2009

Fordham Preparatory School Summer Academy

Mission Statement and Program Goal The Jesuit educational mission advocates that an ethnically and economically diverse student body creates a superior environment for learning and liv-ing. The Fordham Prep Summer Academy was created to address the need for contin-ued skills development among gifted young men in the Bronx. The Academy seeks to introduce able students of modest means to Fordham Prep. The program’s curriculum calls for instruction in grammar, reading, and mathematics in the morning. Time after lunch is set aside for computer skills, theatre use, and opportunities for recreation. There are also visits to nearby cultural resources in and near the Bronx such as Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo.

On the tour of Fordham University’s Rose Hill cam-pus, we learned many things. Fordham University is filled with a lot of history. Fordham is a Jesuit university. The Jesuits are a religious order created by St. Ignatius Loyola. The campus had many points of interest that are filled with history. Fordham has a cemetery where some Jesuit priests are buried. We saw Loyola Hall, which is where the Jesuits at the University live. Constitution Row is the path on campus that has thirteen trees representing the original thirteen colonies. The bell that is out-side the university gym is called the Victory Bell and is rung after every Fordham sports victory. It was taken from of a Japa-nese war ship in World War II. The Gym that the bell sits in front of is also the oldest Division I gym in the nation. It seats about four thousand people. A lot of famous people attended Fordham University such as Cardinal Spellman and Vince Lombardi. The entire campus is made in the Gothic architectural style. The actual building that Fordham Prep is in is fairly new, being built in the 70’s. The Prep used to be Hughes Hall, which is now a dormi-tory for the College. It is made without the use of steel beams, as only brick is used. Keating Hall is the main building of the campus. On the outside, on the top of the building, there are seals of other Jesuit colleges and some of the Jesuit high schools. Before taking this tour I had no idea so much history was on this campus. Its hard to believe such a beautiful campus can be located right in our backyard of the Bronx.

TRIPS AROUND THE BRONX

TOUR OF ROSE HILL BY: WILLIAM MENDEZ AND MICHAEL GIGANTE

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GOLF LESSONS BY: AVERY DEWINDT , M ICHAEL MORRONE, AND JULIAN ROJAS A skillful sport that tests a person on his patience, strategy, and love for the game is Golf. The sport, made famous by one of the greatest players in the game during our time, Tiger Woods, was actually started in 1497 on the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife. The Fordham Prep Summer Academy took a trip to the Mosholu Golf Course to explore this sport of patience. The coaches there divided the group into three sec-tions to learn key essentials to the game. The lessons we received were on chipping, putting, and driving. Putting is the stroke you use when you play mini golf; it is a less powerful stroke which is designed to get the ball into the hole from small distances. Not a lot of power is required. Control, aim and accuracy are key elements when putting. Chipping is much like putting but from a farther distance. It is a deeper swing, designed to get the ball into a projectile motion so that the ball can land on the green and set up a putt. The last thing we learned was driving. Driving is a full out swing, generated from the hips to drive the ball as far as possible to the hole. These three things are key when playing golf. At first it looked easy. How hard can it be to get a little white ball into a hole with a club? Little did we know it actu-ally takes a lot of skill and practice to do so. There is a lot of technique that goes into it. Golfing is a fun sport, and is a great way just to relax. Every-one should try the game of golf. It definitely turned out to be a great experi-ence for us.

THE STUDENTS OF THE 2009 FORDHAM PREP SUMMER ACADEMY

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“Te a c h u s t o g i ve a n d n o t t o co u n t t h e cost .” -St . I g n a t i u s o f Loyo l a

