la scuola d'italia
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La Scuola d'Italia, Annual Report 2011-2012TRANSCRIPT
2010-11AnnuAl RepoRt2011 - 2012
New York City
la Scuola d’italia Guglielmo marconi is the only school in North america that provides a classical, bilingual education rooted in the italian and European traditions. it was founded in 1977 by the italian ministry of foreign affairs to meet the academic needs of italians living in the New York city area. thanks to an ever increasing interest from american families, la Scuola has grown into a unique bilingual educational institution, from the preschool level through liceo (grades 9-12), reflecting the best features of the italian and american instruction systems.
la Scuola is committed to providing a thorough multicultural education to foster international understanding and openness in order to prepare students to become citizens of the world. the challenging bilingual curriculum, deeply rooted in the European tradition, offers an intensive academic program that encompasses both the italian and the american cultures and is open to scientific and technological innovations.
la Scuola d’italia is fully recognized by the italian ministry of Education and chartered by the regents of the university of the State of New York as a private, independent co-educational american school. it is also a member of the New York State association of independent Schools and the Guild of independent Schools.
Rooted in Tradition open to innovation
La ScuoLa d’itaLia GuGlIelMo MARConI
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chaiRmanStephen Madsen, Esq.partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore
vice chaiRmanStefano Acuntopresident, CINN Worldwide, Inc.
SecRetaRyPiera Palazzolo FalzoneSenior Vice president, marketing Dale Carnegie Training
tReaSuReRJason DeSena Trennert managing partner, chief investment Strategist Strategas Research Partner LLC
the adminiStRation
Prof. Anna Fiorehead of School
Pia Pedicinideputy head of School & director of admissions
the teacheRS
anna BartocciBrienna Bergerfederica BertoSelena candidoigor cassinaangela intilla cavandoliluigi cavandolimaria a. cinquemaniandreina colarullorosaria crisafichristine delnaudantonia di maggiorosa di maggio
honoRaRy pReSidentH.E. Ambassador Alessandro Cortese de Bosis
membeR emeRitaMatilda Raffa Cuomofounder & chairman, Mentoring USA
membeRSAmbassador Daniele Bodini Ambassador to the UN for the Republic of San Marino
Pascal de Caprariis, M.D.consultant faculty, Lutheran Medical Center, Depts of Family Medicine and Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brooklyn, New York
Jennifer dionisioaimee felton freedmanaugusta fleischerpatrizia Geraceflora Ghezzomary GiaimoSpiro GourasKeledy KenkelGiannalisa KleinVincenzo la GambaGiovanna la muralaura la roccapetrika meloalessandra montalbanocristina mondelliSara moneachristine morgaBeatrice paladinimarta pettenellamichele piccoloNels pierceilenia pittimichael prater
Consuelo Di Mucciola Scuola parent
Fabrizio Ferriphotographer
Prof. Richard Marottaheadmaster, Garden School
Marco MartellaUS Representative of Banca d’Italia
Hon. Dominic R. MassaroJustice, Supreme Court of New York
Maria Palandra, Ph.D.former Superintendent, Elmont School District
Francesca Verga, M.D.la Scuola alumna
linda randolphJosé rubierachiara SenatoreEttore SpatolaJeanette Stewartoriana StracuzziSimona tarchiani
the Staff
candace clementsadmir cunguJane ElkoffJoan faughnanroberto impellusofilomena lavermicoccadeborah lazarusleonora mcclernanpaola miganiBari Normanadriana rivasismael ruizpaola Serroneastrit tena
Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimòfounder, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò New York University
ex-officioMin. Natalia Quintavalleconsul General of italy, Consulate General of Italy in New York
Prof. Antonio BenettiEducation director, Consulate General of Italy in New York
Prof. Anna Fioreheadmistress, La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi
the aSSiStant teacheRS
Serafina ferrantidebora frisciraGiovanna Gambinomigena Joniflucy merlinofrancesca Vicchio
boaRd of tRuSteeS
facuLty and Staff2011-2012
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paRent aSSociation (pa)
monthLy eventSSeptembeRwelcome play date in
the park for new Students/families
pa membership collection/drive
School directory information collection
used uniform Sale
octobeRcolumbus day parade
Student/parent participation
Student performance (4th & 5th Grades) at italian institute – 150th anniversary of the unification of italy
lee National denim day/Breast cancer awareness month (180 families participated)
library –conclusion of English books in online catalog/uploading italian book project
donation of di capo opera field trip – (Grades 4-8)
fall wine celebration/Silent auction at the friar’s club
novembeRla Scuola open houses
– refreshments for Elementary and media/liceo events
Yorkville common pantry thanksgiving food and turkey drive
donation toward liceo trip to california
decembeRYorkville common pantry
holiday toy drivedonation of refreshments
for teacher/Staff holiday party
donation for holiday recital videotaping
JanuaRydonation for media/liceo
international lunch festival
febRuaRyparticipation in NYSaiS
accreditation meetingdress down day for
theater fundValentine’s day Bake SaleElementary penny/coin
drive
maRchBuffet dinner for farnesina
Exchange program - welcome dinner with liceo students
participation in project cicero Book collection for under – resourced NYc schools
donation /distribution of carnevale chiacchiere for all classes
dress down day – dress as Your favorite Book character to support the library
Gala Benefit dinner sculpture project
apRiLGuys’ Night out at tiro
a Segno for la Scuola fathers & friends
used italian Book Sale
maymother’s day Breakfast at
Kaia wine Bar Billiards Bash – media/
middle School Eventused uniform Saledonation of flowers for
the memorial Service of student Johnny akant
Junedonation/Volunteers for
June 2nd festa of the italian republic celebration with the italian consulate and iacE
the School administration and the parent community would like to warmly thank the parent association’s leadership this year. while looking forward, the pa has dedicated the last academic year to building a sizable fund for the future needs of the students in a new facility. in the meantime, they have increased the strong community of volunteers who consistently support pa-sponsored events. the pa broke attendance and fundraising records at the fall wine celebration, mother’s day Breakfast and Guys’ Night out. major contributions have included sponsorship for the liceo class trip to california, continued work on the development of our italian/English library, as well as volunteer support and catering for the June 2nd celebration of the italian republic which took place at la Scuola middle School and liceo auditorium gym, with more than 300 guests attending the event.
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paRent aSSociation (pa)
2011-2012 committeeSfundRaiSing pRoJectS Bevin trennert, 4th grade
faciLity Joanna delson, 5th grade
diRectoRy Giulia panciera, 1st grade & 3rd grade
pRoJect ciceRo and chaRity pRoJectSBevin trennert, 4th grade
new paRentS weLcome
Medie & Liceo Veronika Balakhovsky, 9th grade & 11th gradeGuglielma Gareri-Goldenberg, 12th grade
Pre-K, K, eLeMentaryroberta lamanda, 3rd gradeamy Vitale, K & 3rd grade
paRentS League RepReSentative lydia Sussek, 4th grade
LibRaRy eLementaRyteresa tarillo, 3rd gradeflavia Nordio, 3rd grade marina Graziani, 3rd gradeJennifer pappagallo, K, 2nd grade & 4th grade
LibRaRy medie & Liceotamara Gaggi, 5th grade & 9th graderoberta Valetto, 1st grade, 5th grade & 7th grade raffaella cardinali, 6th gradeJoanne Borini, 1st grade & 6th grade
aRtS committee (aRtiStic and cuLtuRaL eventS)Veronika Balakhovsky, 9th grade & 11th
gradealessandra ferri, 9th grade & 5th grade Nika leoni, 3rd grade
Joint SchooLS activitieS (JSa) RepReSentativeannette Scattoni, 4th grade & 10th grade
pa executive committee 2011-2012
pReSident – Sheree Sebastiani, 1st gradevice pReSident – Veronika Balakhovsky, 9th grade and 11th gradecommunicationS diRectoRS – Giulia panciera, 1st grade & Bevin trennert, 4th grade
tReaSuReR – teresa tarillo, 3rd grade
p.a. gReat accompLiShmentS thRoughout the 2011- 2012 academic yeaR
The Parent Association is excited to report some of the highlights of its work over the past year.
• thanks to our families’ support, the pa fund has nearly doubled in the past four years.
• in 2010-2011, the parent association financial contributions to the school was more than $30,000 while this past year 2011-12 the financial donations have well exceeded $50,000.
• this year, la Scuola had a new science lab thanks to the $45,000 in-kind donations made by the parent association president and her family. we are all very grateful to Rocco and Sheree Sebastiani for their generosity and commitment towards la Scuola. through the pa, they donated the rental and installation of a projector screen used for the italian heritage performance “the horde.”
• in addition to these capital improvements, the pa contributed $1,700 to send the 4th through 8th grade students to the opera and $2,000 to the liceo students’ trip to california.
• the pa continues its on-going support to both la Scuola’s yearbook and the School directory, donating about $3,500 a year to these important items.
• the growth of the pa is best demonstrated by its fall wine celebration. this event began in 2005 with fewer than fifty guests. in 2010-2011, 100 guests attended. this year, we celebrated at the friars club, one of New York city’s most historic locations, with 150 guests.
• the pa continues to work on the library project. last year, the school contracted with follet Software to establish and maintain a computerized catalogue system. over the past four years, the pa has donated more than $20,000 to the library. parent volunteers also work tirelessly to manually catalogue the italian books.
• lastly, understanding the importance of community service, the pa continues to sponsor charitable events such as lee National denim day, Yorkville common pantry’s thanksgiving and toy drives and red cross funds.
