"Theory of Relativity" Stars Come to Co-op
Nurse Harris Helps Students to Help the Homeless
We Are Not Forgotten
Jade Epps 3/15 My creative writing class had gone on a brief walking tour around the city of New Haven. One of the buildings that we visited that caught my attention was the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Walking into a building surrounded by marble windows that filter light to protect the rare books almost made me feel as if I was home, warmed up by the afternoon sun. As I walked up the stairs I noticed the objects that were behind a piece of glass, but they weren't just any “objects”; They were history--history that us African Americans and U.S. citizens were a part of. How amazing it was to walk into a library, especially one like this, and see such great pieces of literature. Digital Sign of the times at New Haven's Union Station
Laura Sadowski 12/14 Yesterday, right after school, I caught the shuttle bus on the Green to go to Union Station. When I walked through the doors, I was greeted by the usual sounds of bags wheeling across the train station floor and people having conversations, but one thing was missing--the ever-familiar sounds of the message board, right below the clock, clicking and clacking because a train had arrived or was leaving. Now, two LED boards, one with a picture of New Haven and the other with train information, times, and track numbers, hung in its place. On the 19th of October, the two signs, donated by the Danbury Rail Museum, were put into the station as part of renovations to update Union Station. Each is 8 feet high, 17 feet long, and altogether cost around $500,000. It comes as a bittersweet change for lots of passengers in Union Station who have come to accept the sound of the old Solari Departure Board, named after its manufacturer. It was one of the last train station boards that deliver information by cycling through letters and numbers in the United States. Now, you can view the contrast between the old and the new just by looking up as the LED boards hang below a Roman numeral clock. The new LED boards are connected to computers for instant communication when it comes to delays, arrivals, and anything in between, replacing the announcements that used to be made by an actual person. It was also designed to help people with vision impairments be able to read the board. Many are happy about the change, comparing it to the changes being made in Grand Central Station, while others are nostalgic about the missing click clacking sounds that used to represent Union Station. |
Creative Writer Wins Contest (and a Check for $1,000)! By Ms. Holsenbeck 2/14 Claudia Schatz has been named the 2015 Madeleine L'Engle Senior Writing Portfolio Winner ($1,000) for the best writing portfolio in the Scholastic Hudson-Housatonic Region. Click to read the winning story. In addition, she was also given a Gold Key, Silver Key and Senior Fiction Prize for some of her individual works and is now an American Voices Nominee. She was competing against students from public and private schools in New York and CT, including Hopkins and ECA. Windham Campbell 2015 Winners Announcement/Press Conference
By Diamante Maldonado 3/11/15 I recently attended the Windham Campbell 2015 prizewinners’ announcement with a few of my fellow junior creative writers and theatre majors. After a brief stroll to the Beinecke Library with Ms. Blancato we took our seats amidst news reporters and other eager attendees. The president of Yale, Peter Salovey, introduced himself and thanked those in attendance for joining him. He said that this was one of the days of the year he enjoyed the most and that he was very proud to be able to make this announcement every year. After that, he announced the names of the prizewinners who were not actually present as they would be meeting the prizewinners the following week and most were still probably in shock from receiving word of their achievement via phone call. The prizewinners are as follows: Fiction: Teju Cole (Nigeria/United States) Ivan Vladislavić (South Africa) Helon Habila (Nigeria) Drama: Helen Edmundson (United Kingdom) Debbie Tucker Green (United Kingdom) Jackie Sibblies Drury (United States) Nonfiction: Edmund de Waal (United Kingdom) Geoff Dyer (United Kingdom) John Jeremiah Sullivan (United States) After the announcement there was a brief Q&A. In that session, Mr. Salovey gave a short explanation as to how the prizewinners are chosen. Every year the judges try to cast a net in a given vicinity and try to attract as many different types of people as they can. At the same time they also, if possible, will have more than one author from the same region in order to be able to give a comparison or spectrum to the type of writing that is coming out of that region. This prize was created in order to relieve very promising writers of their financial worries so they can focus completely on their craft. The money comes with no strings and winners are chosen based on the analysis of a body of work or one specific work from the author. From then on the judges consult with one another to gradually narrow down the amount of eligible authors until there are nine or so winners. |
YWCA goes Purple
By Jade Epps If you aren’t already aware, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The YWCA is supporting the cause by going purple for the week of October 13-17. They will also be hosting a week without violence, to help communities cope with all types of violence and to break the cycle. Not only will they be promoting awareness in October, but all year around. Violence is something that our youth needs to be taught about when they are younger so that when they get older they will know what's right and what's wrong. Dr. Richardson-Heron, the founder and CEO of the YMCA, stated that they wanted "to encourage people to continue the important dialogue about domestic violence and how they could become a part of the solution." It’s always important when organizations reach out to the community and not only try to better the people, but make it a safe environment where citizens aren’t afraid to walk their kids to the bus stops because of problems in the community that nobody has reached out to solve. |