Gregory Adams St. Jerome Jason Adulley St. Angela Merici Ginikanwa Amaefile St. Martin of Tours William Baez Public School 214 Abraham Barba Immaculate Conception (MH) Tanvir Bashar Middle School 144 Jordan Beebe St. John Joseph Boncardo St. Theresa Paget Bramble Holy Family Adrian Cacho St. Simon Stock Eric Chavez St. Athanasius Eric Collazo St. Simon Stock Basit Dar Our Lady of Angels Jordan Devonish St. Jerome Avery DeWindt St. Athanasius Colin Esterine-Reid St. Mary Kenneth Felix St. John Chrysostom Giancarlo Furio St. Theresa Rigoberto Garcia St. Ignatius Michael Gigante Villa Maria Cleavon Hampson St. Angela Merici Justin Henry Sts. Philip & James Karell Henry Holy Cross Fernando Jorge Carl C. Icahn Charter Ryan Karran Our Lady of Angels Howard King Sts. Phillip & James David Lopez Public School 214 Brian Luna Middle School 145 Noel Martinez St. Ignatius William Mendez Holy Cross Joyner Meregildo St. Martin of Tours Michael Morales Immaculate Conception (GH) Michael Morrone Villa Maria Julian Rojas Immaculate Conception (MH) Adrian Roque Silva Middle School 145 Jordan Santos Holy Spirit Antonio Singh St. Nicholas of Tolentine Jonathan Torres Holy Cross Ariel-Alexis Valera-Uribe Carl C. Icahn Charter Christian Vega Holy Family

2009 marks the 8th Fordham Prep Summer Academy class. Since it’s inception, the Summer Acad-emy has seen growth in many areas, particularly with the students who have come from the Academy and moved on to fruitful careers at Fordham Prep. As those students from the first and second Summer Academy classes have now graduated from high school, the Prep has seen these graduates achieve many awards and accomplishments. Among these achievements are admission to some of the best local and national colleges and universities. Academy alumni who have gone on to graduate from the Prep are now attending the follow-ing schools of higher education: Catholic University, Washington, D.C. Loyola University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY College of Mt. St. Vincent, Bronx, NY Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY University of Maryland, College Park, MD

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FPSA: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

PREDATORS AND PREY OF THE BRONX ZOO BY: PAGET BRAMBLE AND KENNETH FELIX

On July 17, 2009, FPSA went on a trip to the Bronx Zoo. It was clear from the beginning that the trip was going to be a fun and exciting one, and I couldn’t wait to see all of the interesting animals we were going to learn about. Our tour guide, Janet, took us on what is known as the tour of Predators and Prey. During the tour we learned about many exciting animals. I had no idea that Pere David’s Deer were from China and that the only difference between the male and female are the antlers. The males have antlers but the females don’t which makes the females harder to see in the marshy grasslands. We also visited the tigers. Tigers are one of the biggest predators in the world today; they can grow to almost six feet tall. You can tell predators by their sharp teeth called carnassials which help them dig into their prey. Tigers are known as carnivores because they only eat meat. They eat animals such as pigs and deer. Next we went to see the ducks. Ducks, like the deer, are prey. We learned that when duck feathers are messy, ducks do something called preen-ing. Preening is what ducks do to clean their feathers. Finally, we saw a polar bear. Polar bears’ favorite food is seal. Like the endangered Siberian tiger, this eating of other animals also makes polar bears predators. The trip to the Bronx Zoo was amazing, and in my opinion the best trip ever. I hope I can go on it again some-time and learn more new and interesting things about the animals that surround us everyday.

YANKEE STADIUM BY: GREG ADAMS, ABRAHAM BARBA , CLEAVON HAMPSON, HOWARD KING, NOEL MARTINEZ, AND ANTONIO SINGH

FPSA CURRICULUM

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On July 10, 2009, FPSA went on a trip to tour Yankee Stadium. The tour proved to be both fun and exciting for everyone that participated. We got the chance to learn many new and interesting things like “Babe” Ruth’s real name is actually George Her-man Ruth. We also visited the new Yankee Stadium museum. In the museum there were two statues of Don Larson and Yogi Berra. The statues were set up to look as if Larson was throwing a pitch to Berra. In between these statues were 781 balls. Each ball was signed by former and current Yankee members. During the tour, we also visited Monument Park. This is where all the retired Yankee numbers are shown. Players such as Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, and Billy Martin all have their numbers retired here. The only person who also has his number retired here but was never a Yankee is none other than the legendary Jackie Robinson, whose number is retired throughout baseball. The only player who still has his number, 42, is Mariano Rivera soon to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Lou Gehrig’s bat was bronzed and is displayed at the top of the clubhouse, which is also known as the Yankee locker room. The Yankee locker room has gone through a lot of changes in the move to the new stadium. For example, it has more facility space and batting cages. Overall, the Yankee Stadium trip was a good one that was enjoyed by everyone. It was incredible and a great experience.