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July 8, 2012
Dear Friends of la Scuola d’italia:
dear friends of la Scuola d’italia:
Enclosed is our annual report, covering the 2011-2012 school year. this
is our annual communication to parents, faculty and friends of la Scuola
d’italia so that all can see where we are, and how we are doing.
the school year just concluded was an excellent one. a committee
of educators from the New York State association of independent
Schools visited la Scuola this Spring to conduct a five-year review of our
accreditation, and we received a favorable report from them. our liceo
seniors achieved very fine college admissions results and terrific results on
the exam for the maturità. we saw continued growth in our liceo, with continued good attendance in all
of our other divisions (media, elementare and materna).
as always, a successful school year depends on hard work by many people, including preside fiore,
mrs. pedicini, our resourceful and hardworking teachers, our dedicated staff, the energetic leaders
and members of our parents association, our friends at the consulate General and other offices of the
Government of italy, and, of course, our beloved students. please join me and the other trustees in
congratulating all of the administration, faculty and staff for a job well done. this brings to them, and to
all of you, thanks and gratitude from all the members of the Board of trustees for all of your efforts on
behalf of la Scuola d’italia.
with very best regards,
faithfully yours,
Stephen S. madsen
chairman, on behalf of the Board of trustees
fRom the chaiRman of the BoARd of tRuSteeS
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it is indeed a great pleasure for me to share with you this fourth edition of la Scuola d’italia annual report, which illustrates the richness and variety of activities and projects, both academic and cultural, that we were able to carry out during this very intense and successful academic year.
after working throughout the entire summer 2011, we were able to complete a very complex technology infrastructure Enhancement project in both our la Scuola buildings. this project allowed us to better integrate technology in the curriculum of our 4 divisions and to set up further goals for the upcoming academic year.
at 96th Street, we were also able to create a larger and refurnished computer lab, at our preschool division we organized a new art space for our art atelier - reggio Emilia methodology inspired- an exciting new program for the
pre-school, that has also involved our elementary school students during Science classes.
at 67th Street we have completely renovated the cafeteria with new wood floor and built a brand new large Science lab, thanks to the support and hard work of mr. rocco Sebastiani and mrs. Sheree Sebastiani, la Scuola new p.a. president.
with a solemn and moving ceremony on may 23rd we dedicated the Science lab to our beloved student can akant “Johnny” toksu, who passed away on february 20, 2012 after fighting his battle against cancer. You will find several pages of this report dedicated to the loving memory of Johnny.
this past academic year la Scuola celebrated its 35th birthday: we can proudly acknowledge the progress of la Scuola over the course of these 35 years, from a small, more autonomous, perhaps insular school to a larger, more diverse, inclusive institution. the school population has grown nearly 20% in the last five years and we proudly recently illustrated to the NYSaiS five-year accreditation committee all the changes and the improvements accomplished since 2007 when the accreditation was first granted to la Scuola.
all la Scuola community has been very busy this year and engaged in the preparation of the NYSaYS five-year accreditation visit that took place on february 22 and 23, 2012. we were all extremely pleased when, on June 1, 2012 we received the official communication that la Scuola d’italia had been granted the NYSaiS accreditation for another five-year period.
July 26, 2012
Dear La Scuola familiES, facultY, Staff aNd friENdS,
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fRom the headmiStReSS
the 35th anniversary of la Scuola was the leitmotif of our Gala Benefit dinner where our liceo students proposed a brief and moving performance about the past, the present and the future of la Scuola. once again we had about 500 attendees: this remarkable result was made possible thanks to the efforts and commitment of our Gala committee, of all la Scuola parents, truly demonstrating that we are becoming a strong school community where all the components, teachers and Staff, parents and Students, are extremely proud of being part of la Scuola.
we have also continued to strengthen the relationship with italian high schools by implementing once again the exchange program with the liceo farnesina in rome and by signing an important memorandum of understanding with the regional Education authority of lombardy and with the italian liceo scientifico “E.fermi” in mantova.
together with the liceo farnesina students, our liceo students participated into two prestigious model uN projects, the first one in New York and the second one in roma, the rimuN model uN.
Skimming through the annual report pages, you will find many events showing our students as young ambassadors of the italian language and culture, participating in several events implemented in conjunction with the other italian Government institutions and organizations, such as the columbus day parade, the week of the italian language at the italian cultural institute, the week of remembrance and the “Giornata del ricordo” at the consulate General of italy. we are very grateful to the new consul General ministro Natalia Quintavalle, who showed great consideration and proactive support towards la Scuola. we also thank the two Vice consuls laura aghilarre and lucia pasqualini, for their ongoing commitment towards la Scuola and their precious help in important occasions, such as our open house campaign and the Gala Benefit dinner.
i warmly thank our chairman of the Board Stephen madsen, Esq, for his enlightened guidance, assistance and constant support throughout the year, and our Vice chairman Stephen acunto, treasurer Jason deSena trennert and Secretary piera palazzolo falzone and all the other Board members: their help has truly been instrumental during the NYSaiS accreditation preparation visit and for the implementation of several la Scuola projects and activities throughout the year. we would also like to thank and bid farewell to the Educational director of the italian consulate, prof. antonio Benetti for his constant guidance and advice.
with deep appreciation, i would like to thank la Scuola faculty and Staff for their precious and invaluable work of educators. in particular i am pleased to acknowledge our deputy headmistress ms. pia pedicini for her indefatigable commitment towards la Scuola and each single family, and our division heads for their hard work and their patience and enthusiasm: maria cinquemani, aimee felton, augusta fleischer and michael prater.
finally, i would like to acknowledge the dedication and support of our tenacious and wonderful p.a., parent association, thanking all the parents who contributed so much throughout the academic year.
anna fiore head of School
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fRom the headmiStReSS
financiaL oveRview 2011 -12
tuition and feeS: Based on 230 full-year students.
donationS (incLuding gaLa): Net Gala proceeds and other contributions.
itaLian goveRnment gRant: $42,400
miSceLLaneouS: includes interest and other income.
SaLaRieS and ReLated expenSeS: includes salaries and wages, payroll taxes and applicable insurance.
phySicaL pLant: includes property insurance, building repairs and maintenance and depreciation.
adminiStRative and geneRaL: includes annex and gym rent, student transportation, professional fees and other administrative expenses.
SchoLaRShipS/financiaL aid: includes scholarships, financial aid and sibling discounts.
otheR SchooL expenSeS: includes various miscellaneous expenses.
ReSeRve fund: Excess revenue over expenses reserved for future use.
ExpensesTotal School Expenses $5,610,656
Salaries & Related Expenses $3,932,197
Scholarship-Financial Aid $548,000
Physical Plant $572,351
Administrative $362,819
Other School Expenses $195,289
Reserve Fund $55,216
RESERVE 1.0%
OTHER SCHOOL EXPENSES 3.4%
ADMINISTRATIVE 6.4%
69.4%SALARIES &
RELATED EXPENSES
9.7%FINANCIAL AID
10.1%PHYSICAL PLANT
RevenuesTotal School Revenue $5,665,872
Tuition & Fees $5,252,300
Donations (Including Gala) $357,492
Italian Government Grant $42,400
Miscellaneous $13,681
92.7%Tuition & Fees
ITALIAN GRANT 0.7%MISC. 0.2%
DONATIONS 6.3%
Number of students in each level ofinstruction: 2011/12 including Limited Time
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Pre-School =58
Elementary = 101
Middle School = 49
High School = 44
Total Population 252 9
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the decision by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) to recognize la Scuola d’italia with a 2012 language Grant and record-breaking attendance levels for our recent Gala Benefit dinners underscore the growing acknowledgement of la Scuola d’italia’s unique role as North america’s only preK-12th grade educational institution, to provide a bilingual and bicurricular italian and american international education that trains students to be tomorrow’s leaders in this globalized world.
we are truly committed to improve the overall quality of our institution and therefore it is crucial for
la Scuola to obtain the continuous support of our wonderful families and of all our la Scuola friends.
the same challenges face la Scuola as do many others, namely bridging the gap between tuition
and the costs associated with providing this extraordinary educational programming.
for the 2011-2012 academic year we set forth five main goals, along with detailed
objectives for each one of them.
the annuaL fund campaignACAdeMIC YeAR 2011 / 2012
Why Donate?
Art by Rebecca Forghieri, 4th grade10
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Your support will help us address the following needsgoaL 1
Moving towards a digital school: Enrich and develop Technology in both buildingsthanks to our Board of trustees and to the donations received throughout the past academic year, we were able to complete a complex technology infrastructure Enhancement project in both buildings.
objectives for the next step towards a more digital school:
• Equip 8 digital classrooms at the middle School and liceo with laptops, video projectors, speakers and e-beams
• acquire bilingual school management software along with adequate academic software for all divisions
• provide adequate technology training for teachers and Staff
goaL 2
Enhance the bilingual and bicultural component and the educational offering in all 4 Divisions• Equip 2 linguistic labs for both iSl and
ESl students, using the latest technology products and platforms
• project with the university for foreigners in perugia and memorandum of understanding with the regional Education office of lombardy-italy. initiate italian language classes for adults in cooperation with the university for foreigners in perugia
• provide funds for the teachers’ professional development initiatives, including the reggio Emilia methodology workshops, NYSaiS seminars and responsive classroom workshops
• provide funds to help implement summer building renovation works, including a.c. systems in both buildings, classroom expansions on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floor of the main school campus at 96th Street, terrace remodeling at 67th Street school campus
goaL 3
Contribute to a scholarship fund for Middle school and Liceo students• contribute to the “paolo Boscolo Berto
Scholarship fund” for our liceo students, which was created last year thanks to the initiative of one of our parents
• contribute to the “can akant Johnny liceo Education fund” that was created in may 2012 by the family of our beloved student can akant toksu
• contribute to the 2012-13 academic year merit scholarship fund to external applicant students for the middle School and liceo
goaL 4
Promote the financial welfare of La Scuola• contribution to personnel Expenses: increase
the salary of our dedicated faculty and staff and fund new positions such as a Business manager, it director and a Guidance counselor for the middle School and liceo
goaL 5
Contribute academic and cultural projects for students and for La Scuola Families and Friends• Exchange program with the liceo farnesina and
model uN project in New York, in rome (rimuN)
• Exchange programs with schools in the region of lombardy, in accordance with our memorandum of understanding
• teatro delle albe project, february 2012, april and october 2013 to celebrate “2013, Year of the italian culture in the uS”
• workshops and events in collaboration with iacE, the consulate General of italy, the italian cultural institute and other institutions
the annuaL fund campaignACAdeMIC YeAR 2011 / 2012
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pReSchooLPreK-amr. and mrs. anthony
Bourdaindr. Eva maestre and dr.
