On January 13, 2010, Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 quake. Sophomores at our school are raising money to help the people of Haiti heal.

“Fundraising for the people of Haiti is a good idea because we are able to help people less fortunate than us,” said sopomore Shara Joy Aya.

Advisories are collecting items to send over to Haiti such as blankets, tents, sleeping bags, bottles of water, gauze, gloves, bandages, and other first aid supplies. Other advisories are selling baked goods and lollipops to make money.

“Anyone can bring the specific things that are listed. We made posters and students are going around to talk to the advisories about this fundraiser. My class is raising money of their own to buy a tent to send to Haiti,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Suroweic.

Chinese teacher Ms. Pan’s advisory sold lollipops to raise a total amount of seventy-seven dollars. Ms. Weit’s advisory, on the other hand, raised about twenty-dollars and counting by having a bake sale. Similarly, Ms. Suroweic’s advisory is collecting the items listed to send to the MADRE organization.

The MADRE organization is an international women’s human rights organization. This organization partners with women to help other women all around the world. They collect donations and have helped women and families all throughout various countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru, and many other countries as well.

“After Haiti’s loss, I think it’s necessary for schools across the United States to raise Haitian relief,” said sophomore Christopher Smart.

Although, the advisories have raised a reasonable amount of money so far, they hope to raise even more money to help Haiti rebuild their nation.

“Caring for others in a time of need shows that people can really touch humanity,” said advisor Ms. Weit

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Similar to the school’s past two exchanges, students on this exchange lived with a host Swiss student and his/her family while touring the country, shadowing them while in school, and getting to know their host families.

“I wanted to see life from another perspective,” said junior Vanessa Kreytak.

The flight took off at 6:50 PM from Newark International Airport. After seven tiring hours on the plane, students couldn’t wait to land in Switzerland. The Americans arrived at 6:00 in the morning, where they were greeted by three Swiss students and one teacher from our host school, Kantonsshule Im Lee.

Students and teachers were taken to school where they were greeted by the Swiss principal and offered lunch.

“Their school food is so much better than our food; they actually have chefs working,” said junior Glenn Kugelman.

After the “official” welcome, the school day was over and the American students were free to go home and spend the weekend with their host students.

Some students had the pleasure to travel during the weekend, going as far as Bern, the capital of Switzerland and Rome, Italy.

On Monday, students arrived at school bright and early to start sightseeing. At first, the students went on a walking tour of the town where the Swiss hosts lived, followed by free time to shop and eat.

During the afternoon, the students were given the opportunity to tour the historic Kyburg Castle.

Tuesday was the day the students were able to see the Rhein falls. Students walked along the sight seeing paths taking many pictures with the falls as the background.

“One of my favorite students was traveling with the students, we had a lot of fun touring the cities and meeting the other [Swiss] students in their school and how they interact. I feel our students truly experienced the culture,” said Ms. Suroweic.

The Americans were set to attend school all day Wednesday. The Swiss hosts were all in the same classes, so the Americans weren’t separated. Our students attended classes such as Biology, Literature, and Calculus. This was also the day where the Principal of Kantonsshule Im Lee gave the students a fond farewell as well as a small gift. Each student received a Swiss army knife that was in the form of a credit card.

On Thursday, the American students, accompanied by their Swiss friends, traveled to Zurich where they went sightseeing around the town and finished up their last minute souvenir shopping.

That Friday marked the day of departure back to the United States. Our travelers had a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany before reaching there much wanted homes here in the United States. With each student’s family waiting and the crowd giving our students a round of applause as they exited the customs area. Each student couldn’t help but agree that this trip was anything but unforgettable.

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Since when is death celebrated and seen as a joke? Every year on the day after Halloween, the Spanish culture celebrates the return of dead people’s spirits. This holiday became widely known as Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

“Students build an ofrenda [alter]. On the alter, Ms. Suroweic’s Spanish classes put traditional objects such as candles, skulls, and bread. Aside from different locations in America, mainly Mexico and some parts of Central America celebrate Day of the Dead. The Spanish culture is mocking the dead by placing sentimentals on the alter. This holiday is important because people have a chance to see other cultures and how they respond to death,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Elissa Garcia.