The FPSA curriculum is for students enter-ing the 7th grade. The three main subjects are Mathematics, taught by Mr. Pedro; Reading, taught by Mr. Armstrong; and English/Language Arts, taught by Ms. Irizarry. In Math, the students learn about the perimeter, area and volume of vari-ous shapes, and they also learn how to solve prob-lems using integers. In Reading, with Mr. Arm-strong, the students read novels such as The Out-siders and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, and hold classroom discussions on them. In Eng-lish/Language Arts, the students study vocabulary, spelling techniques, sentence structures, and they complete personal and descriptive writing projects.

F P S A

2 0 0 9

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MY EXPERIENCE AT FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL BY: ADRIAN ROQUE SILVA

WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT FORDHAM PREP BY: ADRIAN CACHO

My name is Adrian Roque Silva and I am a student at the Fordham Prep Summer Academy. This school is all-boys and it’s a great school. The school is not just any school; you can actually have fun while you learn! Here at Fordham Prep, you actually get to have fun and not notice that you are actually learning something. The teachers use different teaching methods, such as singing, telling jokes, and actually start a conversation with the students. Through all of these, the students are learning something. Other than just working on their academics, students actually have the opportunity to socialize with kids from different ethnicities. You can find people that are Asian, Indian, Mexican, Cuban, African, and many other ethnicities. The students at Fordham Prep are also very friendly, which means that you get to meet people very fast. Sometimes at other schools, I hear that it is hard to become friends with people because you think they have nothing in common with you. That is not the problem at Fordham Prep. This is because Fordham Prep has many sports and activities through which you can meet a lot of people. Honestly, my favorite part of this school is the lunch! Lunch at Fordham Prep is totally different from any other school. The food is awesome! Here, you have the type of food you don’t have at other schools. You have so many options and it’s free! While having lunch, you are able to socialize with the rest of the students. After lunch, we have recess where we play some games outside or walk around the track. Fordham Prep is very fun and educational. I love it here and hope that everyone in the Academy will be able to come here!

The Fordham Prep Summer Academy is a program that helps us to excel and achieve our goals so we can attend a great high school in the future. It is a great way to learn new things, especially how Fordham Prep is a great school. We learn and have fun at the same time. The teachers are amusing and nice to us. The academic inspired me a lot. I met a lot of cool friends and teachers including Mrs. Piñeiro, Mr. Pedro, Mr. Armstrong, and Ms. Irizarry. The tutors, Stefen, Ray, Delorian, and Vijay, were

also helpful to all of us. The Academy teachers and tutors have taught me new and exciting things I never knew before. We have done many exciting things that made my experience in the Academy memorable. We took a tour around the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University, which is really huge! We also took golf lessons where we learned a new sport that requires more skill than we thought before. My favorite field trip out of all of them was the tour we took of Yankee Stadium. We saw everything about the history of the Yankees. It was so awesome! I had a fun experience at the Summer Academy so far and will miss it when it ends.

"We m u st spe a k t o t h e m w i t h o u r h a n d s by g i v i n g , befo r e we t r y t o spe a k t o t h e m w i t h o u r l i ps. "

-St . Pe te r C l a ve r

June 28 June 29 Summer Academy Orientation Tour of Rose Hill 8:30 A.M.

June 30 Study Skills/Theatre

July 1 Computer Skills/Library

July 2 Personal Writing Golf Lessons 1:30 PM Late Dismissal Section II 5:00 P.M.

July 3 Independence Day Observation (No Classes)

July 4

July 5 July 6 Study Skills/Sports

July 7 Computer Skills/ Student Pictures

July 8 Computer Skills/Sports

July 9 Personal Writing Golf Lessons 1:30 PM Late Dismissal Section I 5:00 P.M.

July 10 Yankee Stadium 10:00 A.M. Study Skills

July 11

July 12 July 13 Computer Skills/Theatre

July 14 Theatre/Sports

July 15 Study Skills/Theatre

July 16 Bronx Zoo 10:30 A.M.

July 17 Early Dismissal 11:45 A.M.

July 18

July 19 July 20 Study Skills/Theatre

July 21 Computer Skills/Sports

July 22 Theatre

July 23 The Outsiders

July 24 Summer Academy Closing Ceremony 10:00 A.M.