robert peracchia mr. and mrs. Nicholas SmithiePreK-Bms. donatella Bordignon drs. Stephanie and anthony
d’antonidr. and mrs. Edmund a.
deblerKindergartenmr. and mrs. Stefano azariomr. and mrs. Jacopo Braccomr. and mrs. paolo Joscamr. and mrs. Nathaniel landmr. and mrs. michael t. law
eLementaRy SchooLFirst Grademr. and mrs. richard
diamondmr. and mrs. david lunaSecond Grademr. and mrs. Nicholas Smithiethird Grademr. and mrs. Stefano azariomr. and mrs. marco Novellomr. and mrs. Giuseppe tarillomr. and mrs. paolo
werbrouckFourth Grademr. and mrs. richard
diamonddr. Eva maestre and dr.
robert peracchiamr. and mrs. Nicholas SmithieFifth Grademr. and mrs. david
Venderbush
middLe SchooLSixth Gradedr. and mrs. Edmund a.
deblerdrs. anna and pawel dyczekdr. Eva maestre and dr.
robert peracchiamr. and mrs. aldo uvaeighth Gradedrs. anna and pawel dyczekmr. and mrs. Gianfranco
mosconi
high SchooLninth Gradems. Kathleen caronnamr. and mrs. aldo uvatenth Grademr. and mrs. Stephen S. madsentwelfth Grademr. and mrs. Stuart Goldenberg mr. and mrs. alfonso rojas ms. flaminia Spina-Gleizer
fRiendS of La ScuoLaanonymous donorsms. Kristi Biondomr. and mrs. francesco
Bonavitamr. robert cafassomr. and mrs. frederick
d’antonimr. and mrs. Jerry del missiermr. and mrs. robert Grazianoms. caroline h. hymanms. Eleanora Kennedymr. and mrs. Giuseppe
lattanzimr. and mrs. mario Nigromr. lucio Notomr. and mrs. martin J.
Sandlerprof. Joseph Sciamemr. Gregory Stamoulisdr. and mrs. Joseph trombamr. Gennaro turciBaroness mariuccia Zerilli-
marimo’mrs. phyllis m. Zito
foundationS and companieS dirEctVJerry’s GourmetJpmorgan chase foundationthe National italian american
foundation (Niaf)Nomura america foundation the Noto family foundation
the annual fund campaign raised $49,225 in unrestricted gifts and pledges while the technology fund, paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship fund, and the can akant “Johnny” Educational fund together raised $46,000 for a combined total of $95,225 toward 2011-2012 goals. we extend our gratitude to the following friends and families who have supported our annual fund campaign this year.
the annuaL fund2011-2012
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technoLoGy Fund and PaoLo BoScoLo Berto SchoLarShiP Fund
we would like to thank the following families and friends who showed their support this spring and on the evening of the Gala Benefit dinner by making gifts to the technology fund and paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship fund.
the Paolo Boscolo Berto Scholarship Fund celebrates the memory of an extraordinary young man who graduated from Bocconi university and went on to work in New York leading a brilliant, but all too brief, career as a finance manager and investor. la Scuola liceo students who receive awards from this merit scholarship fund are those who demonstrate similar qualities of discipline, hard work, and academic achievement.
mr. and mrs. roberto Berardimr. and mrs. paolo Joscadr. deborah l. lazarusmr. and mrs. riccardo pasqua di Biscegliemr. and mrs. ian Sorkin
in the first year since its creation, the technology Fund has provided needed support to address pressing technology needs across our institution. this support has allowed la Scuola to implement a much needed enhancement of the overall computing technology system for both campuses; a new computer lab at the elementary school; new computer stations for Elementary, middle school and liceo students and teachers.
mr. and mrs. Stefano azariomr. Joseph V. Barbettamr. and mrs. roberto Berardimr. and mrs. Jacopo Braccomr. roberto cecchinidr. pascal J. de caprariisdr. and mrs. Edmund a. deblermr. and mrs. richard diamondmr. and mrs. Valentino Gallomr. and mrs. paolo Giordano
mr. dennis Kildeamr. and mrs. Nathaniel landmr. and mrs. michael t. lawmr. and mrs. michael liottimr. and mrs. carlo manticamr. and mrs. Stefano maronims. rosana S. mazziamr. and mrs. marco oppicimr. and mrs. riccardo pasqua di
Bisceglie
dr. Eva maestre and dr. robert peracchia
mr. and mrs. alessio rossimr. and mrs. Gaetano Sallorenzomr. and mrs. Giovanni Spinellimr. and mrs. massimo-
tassan-Soletmr. and mrs. John uptonmr. and mrs. domenico Vitalemr. and mrs. James wilkinsmr. and mrs. Giovanni Zocche
thRee SpeciaL fundS cReated oveR the LaSt two yeaRS:1- technoLogy fund, 2- paoLo boScoLo beRto SchoLaRShip fund 3- can akant Johnny educationaL fund foR La ScuoLa Liceo StudentS
SpeciaL fund2011-2012
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the can akant tokSu "Johnny" educationaL fund foR La ScuoLa Liceo StudentS
this educational fund was established in may 2012 to celebrate the memory of our beloved can akant Johnny who grew up at la Scuola, attending from age 3 in the preK through the liceo, gaining the respect and love of those whose lives he touched along the way. an insightful and creative student, blessed with a kind heart, a brilliant intelligence and a wonderful sense of humor, Johnny not only inspired his fellow students in the classroom but was also a great friend to all. We would like to thank the following Families and Friends who have lent their support to create this living legacy for Johnny and our La Scuola Liceo student:
the toksu familyGuglielmina and Stuart Goldenbergflaminia Spina-Gleizer
SpeciaL fund2011-2012
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niaf gRant2012
la Scuola d’italia is very proud to have received one of three grants awarded by the National italian american foundation for 2012.
as a part of promoting italian heritage, the Niaf supports grants to organizations, individuals, and schools that foster the development and implementation of programs in schools, communities, and organizations that encourage the teaching and practice of the italian language.
we are grateful to the Niaf for this recognition of la Scuola’s work to provide distinct programming reflecting the excellence of italian language and culture to both our students and the community at large.
this grant has helped la Scuola to continue to offer a substantial season of programming which has included public presentations of new italian and Bilingual poetry authored by our students; a workshop for students with the director of teatro delle albe from ravenna; the Khaossia Ethno Ensemble workshop for students followed by a concert for the general public; and programs for the festa della repubblica. in the second half of the year, this support will help us plan for events related to italian heritage and culture month, among them the week of the italian language in collaboration with the italian cultural institute.
nationaL itaLian ameRican foundation (niaf) 2012 itaLian Language gRant awaRd
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middLe SchooL18
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high SchooL - Liceo
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academic yeaR inauguRation ceRemony SEptEmBEr 30, 2011
on friday, September 30th, we had the pleasure of organizing a press conference for our new physical education teacher, igor cassina, olympic medalist. the press conference was a great opportunity for la Scuola to show its cultural richness, as there were several members of the italian media. the olympic medalist, igor cassina, expressed his enthusiasm in working with la Scuola students and appreciated everyone’s collaboration in making his transition a great experience.
following the press conference, the academic Year inauguration took place. our middle School and liceo Girls choir sang the National anthems; headmistress anna fiore provided the audience with an overview of the academic year, including the main goals to be accomplished. present at the ceremony were also distinguished guest speakers: the new consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle, the director of the italian cultural institute prof. riccardo Viale and chairman of la Scuola d’italia Board of trustees, Stephen madsen Esq. furthermore, the new pa president mrs. Sheree Sebastiani greeted our families and our students with her welcoming remarks.
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la Scuola d’italia was extremely proud this year to inaugurate the 2011 italian heritage and culture month celebration dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the unification of italy, by hosting the show ”the horde,” in collaboration with the consulate General of italy in New York, Education office, italian american committee on Education, and montclair State university. the show was presented by renowned italian writer and corriere della Sera journalist Gian Antonio Stella, at the middle school and liceo auditorium.
this outstanding project, co-sponsored by la Scuola, was made possible by the theresa and lawrence r. inserra chair in italian and italian american Studies at montclair State university. additional support was provided by the coccia institute for the italian american Experience; SuNY Stony Brook d’amato chair in italian and italian american Studies and the center for italian Studies; the John d. calandra italian american institute with the italian cultural center at St. John’s university; the uNico foundation; and rutgers university.
adapted from Stella’s 2002 bestseller with the same title, this multi-media show presented the fascinating story of italian emigration starting from the post-unification era until the 1970s.
through historical accounts, anecdotes, and factual data, Stella took the audience on a journey through Europe and the americas as an old-time storyteller. accompanied by projected images of archival documents, illustrations, and photographs, Stella’s engaging tale of the emigrants’ struggles, failures, and successes was enriched throughout by songs collected or written by ethnomusicologist Bertelli and performed by the compagnia delle acque Ensemble with traditional instruments.
our liceo and middle School students, along with some parents and la Scuola friends, thoroughly enjoyed the show.
moreover, before the performance, thanks to the help of mr. massimo Gaggi, la Scuola parent and corriere della Sera correspondent, la Scuola liceo students had the opportunity to meet Gian Antonio Stella, who lectured the students about racism from an historical perspective.
this event was a great success for la Scuola; we thank all the parents and friends of la Scuola for participating. Special thanks to Sheree and Rocco Sebastiani, the new PA President, whose help was instrumental in providing and installing a projector screen in our gym in a very timely manner.
itaLian heRitage and cuLtuRe month ceLebRation“the hoRde“: StoriES, SoNGS aNd imaGES of italiaN EmiGratioN
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itaLian heRitage and cuLtuRe month ceLebRationla Scuola d’italia choir at liNcolN cENtEr
on Sunday, october 9, 2011, La Scuola d’Italia’s Girls Choir sang the National anthems at a prestigious concert at lincoln center, rose theater in the frederick p. rose hall. our Girls choir was invited to this event by the columbus citizens foundation to celebrate the italian heritage and culture month and the 150th anniversary for the unification of italy.
the concert, organized by the columbus citizens foundation chair person Giuliana ridolfi cardillo, was performed by the petruzzelli theater orchestra from Bari, italy, conducted by maestro alberto Veronesi, featuring Soprano marina Shaguch and tenor massimiliano pisapi, and the debut of coloratura Soprano caroline Jones.
