By Elijah Delgado
… As we graduate today, I stand before you, confident and ready for the next chapter of my life, all thanks to the incredible year I have had in this school. Without the opportunities that east has provided me with, I would not have the future opportunities that I do today. Due to East, I will PROUDLY be leaving with a full ride to Niagara University. Because of these positive and influential experiences, I would like to leave the underclassmen with some advice, I urge you to embrace new students, lend a helping hand, and make them feel welcome. Your kindness and inclusivity can make a world of difference to someone going through a transition. Remember that we were all newcomers once, and it is our duty to pay it forward. And to my fellow graduates, I want to leave you with this last piece of advice: take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way and never let fear hold you back. Embrace the unknown, for it is in the unfamiliar that we find the greatest opportunities for personal growth and success. Believe in yourselves and your abilities, for you have already proven that you have what it takes to achieve greatness. As we prepare to transition into this next step of our lives and go our separate ways, remember that we will always have the memories of the East class of 2023 to fall back on - we have learned together, we have struggled together, and we will continue to grow together, even at a distance…
0 Comments
By Josh Wilson, Jose Marquez-Diaz, and Eugene Barnes Marlene Blocker will no longer be the principal at East High School. After 8 years leading East as a principal, she will be in a new role as a superintendent. Reflecting on her time at East she said, “The biggest accomplishments we've made here would be raising the graduation rates, reducing the violence, and increasing a sense of community and happiness.” When Ms. Blocker asked why she didn’t retire, she said she did not want to leave East at the same time as Dr. Nelms. Next year, Ms. Blocker said, “I would like to continue to find more ways for student voices to be heard and for us to have more activities that bring kids into school and be interested in truly getting an education and being part of the school community.” Ms. Blocker will always have a lasting impact on East High School. Senior Ayden Hodge, a student here for the past six years, said that “Ms. Blocker has helped me learn to take responsibility and accountability for my actions.” Another student Sage Williams, here for the past four years, said “Ms. Blocker was very strict because she didn't want to see us fail which also made her very compassionate.” Ms. Blocker will always be a part of East High School and has helped many students become better people and we will always be grateful for her. After 8 years of being principal, Ms. Blockers is well-liked and respected among staff. Spanish teacher Mrs. Tisa offered her opinion of Blocker, saying "She was straightforward, fair, and factual. She did not play favorites and listened to everyone.” Everyone I've talked to so far has had nothing but good things to say about her. Journalism teacher Ms. Conroy also had positive comments. She says, “Blocker was the best principal I ever worked for. I was actually a little intimidated by her because she was so no-nonsense. But also very fair and empathetic.” Ms. Blocker was a key part of East High's turnaround and her presence in the halls will be missed by both students and staff. We wish her luck in her new position, but as new superintendent, hopefully she won’t be too far away. By Ayden Hodge and Jeovanne Finch-Negron
A lot has changed this year, from the announcement of Ms. Blocker’s retirement to the departure of Dr. Nelms. A pillar in the East High community, Dr. Nelms dedicated himself to the restoration and betterment of East by showing his continuous, outstanding efforts to make East High better every single year while under his leadership. Dr. Nelms dedicated himself to the restoration and improvement of the overall mission of East. Many at East credits Nelms with the success in restoring the graduation rates. Nelms’s distributive leadership model, empowering others to take on leadership roles, changed the culture of the school. It put people in position to create change and it was the change we needed. That will one day cement his legacy. Ms. Dunsmoor, his administrative assistant for the past 8 years, commented on his impact. She says, “He wants to shape the culture of East to be ongoing and enduring. He’s a leader people want to follow. He’s very supportive and empathetic. Putting the right people in place to increase the graduation rate was Nelms’s biggest success.” She adds, “I have worked for dozens of superintendents in tons of capacities but Shaun is by far the best I have ever worked with.” East High school has so much to be thankful for and the efforts that Dr. Nelms have made both Lower school and Upper school at East a place to succeed in all stages. Dr. Nelms’s departure from the school will be for the better of his career; he will be missed but still appreciated for the hard work he has put into East High School. By Elijah Delgado and Terreil Colon