According to Ms. Garcia, more than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in Mexico, they came across natives practicing this ritual that seemed to mock death. The Spanish Conquistadors, or t

he Aztecs, believed that a person’s spirit never dies. This holiday is religious and has a connection to the Catholic holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day by occurring on the same days.

“I’m in one of Ms. Suroweic’s Spanish three classes. First, we learned about Day of the Dead as it represents the celebration of people who passed away. Then, we wrote letters to family members, celebrities, and anyone who passed away. Basically, we colored pictures of skeletons and made an alter, such as the people do in many Spanish speaking countries,” said junior Shivanna Duncan.

According to the short novel El Día de Los Muertos by Mary Dodson Wade, people go to cemeteries to celebrate this day. Besides, making an alter, the Spanish bring yellow marigolds to the graves of the deceased because they are known as flowers of the dead.

This year, Ms. Suroweic’s Spanish classes, Ms. Garcia’s Spanish classes and the Spanish club celebrated Día de Los Muertos on November 2nd.

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Hola! Como estas? Bien. Y tú? Konnichiwa. Hello! How are you? Good. And you? Spanish and Japanese, to many people, is a first or second language used either in their home or at school.

A vibrant club last year, Japanese, will be beginning in November however, Spanish club is up and running for students to attend.

“I want the students to be in contact with Spanish food, holidays, arts and culture, movies, listen to music, play Spanish games such as soccer, and learn Spanish dances. Of course, we will be practicing the Spanish language. I’m trying to plan a trip to a Spanish restaurant as well. There are no organizations or guest speakers yet, but I do want somebody to teach the students the Spanish types of dances,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Suroweic.

“The Spanish Club seems to be a diversity of many different activities. Although I do not take Spanish as a class, I take Chinese; I feel as if that this club is leaning towards my interest. I always wanted to learn about every detail and aspect of the Spanish people. I feel like being a part of this club will help me grow in that way,” said senior Alexandra Crimmins.

However, in Spanish class, students have to complete three years in order to take the Regents examination.

“There are four levels of Spanish classes. All of the students that showed up to the exam, passed the Spanish Regents,” said Ms. Suroweic.

As a part of this club, students will taste Spanish foods, play Spanish games, and listen to a variety of Spanish music. Two years ago there was a Spanish club much similar to this, but it did not succeed because many students did not have time after school.

“The club seems interesting, especially if you take Spanish as a class. They really broadcast the club to everyone in the school. I think that a lot of people choose to participate in the club because it allows them to learn about Spanish and about the Spanish community without actually sitting in a fifty minute class,” said sophomore Chris Smart.

According to Ms. Suroweic, there are only about ten to fifteen members in the Spanish Club. “The importance of Spanish club is to enable students to get to know Spanish culture and be part of the variety of activities and practice Spanish. I just want the students to have fun and enjoy the Spanish culture,” said Ms. Suroweic

Ms. Suroweic is the advisor of the Spanish club. Every Thursday after school in Room 246, students meet to participate in activities to experience Spanish culture.

If you have a love for Spanish, or just interested in the culture, see Ms. Suroweic immediately.

“Spanish club seems fun and educational. As a member of the club, I could gain some knowledge of a different culture,” said sophomore Gilana Levin.

In addition, there is another foreign language club, the Japanese Club. Ms. Natalia Higashide was the advisor for the Japanese Club last year.

“I am planning to restart the Japanese club in November, meeting every other Thursday, or two Thursdays per month. As far as I know, there is no service credit for attending the club. We do mostly cultural things, hands-on activities. Also, we did some cooking last year. This year, some of the kids are interested in making an ‘anime’ session on one of the Thursdays,” said Ms. Higashide.

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“It was one of the most amazing and meaningful experiences of my life,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Surowiec who spent a month this summer in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where she volunteered for L.I.F.E, an organization that works with children in the poorest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.

L.I.F.E, Luchemos para una Infancia Feliz y con Esperanza, means, we fight for a happy childhood and with hope.

“We would organize outdoor activities and help them with school work,” said Ms. Surowiec.

According to L.I.F.E, 60 percent of the children in Argentina live in poverty.