July 25

June - July 2009

A Typical Daily Schedule

8:30-9:00 - Tutors help students with homework and organization for their classes

9:00-9:50 - Reading

10:00-10:50 - Mathematics

11:00-11:30 - English/Language Arts

11:30-12:20 - Lunch

*12:30-1:30 - Computer Skills/Theatre

*1:30-2:30 - Study Skills/Sports *Activities Vary

Trips / Activites

Students wear FPSA T-shirts

June 29 – Tour of Rose Hill (9:00 A.M.)

July 2 – Golf Lessons for Section II (1:30 P.M.)

July 9 - Golf Lessons for Section I (1:30 P.M.)

July 10 – Yankee Stadium (10:00 A.M.)

July 16 – Bronx Zoo (10:30 A.M.)

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Fordham Preparatory School Fr. Kenneth Boller, S.J.

Mr. Robert J. Gomprecht ‘65 Mr. Dennis M. Ahern ‘63

Mrs. Theresa Napoli Nelson Urena ‘03

Families of the FPSA Teachers and Administrators of the FPSA

THE FACULTY OF THE FPSA

THE FPSA WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROGRAM:

President Fr. Kenneth Boller, S.J. Principal Robert J. Gomprecht ‘65 Assistant Principals Dennis M. Ahern ‘63 Theresa Napoli

As a Jesuit, college preparatory school, Fordham Prep’s mission is to inspire young men to reflect, to question, to learn, to pray, to love, to serve, to lead. Since 1841, we have based our challenging curriculum and pursuit of human and academic excellence on a foundation of Catholic faith and principles. We seek to be one community created from a broad spectrum of ethnic, racial, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds. We strive to include qualified stu-dents of limited financial resources by providing substantial financial assistance. Our faculty and staff dedicate themselves to a caring and dynamic interaction with students both inside and outside the classroom, a characteristic of Jesuit education for over 450 years. We educate our students to be men for others: spiritually motivated, intellectually accomplished and committed to promoting justice.

FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Vijay DaCosta ‘04 B.A. Le Moyne College

Vijay is currently a student at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education. A graduate of Fordham Prep and St. Mary School, he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writ-

ing from Le Moyne College. Vijay aspires to be a teacher and campus minister in a Jesuit high school. Stefen Rice ‘10

Entering his senior year this fall at the Prep, Stefen is a graduate of St. Lucy School. A star athlete, he is a mem-ber of the Prep’s football team. Stefen was also a mem-ber of the Prep’s track team

and Spanish Club. An honor student, he is currently looking at Pennsylvania State University and University of Con-necticut for potential college destinations.

Delorian Bennett ‘09

A recent graduate of Ford-ham Prep, Delorian will be a freshman at St. John’s University in the fall. Coming to the Prep from St. Jerome School, he was a defensive end on

the Prep’s football team and a member of the Kawaida Club. Delorian is also an alumnus of the second Summer Academy class. He would like to pursue a career in writing. Raymond Ortiz ‘08

A graduate of Fordham Prep and Immaculate Conception School in Mott Haven, Ray is currently a sophomore at St. John’s University. Major-ing in Clinical and Forensic Psychology, he is an alum-

nus of the first Summer Academy class and was a member of the National Honor Society while at the Prep. Ray hopes to eventually become a child psychologist.

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THE STAFF OF THE FPSA

Director:

Mrs. Wanda Piñeiro B.S. New York University M.A., P.D. Fordham University

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Mrs. Piñeiro has been teaching at Ford-ham Prep since 1979. In addition to being the Chair of the Modern Lan-guage Department at the

Prep, she is moderator of the Spanish Club and the school’s Director of Di-versity.

Instructors:

Mr. Brian Armstrong B.A. Johnson C. Smith University M.S.T. Iona College

Mr. Armstrong is a Social Studies, Reading, and Religion teacher at St. Mary School. He has taught there for eleven years and has served as

moderator of various activities includ-ing Student Council.

Ms. Rose Irizarry B.S., M.S. Mercy College

Ms. Irizarry has taught in the New York City Public School System for twelve years. In addition, she has also taught at the American School in

Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Mr. Randall Pedro B.A. College of the Holy Cross M.A. Fordham University

A former football standout at the College of the Holy Cross, Mr. Pedro has been teaching at Fordham Prep for twenty years. He teaches Religion and

serves as the moderator of the Kawaida Club, the African-American student organization, as well as serv-ing as coach of the Prep’s bowling team. Created and Edited by Vijay DaCosta ‘04