In an exclusive interview with Mr. Mascadri, the newly appointed principal of our school, he shared his insights on his long-standing administrative career and his vision for the future. With approximately 16 years of experience in various roles within the education system, Mr. Mascadri has set his sights on the principalship to have a more significant impact on scholars and their educational success. When asked about his inspiration to pursue the principal role, Mr. Mascadri emphasized his desire to improve upon an already excellent educational system. He acknowledged the importance of collaboration and stated his intention to work as a team, involving everyone in establishing and prioritizing goals for the school. By ensuring that "everybody has a say," Mr. Mascadri aims to foster a culture where individuals feel welcomed and safe, thereby creating an environment conducive to learning. Mr. Mascadri reiterated the significance of inclusivity and active listening in discussing his leadership style. He believes that successful schools are characterized by strong relationships between students and staff that extend beyond the boundaries of the academic institution. To achieve this, he plans to engage with scholars and staff outside of the regular school day, participating in events such as orientations, half days, and picnics. By actively reflecting on the school's needs and actively listening to the voices of its members, Mr. Mascadri aims to guide the school toward success. In Mr. Mascadri's vision, a successful school is one where students and staff feel welcomed and enjoy being part of the educational community. Such a school fosters an inclusive culture where scholars' well-being and safety are paramount. By prioritizing open communication and involving everyone in decision-making, Mr. Mascadri hopes to create an environment where every individual's contributions are valued. As Mr. Mascadri transitions into his role as principal, his experiences as an administrator and his commitment to fostering a welcoming and safe environment provide a strong foundation for the school's continued success. With his leadership style centered on collaboration, active listening, and engagement, he is excited to guide the school toward greater achievements and ensure the overall development of its scholars. By Mossimo Perry For those who did not get to meet Ms. Pies or those who only knew of her like me, this is a small introduction to who Ms. Pies was and what she meant to the East community. Ms. Pies was an exceptional English Language Arts teacher who dedicated herself to her students while battling with brain cancer. Her unwavering determination throughout her cancer treatment while continuing to teach left a forever-lasting impression on not only her students but her colleagues as well. Scholars cherished her infectious smile and laughter, appreciating how she cared for them even during challenging times. Getting to know her students was Ms. Pies’ favorite part of teaching. She saw her scholars as unique individuals and took joy in learning about what shaped them to be who they are today. Guiding and supporting her students, making them smile and laugh, and of course nurturing their reading, writing, and social skills were all natural to her approach as a teacher or even a role model as some may say. I have asked Ms. Gotham, someone who knew Ms. Pies on a personal level as they are siblings, what quote would best encapsulate Ms. Pies. She proceeded to tell me: “You are entirely up to you.” This emphasizes the power of personal choice and resilience in the face of uncertainties. Ms. Pies believed that despite circumstances beyond our control, we still have the ability to decide how we respond. She embodied this philosophy by choosing to persevere, spread kindness, and demonstrate strength. Even when facing hardships, she remained the best version of herself, serving as an inspiration to her students and to all that knew her. A lasting tribute exists at East High School. Our library is now proudly named The Shana Louise Pies Memorial Library. Ms. Pies will be remembered for her unwavering devotion and capacity to inspire achievement in the scholars, colleagues, parents and alumni of East High School. For the bravery, persistence, and strength she exhibited in her fight against cancer that those around her could emulate. Ms. Pies loved that as an educator she could touch the lives of so many of “her kids” in the classroom. Her personal mission was to develop the young minds to read, read, read and write, write, write. Those teaching efforts will be passed on for generations to come. By Luanys Rivera and Kani McNeil
Kelvin Cartagena was a kind and loving brother, son, friend, and student here at East. He was a model for everyone who knew him. Kelvin was 17 years old, and his birthday was recently, on May 27th. He is celebrated for his life, the memories that had been shared with him, and the lives of others he had brought joy. A variety of Kelvin’s friends and teachers would describe him as an outstanding student but overall the best friend to have asked for. He was quiet but was an amazing person when you got to know him truly. Janthony Matias was a close friend of Kelvin’s. Their bond is something that could never be replaced. A teacher and student friendship is also one that is cherished the most. Mr. Cybulski was Kelvin’s teacher, and he shares the best memories of Kelvin. They would always talk about their favorite sports teams and how Kelvin's favorite team, The Eagles would beat Mr. Cybulski’s team. As he stated, “During football and basketball season, seeing him in the hallways on a Monday after the Eagles winning and he would always say how about those Eagles? With a big smile across his face. He would always give me crap for my favorite team for football which is the San Francisco 49ers. Those are some of my favorite memories of him just sitting and talking about sports and what players we thought would do well during the games.” Kelvin loved sports and his favorite basketball team was the Boston Celtics and his favorite football team was the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelvin demonstrated a positive attitude, tenacity, and perseverance toward his classmates and teachers. Mr. Cybulski claims, “I was always proud of how he persevered through his language barrier of learning another language other than Spanish and wanted to succeed in school and tried his hardest in his class no matter how difficult the class was.” Building a connection with students as a teacher taught Mr. Cybulski how valuable it is. He stated, “Kelvin taught me no matter how happy a person can look on the outside that he or she might still be struggling on the inside no matter how old or young that person is and that it is so very important for everyone both young and old to seek help to make sure that both mentally and emotionally you’re in the right