The Nexus Published by Lawrence R. Melamed October 28, 2014

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The Nexus Newsletter – James Madison High School – Brooklyn, NY Volume II, Issue 2

A newsletter for

James Madison High

School staff members,

and a showcase for all

about us that’s gold.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, October 29- Distribute

Report Cards in 3rd Period

Sunday, November 2- Daylight

Savings Time Ends. Turn back

the clocks!

Tuesday, November 4- Election Day,

Chancellor’s Conference Day for

Staff Development. NO Classes

Thursday, November 6- Parent-

Teacher Conferences, 5-8 pm

Friday, November 7- Parent-Teacher

Conferences, 12:20-2:50 pm

Saturday, Sunday, November 8, 9-

Administration of the SAT Exam

Friday, Saturday, November 21, 22-

Performances of SING! in the

JMHS Auditorium

Wednesday, November 26- End of 2nd

Marking Period

Thursday, Friday, November 27, 28-

Thanksgiving Break

Senator Charles Schumer (NY, Democrat) is a distinguished

alum (’67). To the right is his Madison Log yearbook portrait.

On Wednesday, October 22, 2014, Jodie Cohen

and Larry Melamed were welcomed by United

States Senator (and Madison Alum) Charles

Schumer (’67), at his midtown Manhattan offices,

to discuss his connection with James Madison

High School. During the visit, the senator said,

“When I started as an undergrad at Harvard, I

feared that I wouldn’t be able to compete with my

classmates. But I received an excellent education

at James Madison High School. I had excellent

teachers. And I discovered that growing up in the

Brooklyn neighborhood of Madison gave me

something that many of my classmates didn’t

have—street smarts.” Senator Schumer pledged to

strengthen his ties with his alma mater, vowing to

visit us soon to speak with our student body. He

also loved the Madison swag gifted to him, and

promised to sport our black and golden knights’

colors the next time he bikes through the borough.

Madison is active on social networks:

“Like” us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jmadisonhs

Follow us on Twitter:

@JMadisonHSBklyn

Check out James Madison High School’s

10/20 feature in The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/fir

st-

draft/2014/10/20/?entry=2817&_php=t

rue&_type=blogs&_r=0

The Nexus Newsletter – James Madison High School – Brooklyn, NY Volume II, Issue 2

On Witch Trip Did You Go? Something about the month of October begs a

trip to Salem, Massachusetts. The air, the foliage

and the spirit of New England seem to speak the

language of autumn so eloquently. For students

of American History and English Literature, a

visit to Salem is like a journey into the pages of

their textbooks, which is why three distinct trips

to Salem and its environs took place during the

week of October 14th.

Stacey Azoff, coordinator of the Law Institute,

organized the Law House’s weekend trip to

Boston and Salem. She explained: “It was a great

overall trip. Highlights included the Salem Witch

Museum, a walking ghost tour at night in Salem,

the USS Constitution and a visit to Harvard

University. We also walked a lot of the Freedom

Trail. There were 96 students in total, 2 buses

and a lot of bonding. The great thing was that the

student population was fairly evenly divided

among all four grades. I actually had two

freshmen come up to me afterwards to request

another trip because they said it was an amazing

way to get to know other students in the Law

House.”

Larry Melamed and Maggie Moroz brought their

students on a whirlwind of a tour on Friday,

10/17. Their first stop was Plymouth Plantation,

where students were able to interact with actors

in the roles of early English colonists and Native

Americans in a recreated habitat, circa 1640.

This experience, along with a tour of the Witch

Museum in Salem and of the House of Seven

Gables, made famous by American writer

Nathaniel Hawthorne, equipped their students to

tackle their readings of The Scarlet Letter in a

highly contextualized way. Both agreed that it

was a wonderful way for the students to bond,

and to connect history with literature.

Additionally, taking trips like this (and extending

the classroom beyond its walls) help make

meaningful the important lessons we daily

impart.

Page 2 Continued on the next page…

The Nexus Newsletter – James Madison High School – Brooklyn, NY Volume II, Issue 2

By, Naomi Charne

During the second week of October, Salem was invaded by James Madison High School. Michelle

Turnbull and I took our juniors and seniors to find out the real story behind The Crucible and the

Salem Witch Trials. We braved the five hour bus ride there…and home. This ambitious day trip

required us meeting in front of the school at 5:45 am, and we are happy to say that not a single

student was late. We have to figure out how to get the students that motivated so they will make it to

first period in as timely a manner!

Upon arriving in Salem, we lunched at a pizzeria, where our students behaved beautifully. Next, we

ventured to the Witch Museum where we were treated to a historical narration of the horrific events

that took place in 1692. Next, we bustled off to see an interactive play entitled, “Cry Innocent,” which

reenacted the trial of Bridget Bishop, an unfortunate victim of the Salem Witch Trials. Our students

got in on the excitement and participated in the trial. The trip culminated in a visit to a haunted

house where the students happily obliged the employees by screaming their hearts out.

This was a wonderful experience. The juniors are all reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and this

trip enhanced their understanding of the play. Although we were all dead tired upon our return

(10:00 pm), we would definitely do it again!

On Witch Trip, Continued from previous page …

Michelle Turnbull said: “We saw a

performance called "Cry Innocent!" which

was my favorite part of the day. They start

the performance outside where actors

dressed like Puritans arrest Bridget

Bishop. Our students helped arrest and

carry her to the courtroom. They got to

actively participate in the trial and it was

such a great hands on experience. They

were asked by the actors to give testimony

and ask questions. The next day when we

were reading the play in class my students

said, "Oh that's Mr. Danforth. We met

him. He was fighting with Reverand Hale."