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coLumbuS day paRadeoctoBEr 10, 2011
on monday, october 10th, all la Scuola Students, faculty and Staff, along with many parents participated in the columbus day parade. thanks to consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle and la Scuola d’italia Board treasurer Jason de Sena trennert, la Scuola d’italia was among the first to march in the parade. Some of our la Scuola students were photographed and appeared in the Wall Street Journal, NY Times SchoolBook and America Oggi newspaper.
we warmly thank all our teachers and la Scuola families who participated in the parade, allowing their children to be part of this important celebration of the italian heritage and culture.
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itaLian heRitage and cuLtuRe month:11th EditioN of thE wEEK of thE italiaN laNGuaGE at thE italiaN cultural iNStitutE, NEw YorK
on monday, october 17th our 4th, 5th grade, middle School and liceo students, presented “Giornata della Scuola d’italia” on the occasion of the inauguration of the week of the italian language at the italian cultural institute.
this year’s topic was the “150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.” our 4th and 5th grade students, guided by the teachers luigi cavandoli and petrika melo, presented the show “una passeggiata tra le canzoni e le poesie che hanno fatto l’italia,” perfoming traditional songs and poems from the 19th and the early 20th century.
middle school and liceo students, directed by the theater teacher rosaria crisafi, performed “Grazie mille…..anche alle donne da 150 anni,” a special show highlighting the role played by italian women in the historical process that lead to the unification of italy. we were very grateful to our students who showed their talent and to all our teachers involved in the performance. la Scuola also warmly thanked the pa for offering wonderful refreshments.
the betRothed – i pRomeSSi SpoSi on october 20th, more than 40 la Scuola middle school and liceo students, along with many parents and teachers, attended The Betrothed, a theatrical performance based on the novel I Promessi Sposi, by alessandro manzoni at lincoln center. this show was directed and performed by massimiliano finazzer flory. mr. finazzer flory also met la Scuola iV liceo students at our middle School and liceo campus, encouraging them to write and send him their comments on The Betrothed. mr. finazzer flory explained to the students that he has been performing all over the world and has been collecting young people’s comments which will all be published in a book. la Scuola thanked Board member Baroness mariuccia Zerilli marimo and casa italiana NYu for making this event possible for la Scuola and for offering our students the opportunity to reflect on how a masterpiece of italian literature can come to life and become real to us when represented on stage.
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itaLian heRitage and cuLtuRe month
686 Park Avenue New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel 212.642.2027 Fax: 212.642.2030www.italyculturemonth.org [email protected]
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Liceo tRip to caLifoRnia NoVEmBEr 11 - 15, 2011
from friday, November 11th through tuesday, November 15th, all our liceo students in the four classes, accompanied by the teachers michael prater, flora Ghezzo, ilenia pitti and Ettore Spatola, went to San francisco for a 4-day educational trip.
the experience was wonderful and extremely positive by all points of view. the students were able to see different sights and to learn the history of the city, as well as its cultural landmarks and the natural environment in its vicinity.
the students began their trip with a presentation by a local university professor who explained the history and geography of San francisco. during their stay, they went on a guided tour of Stanford University and had an opportunity to meet with some of its students to learn about college in general, as well as the admissions process. furthermore, the students visited alcatraz and went on an afternoon hike among the sequoias in the muir woods, just north of San francisco.
they also got to know the city by bike, going on a bike-tour of the presidio and then across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. around the city itself, the students were guided by the teachers through some of San francisco’s most important and historic neighborhoods, including North Beach (the historically italian neighborhood), chinatown, the Embarcadero, haight, the long warf, union Square and lombard Street.
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Liceo tRip to caLifoRnia NoVEmBEr 11 - 15, 2011
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nySaiS fiVE YEar accrEditatioN ViSit
during the course of the academic year, an important event took place: the NYSaiS five-year accreditation visit at la Scuola on february 23-24, 2012.
this visit required a very long period of intense preparation, which began last year with a self-study process that was initiated by the Board of trustees, taking into account all the recommendations listed in the NYSaiS first accreditation document which was sent to la Scuola in the year 2007.
the headmistress appointed a Self Study Steering Committee whose main task was to write a detailed report to be sent to NYSaiS at the beginning of January 2012. the headmistress also appointed michael prater, English teacher and liceo coordinator as chair of the Steering committee.
nySaiS five-yeaR accReditation La ScuoLa SteeRing committee:
headmistress anna fiore : ex officio member
pia pedicini deputy head of School and director of admissions aimee felton Elementary School coordinator maria cinquemani preschool coordinator augusta fleischer middle School coordinator michael prater liceo/high School coordinator and Steering committee chair Beatrice paladini technology coordinator leonora mcclernan development coordinator paola Serrone assistant to the head of School Joan faughnan la Scuola accountant
the fifty-page report was submitted to NYSaiS at the beginning of January 2012, emphasizing the various improvements and changes implemented over the last five years at la Scuola. we are all very grateful to the Steering committee for their excellent teamwork, and in particular to the committee chair, michael prater, who worked tirelessly throughout the winter break together with the preside, compiling and editing the final draft of the report.
the febRuaRy 23Rd and 24th nySaiS viSit
on thursday, february 23rd we had the pleasure of welcoming the NYSaiS 5-Year accreditation committee. during their first day visit, the committee met with the Steering committee members, with faculty and staff, and with la Scuola Board of trustees. these meetings offered an opportunity to review all the changes and improvements implemented over the course of the past five years.
on february 24th the NYSaiS committee met with some la Scuola parents who shared their different experiences and their appreciation towards our bilingual institution. we warmly thank the following parents for being present: mrs. marina Graziani, mrs. teresa tarillo, mrs. Giulia panciera, mr. & mrs. Valetto, mrs. Sheree Sebastiani, mrs. Bevin trennert, mrs. marisa colavita, mrs. tamara Gaggi, mrs. Elena Zappala` and mrs. Veronika Balakhovsky.
following the parents meeting, the NYSaiS committee visited our preschool and Elementary classes and our 67th Street campus where they interacted with all of our middle School and liceo classes. the committee had the opportunity to spend time with a group of middle School and liceo students also at lunch time. after lunch, we invited the committee to view the video performance of the liceo students “Amphitryon” by plautus.
June 1, 2012: nySaiS accReditation confiRmed
on June 1, 2012 we received the official communication that la Scuola d’italia had been granted the NYSaiS accreditation for another five-year period.
we truly believe that the whole experience of the five-year NYSaYS accreditation process was a very useful one for the entire la Scuola community and its constituencies: it offered us a unique opportunity to review and reflect with pride on all the changes and the improvements put into effect over the last 5 years here at la Scuola. we have acquired a greater foundation in our past and a more clearly articulated view of our future.
with this in mind and with our strong, ongoing and joint efforts and commitment - Board of trustees and administration, teachers and parents together - la Scuola will continue to grow and improve, achieving more ambitious goals for all our beloved students in the years to come.
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on January 25th, the Board of trustees approved a memorandum of understanding with the regional Education authority of lombardy.
this agreement involves three parties: the regional Education authority for lombardy, la Scuola d’italia“G. marconi” in New York and istituto Superiore “E. fermi” in mantova as the leading school for the network “Rete delle scuole lombarde per gli scambi linguistici e culturali con la Scuola d’Italia di NYC.”
the main goals of this important agreement are the following:
• to promote administrators and teachers Exchange programs with the purpose of organizing seminars, lessons, meetings, conferences and of developing training and common research projects and initiatives in bilingual curriculum design and implementation for pre-school, elementary school, middle school and high school.
