This week, the CHAH Staff took on the Students in the Annual Staff vs. Students Basketball Game! The middle school girl's team beat the CHAH Staff for the second year in a row, while the high school boy's team, although incredibly talented, was defeated by the coaches.
The evening was about community, comradery, and fun. A good time was had by all!
On June 2, CHAH students ranging from sixth through eleventh grade took the Governors Island ferry to an urban learning garden, maintained by GrowNYC. This trip brought together current and future Advanced Placement Environmental Science students and the Food Ambassadors, CHAH's healthy cooking club. They spent the day exploring topics in ecology, environmental stewardship, and the use of garden-fresh produce in our daily meals.
One section of the tour involved harvesting radishes and arugula for a spicy and crunchy salad. Students snipped off arugula leaves and dug up radishes and ate them only minutes later. Talk about fresh!
Another tour guide led students through the garden, discussing the interaction between bugs and plants. We learned that worms, bees, and ladybugs are our friends, while aphids and caterpillars are our garden foes. APES students impressed the tour guides with their knowledge of ecosystems.
The compost station allowed students to smell, feel, and see compost in its multiple stages. Students learned about the interaction of carbon and nitrogen as well as bacteria and fungi in creating a nutritious addition to gardening soil. Food Ambassador and seventh grader Lisbeth P. said, "We should start saving our food scraps when we cook in Food Ambassadors so it can be turned into compost." Great idea, Lisbeth!
Finally, students got their hands dirty at the planting station. They helped transplant herbs from small containers that had been in a greenhouse to outdoor planters where they can soak in the sun.
Students had a great trip and hope to visit again soon!
CHAH 6th Graders had a wonderful time hiking, canoeing, and playing outside at Manice Education Center in Massachusetts! The outdoor experience was provided by Christodora, a non-profit organization founded in 1897 to get New York City youth out of the city and into the great outdoors. Their mission is to provide a "transformative experience that allows youth to better understand the natural world and shape their role within it."
Students participated in team-building games in the woods.
They went on a hike overlooking the valley.
They went on a canoe trip down the river.
The world is a wonderful place and, although we love New York City and our community here in Washington Heights, sometimes a weekend outdoors is a great way to feel more connected to our entire planet!
This past week, the students took on the CHAH staff in the annual Staff vs. Student Volleyball Game! The spirited competition is the second annual game.
The students markedlyimproved, with a few spikes from Steven Carbajal and Eddie Santana, and a nice diving dig by Marialy Fernandez.
The teachers, however, seemed to have regressed. After completely whiffing on a spike, Mr. Dickhudt said with a sheepish smile, "That wasn't how I had imagined it."
His teammate, Mrs. Purisic, replied with a grin, "Maybe not for you, but that was exactly how I imagined it!"
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and, here at CHAH, we certainly did not forget! The CHAH administration team, led by Principal Mark House and Assistant Principals David Falciani and Amir Tusher, presented the staff with umbrellas embossed with the CHAH Phoenix logo. What a perfect appreciation item for this week's wet weather!
Not to be outdone, The UFT Center here at our school, where teachers are free to work and have lunch, came with some food and an interactive PowerPoint Presentation. CHAH is lucky to be a part of the UFT's Community Learning School Initiative, which has been an important and highly effective collaboration with the UFT.
Even the UFT President, Michael Mulgrew, weighed in. “We are the largest and most diverse school system in the entire country...It really is about the respect, the passion and the dignity that you can find in every school in New York City and that we the members of the UFT bring to our children every day," Mulgrew said.
Thanks to all the teachers here at CHAH, and the other schools around New York City, for all the work you do each and every day!
