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I N T H I S I S S U E
Donors Raise a Glass 2
Spring Highlights 3
Career Day Lessons 5
Boys Mentorship Group 6
NEWSLE T T E R S UMMER 2 01 4 VO LUME V I I I , I S SUE 1
DEAR FRIENDS,
It is hard to believe that the 2013-2014 school year has come to a close. Looking back on this year’s
accomplishments, I am affirmed by the hard work and dedica"on of all who make Our Lady Queen of Angels
School such a special place. At OLQA, we are proud to educate young men and women of strong character and
values. We are especially proud of this year’s gradua"ng class. These young people have excelled in every sense
of the word and have a very bright future ahead of them.
As you flip through these pages, take note of the various highlights we were blessed to have experienced this
year. Our teachers, parents, benefactors, and friends came together in a number of ways to provide our stu-
dents with memorable learning opportuni"es from Career Day to class field trips to the Frick Museum. We
offered more student programming with the Voices of East Harlem Choir, the newly organized Soccer Club, and
A7er-School clubs like Chess and Zumba. We also now offer parent engagement workshops through the Archdi-
ocese-sponsored Comunidad Juan Diego. What an incredible year it has been! We are looking ahead to 2014-
2015 as another year filled with expanded learning opportuni"es for our students. On behalf of the children,
faculty, and staff of OLQA, we wish you a res<ul and happy summer.
Sincerely,
Joanne Walsh
Principal
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
OLQAEastHarlem.org/Support-Us/Alumni
SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS
Donations of any amount make a difference.
Below are some of our greatest needs.
$250 Supplies for the After-School program
$500 Academic field trip for one grade
$1,000 Equipment for new soccer club
$1,500 Partial scholarship for a student
A Partnership Network School
Class of 2014 Excels The class of 2014 has much
to look forward to as they
embark upon their journey
in high school. Students will
be a?ending New York
City’s finest schools,
including, to name a few,
Regis, Marymount, Xavier,
Cardinal Hayes, St. Jean
Bap"ste, and All Hallows,
and, as a class, have been
offered more than
$720,000 in merit
scholarship for the next
four years of schooling. We
are incredibly proud of this
gradua"ng class. Although
their departure is bi?er-
sweet, we know they will thrive in their new
schools. As graduate Angel A. remarked in front
of an audience of students, teachers, and
parents on gradua"on day, “We are a class that
consists of many young intellectuals with
character and perseverance who will make a
difference in this world. They say we
are the leaders of tomorrow, but I do
not agree. We are the leaders of
today.” We could not have said it
be?er ourselves. Congratula"ons
Class of 2014!
OLQA’s Class of 2014 has reason to be proud for their
accomplishments as they move on to top high schools.
Donors Raise a Glass in Support of OLQA
Many a glass was raised the
evening of May 13th
to toast OLQA.
The Spring Benefit and Wine
Tas"ng at Moore Brothers Wine
Company is an annual
celebra"on in honor of OLQA’s
dedicated community of donors,
volunteers, and instructors. Over
forty guests mixed and mingled
throughout the night, enjoying
conversa"ons with student
ambassadors and mee"ng fellow
friends of the school. Benefit
co-chairs and OLQA School Board
members Brian and Laura Elbogen
noted how special this night is to
them. “Many of our friends knew
that we were volunteering with a
private school in East Harlem,”
Brian reflected, “but it was hard to
explain why we had such interest
and passion for the school without
sharing actual names, faces, and
experiences. The Spring Benefit
gives us that opportunity by
introducing many of our friends to
the students, teachers, and
community supporters that we
have been privileged to meet.”
Laura remarked upon the effect
OLQA students have had on her,
no"ng in her opening remarks that
“OLQA students are assured and
self-confident. They have the
strength to answer hard ques"ons
and they recognize the wisdom in
saying ‘I don’t know, but I’ll get
back to you.’”