• to promote Student Exchange programs for high school students enrolled in 4th or 5th liceo Scientifico in public/private schools in the region of lombardy and 3rd and 4th liceo students attending la Scuola d’italia in New York. Students from licei Scientifici in the region of lombardy will attend la Scuola d’italia in New York city for an entire academic year, for one semester or for a shorter period of time. Students from la Scuola d’italia will attend licei scientifici in the region of lombardy for an entire academic year, for one semester or for a shorter period of time.
the leading school in lombardy for the implementation of the memorandum is the istituto fermi in mantova: one student has already applied to attend la Scuola for the upcoming academic year and one of our liceo is in contact with his family to explore the possibility of hosting him.
on July 10, 2012, preside fiore met at the regional Education office in milan with mrs. cristina Bonaglia, head of the liceo fermi in mantova and mr. Giogio Galanti, head of the world language office at the regional Education office of lombardy. during the meeting several projects were outlined for the upcoming academic year: 3rd and 4th liceo students exchange for one month or more, teachers’ exchange for one week, seminars and workshops about bilingualism and new methodologies about teaching math and other liceo subjects.
memoRandum of undeRStandingwith thE rEGioNal EducatioN officE of lomBardY
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memoRandum of undeRStandingwith thE rEGioNal EducatioN officE of lomBardY
Giuseppe colosio, Director General of the Regional Education Authority for Lombardy
cristina Bonaglia, Headmistress of the Istituto Superiore “E.Fermi” in Mantova
Piera Palazzolo Falzone, Legal Representative and Secretary to the Board of La Scuola d’Italia “G.Marconi”, New York.
direzione Generale
relazioni internazionali e lingue straniere Via ripamonti, 85 – 20141 milano
prot. n. miur aoodrlo r.u. 7444
milano, 27 giugno 2012
ai dirigenti scolastici
degli istituti scolastici di ogni ordine e grado
ai docenti referenti per le lingue
oggetto: Siglato Memorandum fra USR per la Lombardia, Scuola d’Italia di New York e IIS Fermi di Mantova
in data 7 giugno 2012 è stato siglato un memorandum of understanding – mou – (all.1) fra l’uSr per la lombardia, la Scuola d’italia G.marconi di New York e l’istituto Superiore E. fermi di mantova.
l’accordo che, oltre all’uSr per la lombardia, coinvolge l’unica scuola paritaria italiana negli Stati uniti d’america e l’iiS fermi di mantova in quanto capofila di una rete aperta alle scuole della lombardia, si pone l’obiettivo di facilitare il percorso di collaborazione fra le scuole lombarde e la Scuola d’italia di New York. Nella sostanza il mou intende promuovere progetti di ricerca, iniziative volte a creare curricula bilingui, scambi di personale docente e amministrativo e scambi di studenti frequentanti licei scientifici.
la Scuola d’italia di New York, perseguendo un curricolo bilingue dalla scuola dell’infanzia al liceo scientifico, rappresenta un modello importante per le scuole che intendono potenziare lo studio della lingua inglese.
Si allega il testo originale del memorandum of understanding e si invitano le scuole interessate ad approfondire le potenzialità dell’accordo anche prendendo contatti con le scuole in oggetto.
il coordinatore Giorgio Galanti
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gioRnata deLLa memoRia JanuaRy 27, 2012
on the occasion of remembrance week, la Scuola d’italia participated in two important events dedicated to remembering the italian Jewish victims of the holocaust, in collaboration with the consulate General of italy in New York and centro primo levi.
on Wednesday, January 25th at 1:30 pm in our auditorium/Gym at the middle School and liceo campus, we showed the newly released documentary about the holocaust, provided by the primo levi center for Jewish history-New York. the documentary was presented by alessandro cassin from the primo levi center, and our 8th grade and liceo students attended.
on January 27th, our middle School - 7th and 8th grade students - and liceo students participated once again in the reading ceremony of names of italian Jews deported from italy and italian territories, at the entrance of the consulate General of italy. this remarkable event is organized every year by the consul General of italy in New York, min. Natalia Quintavalle, and all the italian institutions in New York participate, as well as some Jewish schools together with la Scuola d’italia. many teachers and parents of our middle school and liceo students joined us this year in this reading ceremony. Special thanks go to mrs. roberta Valetto, la Scuola parent, who joined us and provided us with some pictures of the event. we warmly thank our students and teachers for being present and for sharing this important day with the consulate General of italy and with the community.
RemembRance week JaNuarY 20 - 27
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gioRnata deL RicoRdo fridaY, fEBruarY 10
deputy consul General laura aghilarre invited la Scuola d’italia to actively participate this year in another remarkable commemorative event: “La Giornata del ricordo.”
on friday, february 10th, our 8th grade and liceo students, accompanied by their liceo and middle School teachers alessandra montalbano, flora Ghezzo, michael prater, augusta fleischer and Giannalisa Klein, participated at the consulate General of italy in an open lesson and commemorative event to remember the italian victims of the “foibe” (1943-1947) along with the “associazione Giuliani nel mondo from trieste.” history and philosophy teacher alessandra montalbano and italian language and literature teacher flora Ghezzo addressed this controversial and delicate topic with two excellent lectures that were greatly appreciated by the audience, our students and by the public.
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La ScuoLa in the pReSS
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eventS at La ScuoLa
teatRo deLLe aLbe Ravenna teatRotEatro StaBilE di iNNoVaZioNE
wedneSday, febRuaRy 8
on wednesday, february 8th, la Scuola d’italia had the pleasure and honor of welcoming director marco martinelli from the teatro delle albe, ravenna.
mr. martinelli presented an “experiences from the non school,” a theatrical journey with adolescents from chicago to dakar, to Naples-Scampia, to the heresy of happiness of Sant’arcangelo festival 2011. all our middle School and liceo students fully enjoyed their participation in a theatrical workshop conducted by director marco martinelli, including the recital of some verses from matteo maria Boiardo and Vladimir mayakovsky.
this project was organized in collaboration with casa italiana Zerilli marimo` director, Stefano albertini. marco martinelli then presented at casa italiana his last theatrical work Rumore di acque, Noise in the Waters.
we are currently working on a more complex project with the teatro delle albe, involving la Scuola d’italia and other New York schools, casa italiana NYu and la mama theater in New York. this project will be implemented in January 2014, but will be prepared by two workshops that will be organized in february 2013 and in october 2013.
About Teatro delle Albe and Marco Martinelli, Director
writer and director marco martinelli founded the theatrical cooperative teatro delle albe in 1983 together with Ermanna montanari, luigi dadina, and marcella Nonni. having already used romagnol dialect as a vehicle to explore the mythic roots of local and marginal cultures from a global perspective, in 1988 the company expanded their principle of meticciato teatrale by working with several Senegalese actors, including mandiaye N’diaye. in 1991 the company established the producing organization ravenna teatro and in the same year initiated their non-scuola project to train young performers. a notable development of the on-going non-scuola has been i polacchi, a re-conception of ubu roi. i polacchi has grown into stagings with young actors in chicago, Naples, Sarajevo, and diol Kadd, Senegal. the Senegalese production has subsequently been presented in limôges, Naples and modena.
One of the leading contemporary theatre companies of Europe, the company and its actors, especially Ermanna montanari, have received dozens of awards. these awards, a full description of the company’s work and martinelli’s bibliography can be found at http://www.teatrodellealbe.com
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Liceo “pRogetto tRaSveRSaLe 2012”
on february 15th the liceo teachers presented to the students the progetto trasversale 2012, whose topic this year was “la comunicazione: da G. marconi a internet” (communication: from G. marconi to the internet).
liceo students were thrilled by their teachers’ lectures about old and New media, the revolution of the internet, molecular Biology and remote Sensing, the physics of the internet and others. the progetto trasversale is an interdisciplinary project on a main topic that is analyzed and developed by different points of view corresponding to the different disciplines or liceo subjects. the project is divided into two parts: the first presented by the liceo teachers and the second by the liceo students who prepare specific papers and presentations related to the main topic.
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4th exchange pRogRam with licEo farNESiNa iN romE
what a gReat expeRience to be a united nationS deLegate!
March 2nd - 12th: this year our liceo students actively participated in the 38th annual National high School model united Nations along with a group of 18 students from the liceo farnesina in rome that our la Scuola families hosted during their ten-day visit.
March 22nd - April 1st: a group of our liceo students went to rome and participated in the European rome model uN, rimuN, along with the liceo farnesina students and other European students from different countries.
ExCHANGE PROGRAM IN NEW YORk – NHS MODEL UNITED NATIONS
we were thrilled and pleased to once again host for the 4th year in a row, the Exchange program with the liceo farnesina in rome. a group of 18 students along with two teachers came to New York from march 2nd to march 12th, 2012. upon their visit to New York, the liceo farnesina students participated, along with a group of 13 students from our liceo, at the 38th annual National high School model united Nations, that took place from march 7th to march 12th. this was an unforgettable experience for our liceo students who selected Bulgaria as the country to represent. teachers ilenia pitti and Brienna Berger guided them and organized all the preparation sessions for this important project. Students became familiar with the language and the specific contents of a uN resolution and wrote many reports to practice before the NhSmuN session.
the 18 students from the liceo farnesina thoroughly enjoyed their participation in the New York model uN as well as their ten-day visit to New York. the program, prepared by liceo coordinator michael prater along with the head of School, included a 5 borough bus trip, a Ground Zero memorial visit, a field trip to Ellis island and, as usual, a meeting with consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle and a visit to the italian consulate and to the italian cultural institute.
We were very grateful to our La Scuola families who hosted the Italian students and the two accompanying teachers: Mr. & Mrs. Di Muccio, Dr. & Mrs. Falzone, Mr. & Mrs. Balakhovsky, Dr. Germano, Mr. & Mrs. Serafini, Mr. & Mrs. Nilsson-Salvati, Mr. & Mrs. Gareri Goldenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Gruber, Mr. & Mrs. Gaggi, Mr. & Mrs. Fabri Upton and Dr. & Mrs. Sacchini.
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exchange pRogRam in Rome – rimuN EuropEaN modEl uNitEd NatioNS
a group of liceo students accompanied by the teachers michael prater and ilenia pitti went to rome, and were hosted by the liceo farnesina families from march 22nd to april 1st. together with the liceo farnesina students and other students from different European countries, our students participated in the rome model uN, rimuN, which is the most important European model uN and takes place once a year in rome. the rimuN ran from march 23rd to march 27th.
the liceo group truly enjoyed their visit and spent a very productive time in rome. they actively took part in the rimuN, representing the country palestine. the rimuN was comparatively smaller than the New York model uN: there were almost 400 students from the liceo farnesina and from several other European countries. all our students were able to present and defend their resolutions answering difficult questions from older delegates.
our la Scuola liceo group also enjoyed rome and attended classes along with the liceo farnesina students. on thursday, march 29th, they visited l’aquila where they had the opportunity to learn about the aftermath of the earthquake of april 2009 and the political and economic struggles that followed. the journalist dom Serafini, father of our liceo student Bianca, met the group at l’ aquila, accompanied by a photographer from the Messaggero of Abruzzo, a local paper which covered our students’ trip to l’aquila.
you wiLL ceRtainLy enJoy thiS amazing StoRy fRom the tRip to L’aquiLa
as the group was walking around the ‘ghost town,’ with very few people, our students noticed a military presence. one of our liceo students, Benton madsen, walked over to the Jeep to introduce himself and la Scuola. as it happened, one of the soldiers, caporale maggiore Sandro Sbordoni, said, “that was my school!” his mother worked at the italian consulate from ‘92 to ‘98, and he attended the Elementary and middle School with us. he was very kind to the students, and he also shared with them his story of his experiences from the day of the earthquake. wasn’t it amazing to find a la Scuola alumnus right in l’aquila, by our liceo students?
