|
OES Sheepshead Bay OES CATCH Teacher: Radio - Meri Yallowitz Teacher: Theatre - Judy Caputo |
 |
 |
Students discussed topics such as school violence and teen relations with the NYPD under the guidance of Detective Lydia Martinez. Kevin Hall said, “It was cool to see how students reacted to a detective in a positive way.” Fabiana Blanchard adds, “I felt that the students really enjoyed having a discussion about stuff they usually don’t talk about.” |
Many students listened carefully as Detective Lydia Martinez shared her experiences throughout her career. Fabiana Blanchard adds, “I felt that most of the students’ changed the way they viewed the NYPD. Detective Martinez was just an everyday person.” |
|
Extended Day Program Description of the O.E.S./Sheepshead Bay
H.S. program: The students decided at the beginning of the semester to
study the area of school violence in the Extended Day Program. Since our
site is located in a large traditional high school, many of the students
have been in conflicts with staff and other students before entering O.E.S.
Students researched and learned about alternative solutions to conflicts,
which included negotiation and peer mediation. They wrote several public
service announcements dealing with this topic in various formats, which
included poems, short skits, and narratives to convey the importance of
preventing school violence. In preparation for the live one-hour radio
show on May 25, 2006, students wrote questions for interviewing our guests
in three separate segments. The first segment focused on students’
experiences in which they interviewed Nyah Lastra, a teen talk intern
who herself experienced school violence. Nyah helped us get the show off
to an exciting start, generating several callers from the live audience.
For the second segment, Jim Murphy answered questions and shared his experiences
as a dean at West Side High School. The students appreciated the opportunity
to speak with Jim in a setting that was non-threatening and enlightening.
In the third segment, students interviewed two guests. First, Priscilla
Prutzman, director of Creative Responses to Conflict, discussed alternative
methods to prevent violence. Chief Nelson, head of the School Safety division
of the NYPD, joined her in this segment explaining the roles of school
safety agents and police officers in schools and answering callers from
the live audience. Our reactions: Reggie Philbert: “It was a fun experience. I learned a lot about preventing violence. It’s going to help me think before I act.” Martel Williams: “I loved it. I will do it again. It was real fun being on the radio. I feel proud because my parents heard me on the radio.” Gabriel Rodriguez: “The show was a great experience for me. I hope I can do it again.” Kassem Riddick: “Thanks to Chief Nelson, now I know why they use metal detectors in school.” Shaquan Griffith: “It was a cool experience to be on the radio. I told all my friends and family to listen.” Messihia Manning: “I like the experience
of the radio station. I would love to do this again.” Kevin Hall: “It was fun hanging out with Chad in the control room. I feel like I understand more about how a radio show works.” Fabiana Blanchard: “I really had a great time behind the scenes. I really learned how the radio show came to be.” Joel Anglade: “I enjoyed working along with other students my age. It is amazing that we all spent time after school in a positive way.” |
 |
 |
| On May 26, 2006, we visited the Teen Talk TV studios and watched a taping about drunk driving. It was very interesting to watch the production of a television show and how different it was from our experience at the radio station. | During the taping of this show, we watched videos that were introduced by the hosts. They were informative and had a serious impact on all of us. Many of us did not give this topic much thought before the show. Afterwards, it led to a discussion with the mother of a victim of drunk driving. We left the studio more aware of the dangers involved with drinking and driving. Fabiana Blanchard said, “It really moved me. I felt so much pain from their stories. I know it really hurt to talk about it. I respect their bravery. It brought me to tears.” |
We were fortunate to interview as our first guest on our radio show a teen talk intern, Nyah Lastra, who was involved with school violence. Many of us also shared our experiences. These stories sparked interest in our live audience that was evident from the telephone calls that we received. Messihia Manning adds, “The equipment inside the radio station was amazing. It looked complicated when we walked in but under the supervision of Susan Mondzak it turned out great.”
Joel Anglade It’s the end of 8th period. I’m tired and I can’t wait to go home. Its 2:50 and the B44 bus still did not arrive yet. A group of kids was walking towards the bus stop, and the way they started looking at me seemed like they wanted to start trouble. I started thinking, should I stand there brave, and make them think I’m not a punk. But you know what, I did not care. So I walked away and I felt proud because... I prevented school violence. |
school violence
by Gabriel Rodriguez The bell rings, the boys is outside Just an ordinary school day Some rumors were spread to the wrong people. It had them walking around the school Halls filled with a loud sound The student walks slow Am I gonna believe this rumor The hallways fill School safety and NYPD He’s just sitting in that cell telling himself There were ways
he could have prevented this
|
 |
 |
| Students took turns questioning the guests. Many had follow-up questions that resulted in an informative, interesting discussion with our guests about preventing violence in the schools. | This was the first time we visited a radio station and worked behind the scenes with expensive and highly technical equipment. In addition to producing several public service announcements, we had the opportunity to host a live one-hour talk show. It was very exciting and challenging. We are proud of our results! |
 |
 |
| Gabriel Rodriguez says, “It was such a great experience for me. I hope I can work at this station again. My family and friends all listened to the show and heard me on the radio. It was interesting to watch Susan Mondzak run the show. She had everything under control.” | It was a great learning experience in several ways to organize a radio talk show. We learned how important it is to think about the consequences of our decisions so they do not result in school violence. |
|
|
O.E.S. Thespians in Training This past semester, O.E.S. students at the Sheepshead Bay H.S. CATCH program participated in an after school program focusing on the use of theater and theater activities to discuss violence and violence prevention. Sponsored by the CUNY Kaplan Center for the Arts & Teen Talk Radio, the extended day program in violence prevention has been in existence for the past ten years. This having been my first experience in working with theater as a tool for teaching, I must say it was an exciting process. The goal of the program is to encourage the students to create a dramatic work that calls attention to the various types of violence that occur in our world today, along with the commonalities which often lead to violence, and most importantly - how to prevent violence from occurring. Three days a week, the O.E.S. students at Sheepshead Bay stayed well after their regular classes had finished in order to brainstorm, write, edit, practice and perform their dramatic work. The piece, entitled Hustler’s Ambition, focused on a teenage boy, who resorted to a criminal life, as a result of his mother’s depression. His mother’s depression began shortly after the death of her husband, and became so severe that she was unable to work or take care of her home and three children. The students, who wrote and performed the play, wanted to show the audience that there must be alternatives to violence, and at some point, it has to stop. Someone must be strong enough to be the first person not to retaliate. As the facilitator of this project, I was greatly impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm put forth by the students, who often stayed at school until 6:30 p.m. to practice and perfect their work. Their hard work paid off on Jan. 13th, where the Sheepshead Bay group of 10 performed their dramatic piece in front of an audience of their peers. Submitted by: Judy Caputo |