frame of mind…We need to find ways to teach our children ways to deal with negative emotions and give them the tools to overcome obstacles both big and small.” As a teacher, it is important to get to know your students from who they are and provide ongoing guidance, as Mr. Cybulski did by developing a connection with his student. Kelvin also deeply affected the life of Ms. Fenn, another teacher at East who has been a part of the Cartagena family for upwards of a decade. During our interview, she described Kelvin as a “sweet and funny boy, as well as a great friend and a good person to know.” I also asked Ms. Fenn how she felt his passing had affected the village around him, and her response was that “he touched many lives, and created memories that will never be forgotten.” She also says, “I think it makes people want to check in and hold the people they care about.” All of these people have borne witness to the life of a young man, taken far too early. Kelvin Cartagena, is a name that will live in the hearts of all of those he has affected. However, this Memoriam was not made for the purpose of remembering his passing, but celebrating his life. I encourage all of you to look for comfort and laughter in the people you love. Cherish the time you have and talk to someone. You are not alone, you are loved, you are appreciated, and there is someone who takes pride in you. By CharKendra Harris
Imagine being a hands-on learner and being thrown into a virtual online learning environment. We don’t have to imagine too hard. There were many challenges with COVID 19 including going to school all online. COVID shut down schools and delayed a lot of learning as well as social development of students. It was a very stressful time. You never knew if you were going to get the disease and God forbid, possibly die from it. Learning online in the time of COVID was really hard. It was hard to keep focused when all of your classes were in the same room, on the same computer and that room might be your bedroom. Oversleeping was a problem because it was easy to fall asleep because you were on your bed. I would wake up, grab the computer and login just in time for class but sometimes the pull of the pillow was too much and I overslept. You get motivated being at school to do work and see your friends. It was really hard to motivate yourself at home in isolation. Some of the teachers were willing to work with students and give them a break but others still stuck to deadlines and commitments which were hard to meet. Socially, COVID was a nightmare. We went from going to school and seeing our friends every day to not seeing anyone outside of our families…EVER! I missed my friends. Also, I missed having the real experience of school. I missed being in the classroom and learning with other students. I missed walking down the hall with all of my friends and seeing teachers. It was very depressing to have the date to come back to school in person delayed several times. You would get your hopes up, only to be told that the date was delayed again. We were all anxious to get back to normal. When we finally came back to school, it was hybrid learning for two days in and two days out. It was such a blessing to see all my friends and to get back to some normalcy. I felt like my grades started to get better. I was able to get help with work and do my best. By working hard when we got back to school and making connections with teachers and other students, we were able to get back to normal. Just yesterday it was 9th grade and now I feel like I blinked and it is 12th grade and I am graduating. We are a unique cohort of students that missed the educational experience for a year and a half. There are kids that started school online and now are in school in person. It was not easy coming back and getting into the old routines, but it was very satisfying. And I believe we are stronger for it. By La’Velle Coleman, Zymier Jackson, and Quentin Gordon-Smith People sometimes perceive the baseball team as uninteresting. However, once you start to pay attention to the team and their positive experiences, you see there’s more to the story. An example of a positive experience would be when the coach and the baseball team went on a trip to LA. As a result of this event it caused their team chemistry to enhance in a way that a good team should. This has happened multiple times due to the fact that there have been multiple trips that the teams attended which would explain why their players are always so optimistic. The Varsity Football team had an outstanding season. The highlight of the team during football season would be the way we defeated everyone we played. Everyone we played in the regular season we beat by 2+ touchdowns other than 1 game and the one game we didn't win by 2+ TD's we started the game up 21-0 and let them come back: week 1 (54-8) week 2 (35-7) week 3 (33-6) week 4 (26-21/close one I mentioned) week 5 (52-7) week 6 (35-7) week 7 (42-8) week 8 (50-8) week 9 (27-3) and week 10. Our first and only loss of the season (28-6) was in the championship against Canandaigua. The Boys Varsity Basketball team also had a fantastic season, with a record of 18-4. Senior Zymier Jackson says a highlight of the season was “us as a team would be the way we worked as a team the last 5 minutes of the semifinals vs Wayne to secure the win in a close game (51-41).” From my experience, basketball is a great opportunity to have fun and to gain friendships, but it isn't easy. The coaches are going to push you to be the best version of yourself on and off the court. They are very blunt and are going to tell you the truth and nothing but the truth. Basketball at East is very big, for the time I was on the varsity basketball team I won two championships and this year we played in the championship game at the blue cross arena but unfortunately, we lost. If you like basketball, want to be a part of a family, have fun, and be pushed to be the best then play for the basketball team here at East. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|