“The world is truly a small place”39
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on march 16th, la Scuola d’italia celebrated its 35th anniversary at our annual Gala Benefit dinner. with almost 500 guests who met at cipriani’s and enjoyed this special celebration of la Scuola 35th birthday, this event was once again one of the most successful organized by la Scuola over the past few years!
we are extremely grateful to our proactive Gala committee 2012 and to its president piera palazzolo falzone for making that evening memorable and beautiful, enhancing our pride of being part of la Scuola community. we were very pleased to welcome the new ambassador of italy to the united States h.E. claudio Bisogniero, who opened the event with his appreciative remarks towards la Scuola.
we welcomed our prestigious honorees: anthony Bourdain, renowned chef, author and host of travel channel’s No Reservations, and michael white, renowned chef and owner of the altamarea Group.
we are also grateful to NYu professor and author antonio monda, who introduced and brought to the la Scuola Gala our renowned and beloved Guest of honor: actor, director, producer and writer John turturro.
la Scuola d’italia was also extremely honored to welcome as special guests Governor mario cuomo and la Scuola trustee and mentoring uSa founder mrs. matilda cuomo.
Each detail of this event was diligently prepared by one or more Gala committee members. Bevin and Jason trennert brought to our Gala the wonderful m.c. maria Bartiromo; teresa Sorkin with the help of amy porter and Vetia Searcy prepared the excellent and moving video “per te” shown at the beginning, which truly set the tone of the entire evening. Nika leoni wrote the beautiful “la Scuola’s song” and together with our music teacher petrika melo trained our great la Scuola Girls choir. rebecca moses beautifully designed the invitation and the cover of the Gala Journal and inspired the art work of our middle School and liceo students who prepared the white sculptures, centerpieces at the Gala tables.
we want to address special thanks to consul General, min. Natalia Quintavalle and to lucia pasqualini, la Scuola parent and Vice consul at the consulate, who provided the prestigious christie’s auctioneer patrizia di carrobio. thanks to massimo Gaggi, Corriere della Sera correspondent from New York, our Gala Benefit dinner was covered by a brief corriere article published on Sunday, march 18th.
we thank the entire Gala committee, pa representatives, parents, teachers and Staff of la Scuola for making this evening memorable and a great success.
ceLebRating the 35th anniveRSaRy of La ScuoLa“from thE mEmoriES of thE paSt to thE drEamS of thE futurE”
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gaLa 2012
Gala RevenuesTotal Revenue $391,812.00
Expenses $135,613.91
Net Revenue $256,198.09
Dinner $211,800
Auction $66,366
Donations $35,775
Tech Fund $27,550
Advertising $23,250
Scholarship Fund $16,950
Raffle $10,121
54%Dinner
SCHOLARSHIP FUND 4%RAFFLE 3%
ADVERTISING 6%
17%Auction
9%Donations
TECH FUND 7%
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La ScuoLa StudentS meet with italiaN writErS aNd cElEBritiES
throughout the academic year we continued our tradition of “encounters with the authors” at la Scuola middle School and liceo, which was initiated in 2008-2009.
these lectures took place on wednesdays afternoons and were organized thanks to the strong cooperation with the italian institutions in New York: the consulate General of italy and its Education office, the italian cultural institute, casa italiana Zerilli marimo` at NYu, the italian american committee on Education - iacE, the primo levi center and others. this year we also called upon the various distinguished parents from la Scuola families, who met our students and spoke about their profession and the challenges of their work.
on Wednesday, February 1st, Fabio Luisi, Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera visited la Scuola middle School and liceo campus and addressed our students with a lecture about his career as musician and conductor who has reached the highest level in his profession, showing that an italian can truly become a role model for the international community. fabio luisi was introduced by Vice consul lucia pasqualini, who invited him to la Scuola. he explained to our students how he developed an interest in conducting while working as a piano accompanist in Genoa and spoke about his accomplishments as principal conductor and chief conductor of many renowned European orchestras in austria, Switzerland and Germany.
on Friday, March 30th we were pleased to welcome at la Scuola Professor Laura Benedetti, Chair of the Italian Department at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. professor Benedetti was invited by Jason deSena trennert, our Board treasurer, who joined us along with his wife Bevin during this visit. we toured all our preschool and elementary classes and also visited the middle School and liceo campus and all the classes. professor Benedetti addressed our 8th grade and liceo students in the auditorium, providing them with information about the prestigious university of Georgetown. She also distributed some brochures to the students, who were very interested in knowing about this school and who asked several questions.
on Wednesday, April 18th, Dr. Anthony D’Antoni, Assistant Professor of Anatomy at New York College of Pediatric medicine and father of our preschool student massimo, gave a lecture to the 8th grade and liceo students on the fascinating topic of “Art of Observation in Medicine.” with the support of a slideshow, dr. d’antoni described how visual arts can be used to develop observational skills; the students enjoyed a tour of famous paintings throughout the ages, from Botticelli to piero della francesca to rembrandt, and their attention was drawn towards pertinent information from the fields of medicine, anatomy, art history and theology.
on Wednesday, April 25th we were very honored to welcome Massimo Gaggi, correspondent of the Corriere della Sera from New York, and father of alex and Bruno, who engaged our 8th grade and liceo students in a very interesting lecture about “New Journalism,” highlighting the future of journalism and the huge changes of the journalism profession in the era of the digital media. mr. Gaggi is the co-author of the book L’ultima notizia (rizzoli publisher) and of other different books. mr. Gaggi effectively illustrated how the rise of the internet and all digital media has been changing journalism since the mid ‘90s. today, activists and everyday people can shape the news and the events through media use to an extent unimaginable before the web. mr. Gaggi spoke about emblematic events, such as the so-called “arab Spring” through very touching images, showing how people acted as protesters and reporters at the same time. the presentation was followed by a question and answer session; students were very attentive and showed a great interest towards the topic.
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on friday, april 20th The Ethno-Ensemble Salentina “khaossia” conducted an open lesson with our liceo students, followed by an amazing concert for our la Scuola families and the general public at la Scuola middle School and liceo auditorium.
the group brought us back to the atmosphere of random encounters between different musicians in the mediterranean area. they played different musical instruments, distant both in their genre - refined and popular - and in space and time. renaissance flute, cretan lute, violin, tambourine, accordion and guitar blended naturally together in this Khaossia’s performance. we warmly thanked Dr. Giorgio Galanti, former director of the Education office of the italian consulate in philadelphia and current coordinator of the world language program at the regional Education office of lombardy, for bringing the Khaossia Group to la Scuola and for offering this unique concert to our students and to la Scuola community.
we expressed our heartfelt thanks also to the musicians:
- Luca Congedo, reinassance transverse, reinassance flute, transverse flute, turkish flute, tin-whistle - Fabio Turchetti, mouth organ, accordion, guitar - Stefano Torre, cretan lute, drum, guitar - Giorgio Galanti, narrator
The Ethno-Ensemble khaossia was founded in 2005 in the city of cremona, by luca congedo and Viviana calabrese, with the aim of recreating the folk music of Southern italy, and performing ethnic pieces from the ancient traditions of the Salento, in the apulia region. Khaossia brings together many different musical traditions, from the irish and the hellenic music traditions to re-inventing a new style of old and forgotten sounds. the Khaossia group has extensively performed in italy and abroad (croatia, paris and marseille in 2006 and 2008; Switzerland in 2008; and in the uS - philadelphia and New York in 2010). in italy, Khaossia took part in the most important folk musical festivals from 2007 to 2010.
www.khaossia.it www.myspace.com/khaossia
khaoSSia - ethno enSembLe SaLentina“lE GrEchESchE” - folK muSic coNcErt
fRiday, apRiL 20
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newS fRom the pReSchooLBiliNGualiSm aNd rEGGio Emilia art atEliEr
action-ReSeaRch on biLinguaLiSm
a research project in the field of bilingualism has been ongoing at la Scuola preschool since 2009. language specialist and la Scuola parent, Dr. Sara Michael Luna, assistant professor at Queens college cuNY, has conducted action-research on bilingualism at la Scuola beginning the academic year 2010-2011. during the academic year 2011-2012, the bilingual research project has been “Understanding Dual Language Development in a Reggio-based Dual Language Curriculum: La Scuola d’Italia 2011-2012.”
one of the products of this research has been the ongoing development and training of all pre School teachers in qualitative assessment for italian and English language acquisition at different ages (age 3, 4 and 5). teachers are learning how to collect and document students’ language production in both italian and English. italian language surveys and English language surveys, along with home language surveys, have been collected in order to establish a baseline italian and English language development for each child and a baseline for pedagogic, curricular, and programmatic support.
the conclusions of this research are used in turn for professional development, specifically in the areas of curriculum and assessment. dr. luna met periodically with preschool coordinator maria cinquemani and with all the teachers to make suggestions based on analysis of the research and materials collected by the teachers. throughout the school year, dr. luna conducted workshops on bilingualism geared towards La Scuola Preschool and Elementary parents, addressing bilingual development, first language acquisition versus second language, and different types of bilingualism.