L.I.F.E works with children to provide them with food, clothing, supplies, education, and social activities.

Ms. Surowiec wished to stay for longer, and she encouraged her students to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Besides the satisfaction of helping others, Ms. Surowiec noted that the food in Argentina was delicious.

“The greatest memorable moment was to hear one of the kids ask me when I would be coming back because she would be waiting,” said Ms. Surowiec.

Although it was winter in Argentina in July and August, Ms. Surowiec said she didn’t see penguins. She did see wild sea lions though. With or without the penguins, the trip was truly an enriching experience for her.

Similar to Ms. Suroweic, this summer, Ms. Lilliana Vendra had the opportunity to go to China with The Sino-US cultural Connection with Educators Support Society (SUCCESS). SUCCESS is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote multicultural understandings between Chinese and American educators.

During this trip, Ms. Vendra studied educational affairs at Shanghai Normal University. Classes she took in China included History of Chinese Math, Chinese Language in Math, and Primary and Secondary Education in Chinese. From these classes, Ms. Vendra also exchanged teaching methods and materials with other teachers.

Although it was a long 13 hour flight from New York to Beijing, Ms. Vendra said the trip was well worth it.

“Going to China was an eye opening experience to see how the other half of the world lives,” said Ms. Vendra.

Along with 24 other teachers and students, Ms. Vendra was able to experience both traditional and modern China. She saw the Beijing National Stadium, also known as Bird’s Nest, home of the 2008 summer Olympics, Watercube, China’s new national aquatics center, the Great Wall of China, built in 206 BC, and the Forbidden City, the Imperial Palace of the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, Ms. Vendra observed traditional Chinese culture, ate local food, and experienced the religion in The Shandong Province, where the notable scholar Confucious was born. Besides going to his home town, Ms. Vendra was also able to see traditional Buddhist and Taoist temples.

“I feel that teaching at a high school which focuses on international studies has opened doors for me both personally and professionally. China was one of the most profound experiences of my life,” said Ms. Vendra.

Many of our faculty travel abroad and Ms. Surowiec and Ms. Vendra devoted the months of their summer expanding the knowledge of the world.

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…you get frustrated if you go grocery shopping abroad and there aren’t at least 10 different varieties of chocolate and 15 kinds of cheese available.

When shopping in Switzerland there are always at least 15 to 20 different kinds of cheese available. The choices range from Swiss cheese (Emmentaler, Appenzeller, Thurbenthaler, Raclette) to French cheese and also Italian cheese. In Switzerland we have no such thing as the American “Swiss cheese”. Likewise, even the smallest shopping stores in Switzerland have at least an aisle of chocolate. Milk chocolate, chocolate with marzipan filling, chocolate with truffle filling, hazelnut-milk chocolate bars and all sorts of pralines can be purchased. That is the one thing about Switzerland that everyone gets right: we have the best chocolate in the world!

…you have learned three to four languages and think this is completely normal.

In Switzerland we speak our Swiss dialect, which is very different from high German. Our classes are taught in high German but everyone else speaks Swiss German. In the fifth grade, we began learning French and continue learning it until we finish school. In seventh grade, everyone learns English, which is continued until graduating from secondary school. By that time, we all speak Swiss German, high German, French and English. Later on in apprenticeships, we may also learn Italian or Spanish and sometimes also Latin.

…you walked to kindergarten without supervision wearing a large orange triangle around your neck.

In the two years of kindergarten every child attends, they have to wear a so called “chindsgi bändel” (translated: kindergarten ribbon). It is bright orange or yellow and has reflectors on it. From kindergarten through secondary school, children walk to and from school twice a day because lunch is served at home, not at school.

…when being asked to explain how certain things work in your country, you have to use the phrase”it differs for each canton, so…”

Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, all with their own similar set of laws. As an example no two school systems are exactly alike. In the canton Zurich, secondary school is divided into A, B and C, and according to how good you are, you are place into one of them. If you’re good in school you go to A. From there you may take a test to go to gymnasium. If your sixth grade teacher sorted you into B or C, you cannot take the test but go on and do an apprenticeship. In Aarau you are sorted into secondary school in the fifth grade. In Geneva, the students are not strictly divided, but still have half of their classes all together. The canton Schwyz has different tax laws than Zürich does, and each canton or even city decides how to distribute the 13 to 14 weeks of school vacation per year.

