English

Faculty     

Mr. John Blogett(Poetry Class ), -T.C. Niemann, -Ms. Miriam Uzzan,

Students are all required to take the English Language Arts Regents to graduate from high school.  The five years of English required at HLAS are based on the skills necessary to fulfill these requirements, which include critical thinking, the ability to discuss literature, and being able to understand a variety of printed materials.  The English department works closely with the social studies department to explore literature in context of the times and regions in which it was produced in order to give the students a better understanding of what they are reading.  The 9th grade studies mythology while learning about ancient cultures in global studies.  The 10th grade studies World War II and the Holocaust and reads related literature, then visits the Holocaust Museum. Collaboration with the family teachers also helps reinforce student writing.  Memoirs read in English class are helpful models for personal essays on college applications.  Preparing speeches in communications class reinforces the skills needed to write persuasive essays.  Students read Romeo and Juliet in communications and compare the characters to Raisin in the Sun, which they are reading in English.  They continue their Shakespeare studies in 12th grade with Hamlet, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night.  Enrichment activities are encouraged and include attending live     performances at several different venues through the Board of Education's Department of Student Affairs and affiliations with CUNY. Students enter a variety of contests to display their talents in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writing, and can also earn scholarship money.   Over the last two years students from the composition class have won many of the New Youth Connections� essay contests.  During our first year offering AP English, more than 40% of our students scored three or more on the exam.

 Classes

 Social Studies 

Faculty   

Mr. Hermes Contero (e-mail, Web Page), -Mr. Paul Leva, -Ms. Patricia Peacock,      -Mr. Robinson Donet, -Mr. Edmundo Vazquez

The American Social History Project has become a model for teaching social studies at the Academy.  Students have responded well to learning history and related subjects based on a time line.  This enables them to understand how politics, economics and other factors influence all aspects of people's lives and makes history more real for them.  Fourteen students participated in the �Hip-Hop to History� conference at BMCC, to showcase their talents in essay writing, dancing, rapping, and dramatic reading before a citywide audience of students and facilitators. Students can also participate in the advanced placement classes by meeting the requirements.  Students are also able to participate in our award winning debate team, the law class, and can take classes at the college in Caribbean and African history and business law for credit.  Thirty-seven students, seven teachers (including the college professor who collaborates with the American Social History project) participated in a trip to Boston, Lowell and Salem to witness places they had studied in class. 

Classes