Creative Organelle Projects in Living Environment!

Ms. Clark’s Living Environment class has been showing off their creativity and content knowledge with their Organelle Projects. The students were asked to design any project that would highlight the structure and functions of 10 or more organelles. This year brought everything from original raps to tasty homemade goods.

This is one my Ms. Clark’s favorite times of the year because she gets to see her students showcase their true talents.

“Our students are so incredibly talented and creative. CHAH students can sing, dance, write plays, paint, draw, bake cakes, direct and animated films, engineer 3D models and make a mean lasagna.” Says Ms. Clark.

CHAH Students Get the Hottest Ticket on Broadway - Hamilton!

A couple weeks ago, several CHAH students and a few lucky chaperones got to see Hamilton at Broadway's Richard Rogers Theatre!  The students got the hottest ticket on Broadway through the generous donations from The Gilder Lehrman Institute. 

The trip was coordinated by Maderlyn Olano, a history teacher here at CHAH.  The lucky chaperones were Elissa Cevallos, Steve Levy, Mariela Lazala, Jeniffer Villa, and Pamela Moreno.

After the show, a few of the actors kindly took questions from the students, telling the kids about their experience performing in the famous Broadway musical. 

AP Environment Science Tests Water in The Bronx River

On a crisp November day, the CHAH AP Environmental Students just took a trip to the Bronx River Forest. They hiked along the calm cool waters surrounded by beautiful fall colors. 

However, the Bronx River wasn't always this serene. The Bronx River is the only true freshwater river in New York City. It is an important ecosystem to native species. For some species, this is the only ecosystem they can live in within the NYC limits. Unfortunately, this resource was taken advantage of by humans for many years. The Bronx River was once lined with bleach factories, tanneries, and grist mills. The natural flow of the water was used to turn waterwheels powering these factories. The byproducts of these industries were dumped into the river for many years. Locals also used this river as a dump. Because the water pulled the waste downstream, people thought it was an easy means of waste removal. They didn't consider the fragile ecosystem or their neighbors downstream. 

The Bronx River Alliance was founded in 2001 to reverse some of this damage. Locals banded together to rehabilitate this ecosystem by organizing volunteer cleanups, bank restoration and encouraging eco-safe recreation in this area. Volunteers have pulled out tens of thousands of plastic and styrofoam garbage just this year. In the past, even large appliances like dishwashers and cars have been pulled out of the river! Now the water is safe enough for organisms to move back in. Muskrats, beavers, fish, insects, eels and many others are now able to safely live in the river again. The Bronx River Alliance carefully oversees the health of the river by collecting 100,000+ data points and observations from volunteers.

That's where CHAH students stepped in. The AP Environmental Science class ran water quality tests on the river water. These tests included: Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, pH and Phosphates. These metrics are directly related to the health of the river. CHAH students passed their observations onto the Bronx River Alliance for their studies. CHAH students are happy to report that all nutrient levels were at healthy levels for the Bronx River! 

If you would like to join the AP Environmental Science (or APES, for short) students and help protect the Bronx River check out their website for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. http://bronxriver.org/ or follow them on twitter @BxRiverAlliance

CHAH Students Get Their 'Kinky Boots' On!

Thanks to the non-profit group Broadway Bridges, an organization dedicated to getting NYC students into the seats at Broadway plays and musicals, 100 CHAH students and several teachers were able to see 'Kinky Boots' on Broadway!

The musical is about a small-town man who takes over the family shoe business and, with the help of a new friend, reinvigorates the shoe factory by selling - you guessed it - kinky boots. 

The students laughed, some cried, and all of them had a fantastic experience.  For many of them, this was their first ever Broadway play. 

Thank you very much, Broadway Bridges!  We look forward to working with you next year!

CHAH Students Get Free Glasses from Broadway Vision Center!

Studies show that students who can see better will be able to read better.  This year, CHAH is working with Dr. Charles Gold at Broadway Vision Center to get our students glasses: http://broadwayvision.nyc/. Students are being screened at school, and those who fail the vision screening are taken to Broadway Vision Center at 170th street for an exam with Dr. Gold, and the selection of glasses.

All of this is provided to students for free!

The picture represents students from the first two groups who had eye exams at Broadway Vision, and went together to pick up the glasses to be adjusted to fit properly. The students now face the challenge of wearing the glasses regularly, and getting used to them. 

Thank you Dr. Gold and Broadway Vision Center!