The night honored Jamieson Odell,
OLQA School Board member, as he
received the third annual Guardian
Angel Award in recogni"on of his
exemplary service and
commitment to OLQA. Jamie first
stepped through OLQA’s doors in
2001 not too long a7er he
graduated from college. He
was hired for a one-year
commitment to
streamline the school’s
finances, and he never le7,
providing much valued
insights and though<ul
guidance to our school.
The night ended with a
student performance by
select members of the Voices
of East Harlem Choir. The final
song of the night ended early as
the keyboard played its final
chord and promptly died. Guest
Esther Laventhol, a friend of our
school nurse Ms. Susman,
contacted us immediately a7er
the event to offer to pay for the
purchase of a new keyboard for
our music students. With that
spirit of generosity, we raised
over $17,000 for the school.
These funds will be used for
academic and enrichment
scholarships that enable our
students to a?end a school that
provides unique opportuni"es
— inside the classroom and out.
As Yeric G., an 8th
grader and
recipient of the John Birkelund
Scholarship, said in his remarks,
“I feel that the scholarship did
more than pay for part of my
tui"on. It pushed me to strive
for greatness.” What an
incredible night, and an
incredible opportunity to
celebrate the impact we all have
on so many lives here on our
corner on 112th
Street.
OLQA students, teachers, School Board members and friends enjoyed a night celebrating our school
and raising over $17,000 in scholarships.
Tyrone W., Alexsandar R., Tanasia M., and Josiah V.,
were the special performers of the night, guided by music
teacher Ms. Parker.
SPRING HIGHLIGHTS
This year’s Spring concert was Broadway themed and students certainly poured their hearts out on stage. Clockwise: Fourth and Fifth graders sing
to The Wiz, PreK 4 gives a heartfelt rendition of “A Hardknock Life” from Annie, Seventh and Eighth graders play air guitar to Grease, and PreK 3
soaks up the spotlight with The Lion King.
Left: Fourth and Fifth graders demonstrate what they have
learned in the Dancing Classrooms
program.
Right: The Orange Team shows
school spirit as they play games
during Field Day.
Students were proud to celebrate their accomplishments at the Kindergarten Moving-Up Ceremony.
Spring Field Trips
Clockwise: OLQA Patron and
School Board Member Tom Hill
takes 8th graders on an individual tour of the Frick Museum. • Second graders
study Impressionism at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art as
part of the Learning to Look program. • Students in the
After-School Chess Club
compete against Mount-Carmel Holy Rosary school. • First
graders take a trip to the Central Park Zoo. • PreK 4
students learn about life cycles at a community garden. • Sixth,
Seventh, and Eighth graders
learn what it takes to be news
anchors in a backstage tour of Eyewitness 7 News. • Third
graders listen to the New York
Philharmonic with front row
seats at Lincoln Center.
Career Day Speakers Impart Life Lessons
How many years of school did you
need to become a doctor? What
are the chemical compounds in
make-up? Does a lawyer need a
lawyer? These are a few of the
many ques"ons our inquisi"ve 6th
-
8th
graders asked during OLQA’s 2nd
Annual Career Day. Professionals in
a variety of fields ranging from real
estate to graphic design visited
OLQA that sunny May day and gave
students a morning to remember.
Students were wowed to hear from
OLQA School Board member
Herman Green’s wife, Carol
Johnson Green, a businesswoman
in media who has worked with a
range of celebri"es as a talent
producer for NPR, NBC, and BET to
name a few. “She was so energe"c
and so clearly loved her job. I want
to work in media too,” said Jayden
P., 7th
grader, a7er he heard Mrs.
Green speak. Students learned
about Chemical Engineering from
Mr. Louis Fava, and le7 the session
with a greater understanding about
the profession. Skylah D., a 6th
grader, also learned something
new that morning. “I didn’t know
that there were so many different
types of law, and that it’s not just
all arguing,” she said a7er leaving
corporate lawyer Ryan Pa?erson’s
session. Eighth grader Autumn was
impressed by Emily BaPsta, co-
founder of the ar"sanal foods site
www.hamptonslane.com saying,
“She started her own company
from scratch. I learned you have to
have pa"ence trying new things.”