…you were legally allowed to drink beer and wine at the age of sixteen.

The drinking age for beer and wine in Switzerland is 16. The driving age is 18. There are some clubs you can go to if you’re 16, but mostly the minimum age limit to enter is 18 or 21.

…you have been asked , upon stating your nationality, whether you live in the mountains and whether you can yodel.

Everyone who hears the name Switzerland immediately thinks we all live in the mountains and can yodel. Well, this is most certainly not the case. The cities of Zürich, Basel Lausanne, and Geneva all have populations of over 150,000 people. Others live in villages around bigger cities. Only a small part of the population lives in very mountainous areas, where most of the milk and cheese production takes place. The alphorn is still played in the mountains, and there is also yodeling, but most city people don’t yodel anymore.

…you think everything is cheap abroad compared to Switzerland.

This is a fact: everything in Switzerland is very expensive. Here are a few examples: an average meal in a restaurant costs at lest 30-35 Fr. ($29.00-$33.83) per person. A Big Mac sandwich costs 6.50 Fr. ($6.37) and a Big Mac meal is around 13 Fr. ($12.75) Going to the movie theater costs 18-20 fr per person. We pay much more for cars and also for gasoline. A gallon of gas here costs $6.10. As a result, most Swiss drive small cars. iTunes charges are 1.50 -2.00 fr. ($1.45-$1.93) a song.

How do you really know though, that you’ve landed in Switzerland? Go to Starbucks! In Switzerland you will pay 7.50 Fr. ($7.25) for a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

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Moreover, the fact that the play was in Spanish, challenged the students in Spanish Four to understand what the play is about, and broaden their Spanish skills.

“The play ‘La Gringa’ was very interesting. Even though I am not a native speaker of Spanish, I still understood the plot of the play and learned how it is to assimilate into a new culure,” said junior Raya Dyadkina.

The day opened with an introduction to the play by Robert Weber Federico, Executive Director for “La Gringa.”

Mr. Federico raises funds, speaks to the audiences, plans for upcoming productions, and makes administrative decisions at Reperatorio Espanol.

Mr. Federico explained that the play was based upon the writer, Carmen Rivera, and her life experiences as a young girl. She too was born an American, in the Bronx, but stayed true to her ethnic background as a Puerto Rican. In fact, like the main character in this play, Maria, Carmen also had a very mean aunt, and a fascinating uncle.

The play is about a Puerto Rican girl named Maria, who arrives in her home land, Puerto Rico, and is very excited. She stays with her uncle, Manolo, his sister Norma, Norma’s husband Victor, and their daughter, Maria’s cousin, Iris. Maria’s uncle is very ill, and she develops a special relationship with him. After her first day of sightseeing in her homeland, she decides to stay in Puerto Rico and look for a job.

After searching for a job, Maria eventually receives an interview with an insurance company and hopes to ace it so that she will be able to work for the company. Her desire to stay in Puerto Rico does not please her aunt and cousin. Maria does not get the job because she’s told that she is not Puerto Rican. This shakes her entire cultural identity, and she decides to leave the island and never return.

After her uncle passes away, she goes to the cemetery, connects with her family history and begins to regain her sense of identity.

Reperatorio Espanol is located on 138th East, and 27th Street, and was founded in 1968 by producer Gilberto Zaldivar and Artistic Director René Buch to introduce the best of Latin American, Spanish and Hispanic-American Theater in distinctive productions. It was also formed to bring theater to audiences in New York City and across the country, including Hispanic students of all national backgrounds. Federico joined the company two years later as Resident Designer and Associate Artistic Producer.

“I think the play was amazing, as it portrayed the feelings of many children who are born in the US to immigrant parents. They lack an identity as, they are torn between the country of birth and country of their parents/grandparents. I would definitely go back to see this play again next year,” said Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Surowiec.

“La Gringa” was a play that portrayed a message to those living through ethnic hatred and those trying to seek their identity.

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