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Reggio emiLia aRt ateLieR
the pre-School division has taken further steps this year to better implement and integrate many aspects of the reggio Emilia method within its bilingual curriculum. this is an italian method of pedagogy that has been used in italian schools for decades and is increasingly being used in american schools, including reggio Emilia inspired preschools in New York city.
consistent with howard Gardner’s notion of schooling for multiple intelligences, the reggio Emilia approach calls for the integration of the arts (graphic arts, music, drama, and construction activities) as tools for cognitive, linguistic, and social development. it also calls for collaborative group work, which stresses the importance of children’s relationships as they interact within a system. the reggio Emilia approach focuses on the learning environment with special attention to the layout of each classroom: the environment is considered the “third teacher.”
la Scuola recently attained membership in the North american reggio Emilia alliance. NarEa shares information about how to support the education project of reggio Emilia throughout the united States, creating a network among all the reggio Emilia inspired institutions in the uS.
thanks to the support from la Scuola Board of trustees, in July 2011, two of la Scuola’s pre-School teachers, laura la rocca and rosa di maggio, participated in a seven-day conference in ligonchio, close to reggio Emilia in italy. this conference was organized by the “reggio children” international organization, in conjunction with the municipality of reggio Emilia, and was attended by 80 teachers from around the world.
the addition of the atelier space at la Scuola was also a product of this conference. the atelier is one of the most significant features of the reggio Emilia approach: at la Scuola it represents the school studio and laboratory. it is a place for experimentation with all “visual languages,” either in isolation or in combination with verbal ones. it is equipped with clay, wire, paint, pens, paper, and a variety of recycled, natural materials to be used by the children in short and long-term projects with the purpose of truly expressing the “hundred languages” of children. in order to highlight the importance of the child’s connection with nature, projects in the atelier are often centered around the discovery of natural sciences.
one of our atelier art teachers, laura la rocca, is specialized in both art and science, and she also taught a Science Enrichment program to the Elementary School children during the 2011-12 academic year. the science program was therefore greatly enhanced by the use of the atelier; various hands-on projects related to Environmental Science, Geology and astronomy have been implemented so far. Students have created paper mache planets and volcanoes; through these projects they investigate the surface and core of the Earth and learn about core concepts of Earth Science.
newS fRom the pReSchooLBiliNGualiSm aNd rEGGio Emilia art atEliEr
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eLementaRy SchooL: liBrarY proJEct aNd BooK fair
During the summer of 2011, a Technology Enhancement Project was implemented and la Scuola embarked on a fundraising campaign to improve computer laboratories at both campuses.
a wireless system was created throughout the school. the Elementary School computer laboratory was remodeled and enlarged, equipped with 16 new computers and a video projector.
for the academic year 2011-2012, the 2nd and 3rd grade English teacher Spiro Gouras has been appointed by the head as Library Coordinator. he has set up a Library Parents Committee, which has been extremely helpful in the implementation of each step of this library project, culminating this past fall in the computerization of the system through the follett company, which serves many of the school libraries in New York city.
la Scuola’s library is a circulation library developed specifically with young children and their families in mind. over the past three years the collection has grown considerably, and the school has amassed a expansive bilingual, bicultural, English and italian collection, which includes fiction and non-fiction, biographies, classic tales and titles, chapter books, poetry, reference materials, easy readers and picture books.
through the follett Software Group, la Scuola has installed a program that allows teachers to keep a close inventory of the library books, while students and teachers can easily borrow them. all of the English and the italian textbooks are now categorized and have been installed in the software system.
Students and teachers have truly enjoyed the new library this year. tucked away in a secluded corner of the building is a cozy, quiet reading room where students can browse through bookshelves, explore new authors and subjects, and read their favorite books. the library is used by all students in grades pre-K through 5th. Younger students enjoy the large carpet area where their teachers assemble the children in a circle and read to them. older students enjoy the freedom of browsing and selecting books and learn how to be responsible when borrowing books.
once again thiS yeaR ouR teacheRS, heLped by the pa paRentS, have oRganized a BOOk FAIR at La ScuoLa.
la Scuola’s luau themed Book fair Sponsored by Scholastic took place on may 3rd and was a tremendous success. Students enjoyed exploring the wonderful world of literature and purchased many sensational books. applause for the teachers Jennifer dionisio, christine morga and their elementary and pre-school team of teachers for all of their hard work in organizing and orchestrating a successful Book fair. Special thanks to Elena Geraci, la Scuola parent, who helped set up and ran the Easy Scan system all day, teresa tarillo, la Scuola parent, for organizing the volunteer schedule and the pa Executive committee for helping to secure all of the wonderful parent volunteers.
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eLementaRy SchooL
Earth daY aNd raiN forESt proJEctfridaY, maY 4
StudentS in gRadeS 1-5 thiS yeaR ceLebRated eaRth day on fRiday, may 4th
in the month of april, classroom studies have focused on recycling, conservation, protecting the rain forests and environmental awareness.
on may 4th, the students strolled through central park with their teachers and observed the beauty of nature. the students also participated in a fundraiser to benefit the rainforest alliance. last year, our school adopted 3 acres of rain forest in Ecuador and this year each child and staff member was invited to bring in a modest donation for this very important cause: this year la Scuola raised $590.55!
the rainforest alliance puts proceeds towards rainforest preservation and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. in preparation for this special day, students created posters about conservation and keeping the earth clean. the children also made a three dimensional mural in Atelier class depicting a rainforest that was displayed in the school’s lobby. the project, organized by laura la rocca, reggio Emilia atelier teacher, challenged the children to repurpose materials such as newspaper and plastics to create the various plants and animals. the students have taken great pride in their work and all the parents admired our rainforest in the school lobby!
we hope that our aspiration to educate, inform and stay “green” will be carried from school to home in our efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to become conscious and respectful “Citizens of the planet Earth.”
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coLLege counSeLoRS at La ScuoLa
a rEport from thE 2011-2012 acadEmic YEarThis year, Dr. Bari Norman, La Scuola College Counselor and former admissions officer at Barnard college of columbia university, brought in one of her associates to assist throughout the year, ms. Shoshana Krieger. dr. Norman worked closely with ms. Krieger throughout the fall, developing with her college lists for students and presenting programs to students and parents at la Scuola.
• Fourth Liceo-12th grade and 3rd Liceo-11th grade: la Scuola 4th liceo students did exceptionally well this year with their admission to colleges and universities. the two college counselors were able to introduce more programs and more one-on-one meetings for seniors – all of which contributed to better applications and better results.
• A Common Application Workshop was introduced this year for seniors, which assisted students with both beginning and completing the common application in a timely manner. this workshop will be offered again next year, to help encourage the submission of Early action and/or Early decision applications.
• a workshop specifically for faculty members on How to Write Effective College Recommendations for US Universities was also introduced this year, and will be replicated next year.
• this was the second year of our Essay Writing Workshops and extended sessions, which assisted students with both the writing and editing process relating to their college application essays. finally, increased guidance was provided regarding financial aid, both as part of the counseling process in advance of applying, and also as part of counseling students after admissions decisions and financial aid packages were released.
• College Nights for Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen and for their families were also conducted throughout the year, as were newly-introduced college Search workshops and introduction to college Essay writing workshops for younger students. complete admissions results include acceptances to the university of pennsylvania, New York university (NYu), fordham, SuNY – Stony Brook, ursinus college, university of massachusetts – amherst honors program, SuNY – Geneseo, Boston university, university of richmond, SuNY – purchase, drew university, Johnson & wales, marymount manhattan college, St. John’s university, and manhattanville college. individual college counseling meetings with families currently in the third liceo-11th grade have been scheduled throughout the year.
contactS with u.S. univeRSitieS
New York University conducted a school visit to la Scuola on tuesday, october 18, 2011. this was the first time NYu visited la Scuola as part of their fall admissions travel. in addition, dr. Norman maintained close contact with their office throughout the year. dr. Norman also coordinated a private campus tour and information session for la Scuola students at Stanford University as part of the November 2011 school trip to california. finally, laura Benedetti, chair of the Georgetown University Italian Department, also visited la Scuola on friday, march 30th and lectured our liceo students.
Current ongoing initiatives include college visits for juniors (as a school field trip), as well as the exploration of gaining the AP designation for some of the La Scuola courses and the creation of an Italian I.B. dual track for la Scuola liceo students. preliminary work regarding this process has been completed by dr. Norman, and is ongoing. in addition, we are planning outreach to middle school families so that the first point of contact with the college counseling staff is before entry into the high school.
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SchooL pSychoLogiStS at La ScuoLa and adviSoRy pRogRam for middlE School aNd licEo StudENtS
Beginning in 2009-2010, two part-time psychologists, one for early childhood-preschool and Elementary, dr. Jane Elkoff, and the other for pre-adolescents and adolescents-middle School and liceo, dr. deborah lazarus, were hired at la Scuola.
dr. Jane Elkoff, preschool and Elementary psychologist has worked very effectively with teachers and parents over the past three years, giving special attention to those challenges specific to a multicultural and multilingual environment.
this year we have organized a series of La Scuola Preschool and Elementary Psychologist Parents Talks, conducted by our School psychologist dr. Jane Elkoff.
these parents talks have been well attended by our la Scuola families. Several important topics were covered throughout the year, focusing on child development, social relationships among children, and learning:
• parent-school communication, and children’s behavior at home and at school
• the transition from pre-school to elementary school
• Sibling relationships - love, friendship, competition and acceptance
• the development of reading, writing and learning - for parents of children in pre-K to 2nd grade
• developmental milestones in Early childhood
• the only child
• the development of Self-control - new research and ideas
our middle School and liceo part time psychologist dr. deborah lazarus has been instrumental in helping design middle School and liceo new Behavior policy and code of conduct. the Student rights and responsibilities document was successfully implemented with the code of conduct in 2010-2011 with both middle School and high School-liceo students. this year, dr. lazarus has worked in close relationship with the newly appointed advisory coordinator prof. michele piccolo, in order to design the new Advisory Program, which was implemented at la Scuola in September 2011. it consists of a daily 15-minute session from 8:10 am to 8:25 am, and is conducted by the classroom teachers.
it was created to facilitate communication between the school and the students, to help middle School students with age specific challenges, such as the transition from Elementary to middle School and to prepare the 8th graders to face the challenges in high School. it was intended to be a non-academic setting that has allowed the students to more freely express their concerns about school, being also a moment for students to share their concerns on issues unrelated to school life.
the advisory has proved productive for the teachers as well, in allowing them to get to know the students in a less formal setting, and encourage and motivate them to take advantage of opportunities that the school offers.