Temporary "Parking Lot" at Co-op
Photos/Story by Mrs. Lee Parking Day is an event that took place in New Haven and Hartford on September 19th. Participating organizations received a parking space for the day to bring out art and to build community. Co-op students participated on the corner of College and Crown. This was Co-op’s second year participating, and the National Art Honor Society members hosted an opportunity for people passing by to paint. People from the Coop community, as well as others, participated and added to the large-scale painting. Thanks to Ms. Wetmore for initiating the idea for the outreach and to Mr. Cozzi for constructing the easel, as well as to the NAHS members and to all from Co-op who supported the event. As a follow-up to “Parking Day” outside of school, the members of the National Art Honor Society hosted a second interactive activity on Meet-the-Teachers Night. Those attending the evening event were able to support the Co-op fund-raiser for NAHS T-shirts by enjoying some baked goods. |
Reconstructing in Newhallville
Trequan Mills 10/14 According to the New Haven Independent, Mayor Toni Harp and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have come up with a plan to reconstruct the Newhallville area by rebuilding trashed buildings and making the neighborhood look more decent. They have also discussed how to address the fact that the neglected homes and absentee landlords who own properties in Newhallville aren’t doing their job with keeping the area clean. Newhallville had a serious problem with crack in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but before that the area actually had the highest number of African American landlords in the city of New Haven. Malloy was also asked what will happen with the unemployment rate, especially for African American men, and he responded that he’ll introduce a $10 million “human redevelopment” program for people who have been out of work a long time. As reporter Paul Bass wrote, this program would give men who have been to prison another chance to make money and stay off of the streets. Will this reconstruction help better the neighborhood and homes of many or will it be a waste? Many of the elders in Newhallville seem to agree that this will stop some of the trouble on the streets and also give Newhallville a better look at the same time. |
Windham-Campbell Winners Come to Co-op!
Story and photos by Laura Sadowski
Laura Sadowski 10/14
During the week of September 15th, junior and senior Creative Writing and Theatre students took part in a panel discussion and workshops with some of the winners of one of the most prestigious writing prizes in the world, the Windham Campbell Prize. The annual prize, which was first awarded in 2013, calls attention to literary achievement and provides writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns. Essentially, a check for $150,000 is awarded to up to nine writers that the Windham Campbell organization has taken a great deal of interest in; so the organization takes their financial burden away for however long the prize money lasts.
There was a lot that went into making the Co-op event a success. In fact, the process of getting the panel and workshops together began last March for Ms. Blancato and six students.
First, six seniors--Tamara Sternberger, Xavier Sottile, and Najeem Abubakar from Creative Writing and Eric Perez, Emily Vergara, and Shannaya Gray from Theatre, were nominated by their arts teachers for their interest in reading intellectual texts. So last spring, both Ms. Blancato and these six students went to the Beinecke Library for the announcements of the Windham Campbell prize winners and the opportunity to meet with all of them.
Each student was then assigned to read two books over the summer which had been written by one of the six winners that would be attending the panel at Co-op. Their task was to write a little biography about one of the panelists and include a passage of their writing for the informational packet which would be handed out to the other Creative Writing and Theatre students. Lastly, in August, the students met with Ms. Blancato and collaborated for about a week to work on the final informational packet.
During the second week of school, I was called into the project and asked to document and write about the Windham Campbell experience. On my first day, the six students and Ms. Blancato were all meeting in the library and preparing for the panel the next week. Everyone had to choose two questions, one more general question for the whole group and the other for the specific winner they were to focus on. They were then prepped on seating arrangements and details on how the whole panel would take place.
Two days later, it was panel day. The student panelists, and now me, left fourth period a little early and headed to the main stage. The famous red guest chairs were set up on the stage with a name tag below the seats listing the seating arrangements with a pattern of student, winner, student, winner, etc.
The six winners in attendance--Nadeem Aslam, Kia Corthron, Jim Crace, Sam Holcroft, Noëlle Janaczewska and John Vaillant--all arrived and the bell rang to begin sixth period. A huge crowd of Creative Writing and Theatre students, teachers, panelists, and their entourages all came into the room at the same time. As the panel began, I had to face off with a local news reporter to get the perfect shot. And that continued as I moved around the room, always trying to get the perfect shot of a moment that would not happen again. Questions about writing styles and life stories went up, down, and back around the group with the Co-op students right in the middle. Before anyone knew it, the bell for lunch rang and each student signed up for a workshop with one of the winners.
Flash forward two days and it was time for the workshops. Each student chose a panelist’s workshop. I was able to visit each for a couple of moments. Nadeem told stories of how he writes and of his life. Kia had an activity on secrets. Sam focused on playwriting. Jim had all his students write a sentence and continually expand on it. Lastly, John had his group write about an experience and continue to visualize what was happening.
