the market. In March the groups will get the chance to make their models. We have graciously been given a grant to purchase material for the groups to create their ideas. I am very surprised to find how many students still enjoy playing with Lego’s. Yes that includes the High School students.
Mr. Penland