Students in the 8th
grade
received an insider’s look into the
day to day workings of the
government a7er hearing from Will
Younger, Compliance Director for
Governor Andrew Cuomo. Eighth
grader Angel A., whose dream is to
have a seat in the oval office one
day, was overjoyed to learn that
Mr. Younger would come in to
speak about government. “I’ve
wanted to be President of the US
since I was in second grade,” he
said. Angel wasn’t the only student
who learned more about the
career field of his dreams. Shaila, a
6th
grader, was moved by how
Dr. Loughlin, a renowned pediatric
pulmonologist, encouraged her to
follow her own career aspira"ons.
“He encouraged me to reach my
goal of being a pediatrician,” she
said. “I wasn’t sure about it
because of all the years of school,
but he said I could do it.”
School Board members Brian and
Laura Elbogen shared with
students the stories behind their
career choices, Mr. Elbogen
being in finance and Mrs. El-
bogen in graphic design. Mr.
Elbogen
shared with students the
importance of teamwork,
saying, “In my career, my
coworkers and I have to rally
together and really work hard
to complete projects and
reach goals.” Mrs. Elbogen
recalled the first whispers of
her calling, sharing a picture of
herself in the first grade and
telling students how she
heeded that calling over the years
and worked not only in graphic
design, but also in fashion and
architecture. “She has had an
interes"ng path,” said Stephanie
A., 8th
grader, “she worked her
way up to have her own design
business.”
At the end of the day it wasn’t
just the details of the speaker’s
careers that students took away,
it was the life lessons these
speakers imparted. Real estate
broker and founder of Harlem
Proper"es, John McGuinness,
shared with students the
importance of maintaining a
posi"ve aPtude and believing in
yourself. Speaker a7er speaker
imparted wise words about being
kind to everyone you meet since
that connec"on might lead to
greater opportuni"es, and about
following a career that you care
about not just doing something
for financial reward. Tyrone, a
7th
grader, reflected upon the day
saying, “a career is not just a job,
it’s a decision about your life. I
learned that if you s"ck to your
goal, something will come out of
it.”
Students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades heard from a range of speakers, including pediatric pulmonologist
Dr. Gerald Loughlin, and talent producer Mrs. Carol Johnson Green.
A group of five OLQA 5th
graders
are enjoying working with their
new mentor, an ar"st and friend of
the school Mr. John van Rens. The
mentorship program began in late
March 2014 and will run for 3
years with the same handful of
students working directly with Mr.
van Rens. This program was
started by the Partnership for
Inner-City Educa"on’s Cee Greene
and Jill KaSa. They, with the
support of Principal Walsh, turned
to Mr. van Rens in an effort to
provide students with a role model
from outside the students’
immediate environment to
support them. Mr. van Rens, an
established and talented painter, is
familiar with working with
children, having taught religious
229 East 112th Street
New York, NY 10029
Our Lady Queen of Angels School
www.olqaeastharlem.org
educa"on to 7th
graders in his
neighborhood parish and is moved
by the opportunity.
As part of the mentorship group,
the students will conduct open
discussion about their lives,
interests, and opinions. Through the
mediums of short stories, psalms,
art, news ar"cles, pain"ng, music,
and sports ac"vi"es, Mr. van Rens
sparks conversa"on with the boys.
He reflects about the task ahead of
him saying, “I’ll be experiencing a
shared journey with the boys over
the next three years that allows
them to have discourse with the
greater world around them. I hope
they will learn to pause and
consider things and think, ‘wow,
that’s really interes"ng.’” Mr. van
Rens is no stranger to reflec"on,
having lived in a monastery for six
years of his life. It’s his hope that
he imparts a spirit of curiosity and
cri"cal thinking. “To me,” he says,
“part of being alive is seeing that
there are things in the world that
stop you and catch you. And that
they themselves are unique
individuals.”
Boys Mentorship Program Sparks Conversation
Alexis I., Bryan P., Ricardo Y., Jose K., and
Melvin C., are eager members of Mr. van Ren’s
boys’ group.
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