It was a special experience to see what each group was doing from the beginning to the end and the change in people’s writing in just ninety minutes. A few brave souls got up and read their pieces to the group and everyone was supportive. The winners gave great, insightful, and priceless advice and no one expected anything less.
“It was amazing! Extraordinary!” Nadeem said of his experience here at Co-op. “I didn’t feel any anxiety and there was a real feeling of openness and respect. I felt like I could relate to them and they could relate to either me or what I was saying. I have a nephew the same age as the students here so it was nothing new for me to interact with them in this way.” Everyone who took part in the Windham Campbell week or, for some, the months and months of preparations, received a unique experience that does not happen in other places. Students experienced firsthand advice and guidance on their writing and what it’s like to be a professional writer.
And conversely, the winners experienced students dedicated to learning and taking advantage of the opportunities given to them. This experience was just one more example of how our school is "extraordinary!”
During the week of September 15th, junior and senior Creative Writing and Theatre students took part in a panel discussion and workshops with some of the winners of one of the most prestigious writing prizes in the world, the Windham Campbell Prize. The annual prize, which was first awarded in 2013, calls attention to literary achievement and provides writers with the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns. Essentially, a check for $150,000 is awarded to up to nine writers that the Windham Campbell organization has taken a great deal of interest in; so the organization takes their financial burden away for however long the prize money lasts.
There was a lot that went into making the Co-op event a success. In fact, the process of getting the panel and workshops together began last March for Ms. Blancato and six students.
First, six seniors--Tamara Sternberger, Xavier Sottile, and Najeem Abubakar from Creative Writing and Eric Perez, Emily Vergara, and Shannaya Gray from Theatre, were nominated by their arts teachers for their interest in reading intellectual texts. So last spring, both Ms. Blancato and these six students went to the Beinecke Library for the announcements of the Windham Campbell prize winners and the opportunity to meet with all of them.
Each student was then assigned to read two books over the summer which had been written by one of the six winners that would be attending the panel at Co-op. Their task was to write a little biography about one of the panelists and include a passage of their writing for the informational packet which would be handed out to the other Creative Writing and Theatre students. Lastly, in August, the students met with Ms. Blancato and collaborated for about a week to work on the final informational packet.
During the second week of school, I was called into the project and asked to document and write about the Windham Campbell experience. On my first day, the six students and Ms. Blancato were all meeting in the library and preparing for the panel the next week. Everyone had to choose two questions, one more general question for the whole group and the other for the specific winner they were to focus on. They were then prepped on seating arrangements and details on how the whole panel would take place.
Two days later, it was panel day. The student panelists, and now me, left fourth period a little early and headed to the main stage. The famous red guest chairs were set up on the stage with a name tag below the seats listing the seating arrangements with a pattern of student, winner, student, winner, etc.
The six winners in attendance--Nadeem Aslam, Kia Corthron, Jim Crace, Sam Holcroft, Noëlle Janaczewska and John Vaillant--all arrived and the bell rang to begin sixth period. A huge crowd of Creative Writing and Theatre students, teachers, panelists, and their entourages all came into the room at the same time. As the panel began, I had to face off with a local news reporter to get the perfect shot. And that continued as I moved around the room, always trying to get the perfect shot of a moment that would not happen again. Questions about writing styles and life stories went up, down, and back around the group with the Co-op students right in the middle. Before anyone knew it, the bell for lunch rang and each student signed up for a workshop with one of the winners.
Flash forward two days and it was time for the workshops. Each student chose a panelist’s workshop. I was able to visit each for a couple of moments. Nadeem told stories of how he writes and of his life. Kia had an activity on secrets. Sam focused on playwriting. Jim had all his students write a sentence and continually expand on it. Lastly, John had his group write about an experience and continue to visualize what was happening.
It was a special experience to see what each group was doing from the beginning to the end and the change in people’s writing in just ninety minutes. A few brave souls got up and read their pieces to the group and everyone was supportive. The winners gave great, insightful, and priceless advice and no one expected anything less.
“It was amazing! Extraordinary!” Nadeem said of his experience here at Co-op. “I didn’t feel any anxiety and there was a real feeling of openness and respect. I felt like I could relate to them and they could relate to either me or what I was saying. I have a nephew the same age as the students here so it was nothing new for me to interact with them in this way.” Everyone who took part in the Windham Campbell week or, for some, the months and months of preparations, received a unique experience that does not happen in other places. Students experienced firsthand advice and guidance on their writing and what it’s like to be a professional writer.
And conversely, the winners experienced students dedicated to learning and taking advantage of the opportunities given to them. This experience was just one more example of how our school is "extraordinary!”