That made it all worth it for me, knowing

that the trip helped them to understand

the actions in the play.”

Madison Makes Strides to Find Cure for Breast Cancer

On Tuesday, October 14, 2014, the student government, math honor society,

and cheerleading squad held a bake sale in support of finding a cure for breast cancer. Between the sale of baked goods, t-shirts and crocheted

ribbons and other donations, close to $2,000 was raised, all to be sent to MakingStrides.org. Many student participants also walked in the Breast Cancer Walk in Prospect Park on Sunday, October 19th, as a sign of their

commitment to finding a cure. Congratulations to them and to advisors Marla Rutter, Michele Fienga and Mary Juliano. Page 3 Page 3

The Nexus Newsletter – James Madison High School – Brooklyn, NY Volume II, Issue 2

Madison Partners With Roundabout Theatre Company

Thanks to a generous donation from our good friend and Councilman, Chaim Deutsch, we have just entered into a partnership with the Roundabout Theatre Company. The partnership

has several components, and while much of our work with that company will take place in our English and ESL classrooms, much more will happen globally, so that all of our students and staff will benefit from this wonderful opportunity.

First, Carrie Heitman, our resident artist from Roundabout, will be working closely with

students in Naomi Charne’s Drama elective, Michelle Turnbull’s sophomore English class, and Linda Kelly’s ESL workshop. In those classes, students will receive direction from a professional actress in creating original story lines, writing scripts, designing scenes and

blocking staged performances. Last term, Ms. Turnbull’s students were given the culminating opportunity to take their polished scenes to a Broadway stage, and perform them in front of live audiences.

Ms. Heitman will also work with a larger part of the student body, as she will be on hand for

various planning sessions and rehearsals of SING! and Brooklyn Inter-SING! performances. The hope is that, through her close tutelage, our student actors, singers, musicians and stage crew will elevate their art and hone their production skills. Ms. Heitman and a number of

other teaching artists from Roundabout will then join us in the next term to assist us in the production of our Spring Musical. Through script analysis, design consultation, choreography and theatrical mentoring, Roundabout will help us ensure a smashing performance.

Another wonderful feature of the partnership is our access to the Student Ambassador

Program, which empowers students who are interested in careers in the theater to work closely with the company and participate in the planning and implementation of educational programming.

Finally, one of the most exciting benefits of the partnership is the faculty access to all the wonderful productions that Roundabout will be staging this year. Roundabout garnered

accolades for their recent revivals of “Cabaret,” starring Alan Cumming and Michelle Williams and of “The Real Thing,” starring Ewan MacGregor, Cynthia Nixon and Maggie Gyllenhaal. In

the coming months, they will be staging productions of “Indian Ink,” “Into the Woods,” “Little Children Dream of God,” and “On the 20th Century,” starring Kristen Chenowith. As partners of Roundabout, Madison’s faculty members are entitled to two free tickets each to every one of

those productions’ previews! Information about how to access free tickets will be disseminated in the weeks to come.

Again, this would not be possible without the funding provided by Chaim Deutsch, to whom we are grateful. We know that this partnership will help strengthen our arts program and our

community. Page 4

The Nexus Newsletter – James Madison High School – Brooklyn, NY Volume II, Issue 2

The Principal’s CRNER A Message from Jodie Cohen

The other day, I was visited by the wife of a deceased alum, and she shared with me how

much Madison High School meant to her husband. She came to visit to donate his instruments to our music department. In

our conversation, she shared that both she and her daughter could not think of a better

home than ours for these valuable instruments.

Karl Bernstein was an educator himself, and after retiring from the school system, he gave of his time to support the Alumni

Association. He wrote many articles for the Alumni newsletter on improvement in James

Madison High School. After my meeting, I too have realized how lucky I am. Madison High School is not just a school building but

a community that enables individuals to grow.

Larry Melamed and I had the privilege of meeting with Senator Charles Schumer the

other evening and he asked us many questions about the school. He was very curious to learn about today’s school culture

and how he can become a part of it. At the close of the meeting, he so graciously offered

to speak to a group of our students. I am excited for his visit and the relationships we will continue to grow with our alumni.

Students Bear Witness to the

Whitney Museum’s Closing at

Jeff Koons Retrospective

By, Diane Kosup On Thursday October 16th, I took my Cartooning class to see the Jeff Koons Retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. We have been studying the art of Jeff Koons along with and in comparison to other contemporary artists, so when I learned that there was a retrospective of his work, I knew the students would love to go. It was also a special trip as the museum is now closed and will reopen downtown at a later date. We were met by a museum educator who gave us a tour and involved the students in discussion and drawing of Jeff Koons' art pieces. The students had a great time and our discussion of art continued through lunch and on our ride back to James Madison. The exhibition is fun, exuberant and highly approachable to school age students. What I found most enjoyable was the extended conversation we had long after we left the museum.

Madison’s “Adopt A Chair” Program

Already Huge Success

People who graduate from Madison never want to leave. That’s why so many of them are purchasing name plates in honor of themselves or in honor or memory of others, which will be affixed, in perpetuity, on the auditorium chairs. It’s an inexpensive but wonderful way to give back to the school for alumni and community members. Even our faculty has embraced the fundraiser. The science department recently purchased a chair in retiree Michele Murray’s honor. If you are interested in adopting a chair, it’s easy. Visit: http://www.jamesmadisonalumni.org/downloads/f

lyer%20for%20seats%20-%20class%20reps.pdf

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