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gReat accompLiShmentS of ouR StudentS ElEmENtarY School
this year we enriched our Elementary after School program with a chess club, which has been enthusiastically attended by many of our young students. chess master dmitri Shevelev prepared la Scuola chess team for a series of city chess tournaments to compete with other New York schools. As a result, our students won in the Novice II category on June 3, 2012 at the PS 116 Chess Tournament.
the event, organized by NY chess Kids (www.nychesskids.com), was attended by 168 students from both public (such as pS 6, pS 41, pS 116, pS 158, NESt, hunter, etc.) and independent (such as dalton, Browning, uNiS, allen, trinity, Brearley, horace mann, riverdale, St. Bernard’s, mandell, riverdale, Brooklyn friends, etc.) schools in New York.
we warmly congratulate with the winners: Luca Rakowski (2nd grade), Gabriele Siddu (5th grade), Giorgio Valente (2nd grade), Matteo Valetto (5th grade)
La SaLLe academy aRt competition
congratulations to all 4th and 5th grade participants who entered a recent drawing competition organized by la Salle academy on may 16, 2012. the topic “friends and family” was one close to the hearts of la Scuola’s students.
we are very proud of Anna Scattoni, 4th grade student, who won 2nd place prize for her drawing “friends.” this was quite an honor, as she competed in a pool of many applicants from other renowned art schools.
a special thank you to la Salle’s principal, dr. macatee, who described art as the sound of the soul.
Winning piece: “Friends” by Anna Scattoni
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tRip to phiLadeLphia
on friday, april 27th, our 6th and 7th grade classes participated in a school trip to philadelphia. with the help of a tour guide, the students visited the most important historical sites of philadelphia. while visiting the independence National historical park along with students from other schools, La Scuola 6th and 7th graders were awarded a certificate of recognition for “Superior knowledge of American History and Outstanding Conduct”. we are very proud of or students and we thank prof. augusta fleischer, middle School coordinator and all the middle school teachers who participated in this field trip.
giochi deLLa gioventÙ 2012
for the third year in a row, la Scuola d’italia media students once again participated in the annual “Giochi Della Gioventù” sponsored by the Italian Olympic Committee CONI. after a thorough year-long country-wide search including academic and athletic competitions, at the beginning of June 2012 three middle School students from la Scuola joined 19 other italian-american students from throughout the country on the coNi-uSa team in Salerno, italy. Victoria Becker and Dante Hin-Gasco (2a media- 7th grade) were once again selected as official reporters embedded with the coNi-uSa olympic team, and published three articles covering the games in america oggi newspaper. Stefano Oppici (1a media- 6th
grade) was selected to join the coNi-uSa track team for the 100-meter Sprint. this year’s games were sponsored by the Salerno coNi committee, and took place in and around the area where the team was also hosted for many cultural events.
gReat accompLiShmentS of ouR StudentS middlE School
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gReat accompLiShmentS of ouR StudentS licEo
our middle School and liceo students competed this year with many other independent schools during the fall 2011 soccer season.
a special highlight was the 4-2 victory of our liceo soccer team with the dwight School’s JV team. our boys played very well, and we were especially proud of our goal scorers: fabrizio migliorisi ramazzini, Emanuele Boccardi, and Stefano iaccarino (who scored twice). a special thanks to all of the students and parents who came out to support the team, and especially to prof. José Rubiera for his strong leadership with our soccer program this year.
nyc RegionaL bRain bee at coLumbia univeRSity
on Saturday, february 4th, our tenth grade students Nicola Paoli and Giovanni Ronco competed in the NYC Regional Brain Bee Competition at Columbia University. many other private and public New York schools participated in this event. our students successfully passed the first three rounds of eliminations.
they were also invited to spend two days at columbia university to attend seminars and study sessions, to visit some research laboratories and to take part in experiments and activities about the brain. we look forward to participating in this event again next year with our students.
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on february 22nd, the american mathematics competitions (or math olympics) took place at la Scuola liceo division. our 9th and 10th grade students took the amc10B test, while 11th and 12th
grade students took the amc12B test.
the american mathematic competition involves all the american schools and has to be done in the same day throughout the uS.
liceo math teacher federica Berto prepared the students to this olympics math competition. She recalled that our beloved Johnny loved this kind of competitions and loved the subject of mathematics; he enjoyed being challenged with various tests and exercises, also different from the usual homework and class work.
as a result of the february 22nd
competition, the following students qualified for the math olympics:
AMC101st place Benton Madsen (10th grade)2nd place Giovanni Ronco (10th grade)3rd place Chiara Nilsson-Salvati (6th grade) AMC121st place Olivia Boccardi (11th grade)2nd place Andrea Michi (12th grade)3rd place katherine Balakhovsky (11th grade)
many thanks to all our participating students and to the liceo math teacher federica Berto and congratulations to the best qualified students!
gReat accompLiShmentS of ouR StudentS licEo math olYmpicS
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LiceooNE YEar of BioloGY ExpErimENtS
in october 2012 we inaugurated the newly created science laboratory, located next to the computer room at the 67th street middle School and liceo campus. on may 25th the lab was dedicated to our beloved student Can Akant “Johnny” Toksu, with a special plaque in his honor.
Students were thrilled to use the new coats and lab gear to carry out their experiments. during the year, three field trips were also organized to enrich the Biology curriculum and collect data that were later used to write short papers and lab reports.
• in November 2011, our 10th and 11th grade students visited the Sackler Educational Laboratory for comparative Genomics and human origins at the museum of Natural history, where they carried out a lab activity to compare hominid skulls, stone tool technologies, and dNa sequences to collect physical, cultural, and genetic data to place each species on the evolutionary tree.
• in May 2012, our 9th and 10th grade liceo students visited Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (cold Spring harbor, NY), one of the most famous research facilities in the world, where they performed an experiment with restriction enzymes and gel electrophoresis (two of the most important molecular biology techniques in basic science research) at the dNa learning center.
• in June 2012, our 7th and 8th grade students, together with the 9th and 10th grade students, went to the Ocean Institute at Sandy Hook (New Jersey), where they explored the marine life of the shore, while enjoying one of the best field trips of the academic year. they learned to seine net fishing, to collect algae, crabs, fish and shells. they also visited the Navesink Twin Lights Historic Site, where Guglielmo Marconi did some of his experiments with the Wireless Telegraph.
it was a very exciting year for our students and we look forward to many more exciting trips and discoveries! we are very grateful to our great teachers in the Science department: Prof. Anna Bartocci, Sara Monea and Beatrice Paladini.
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Sympathy noteSfor a timE of Sorrow
ouR beLoved Student can akant tokSu “Johnny”
it is with extreme sadness and grief that we learned on february 22, 2012 about the loss of our beloved student can akant “Johnny” toksu, following a battle with cancer. he studied at la Scuola from pre-K through liceo, where he had the respect and love of all whose lives he touched.
our hearts were steeped in grief at this loss, yet we knew that his closest friends and family were suffering beyond our comprehension, to them we sent all our love and strength.
the following pages of this annual report are all dedicated to Johnny, along with the ceremony we organized at la Scuola on may 23rd. also, on June 29th during the 12th grade class graduation ceremony at the consulate, we remembered Johnny and we felt like he was with us, present to receive his honorary maturità diploma.
bake SaLe in memoRy of maRiSa Lo magno
The week of April 16th upon our return to school after the spring break, with deepest sadness and grief we learned about the loss of our beloved preschool teacher Marisa Lo Magno. She passed away on wednesday, april 11th after bravely battling cancer for about two years. She taught at la Scuola for 25 years, at both the elementary and preschool divisions. marisa was deeply devoted and completely dedicated to her young students and
la Scuola truly was the center of her world and of her life. Students and parents always appreciated her hard work, and loved her and her outstanding commitment towards her beloved students.
on may 25th, the middle School and liceo students organized a bake sale in memory of the beloved teacher marisa lomagno. all students from 6th to 12th grade took part in this event by baking and buying food to sell. under the supervision of the math teacher Ettore Spatola, the children prepared a beautiful buffet and raised a total amount of $1,188.25. the money has been donated to the St. Jude’s research center.
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”
on february 22, 2012, our entire la Scuola community was deeply shocked upon learning about the loss of our beloved student can akant “Johnny” toksu, following a battle with cancer. Johnny studied at la Scuola from pre-K through liceo, where he gained the love and respect of all of those who had the joy and pleasure to meet him.
this was truly an immense loss for the la Scuola community. we were very close to the family at that time of sorrow and we shared with them all the loving memories of Johnny as a brilliant student at la Scuola since preschool.
Johnny was turkish and american, and his maternal grandmother is 100% italian-american, making Johnny only one quarter italian. Yet he and his family were great advocates of italian education and culture, and for this reason we are all the more lucky to have had him in our community.
la Scuola d’italia was like an italian extended family for Johnny for all these years. Johnny was a brilliant student, speaking four languages, an avid reader and follower of politics and current events, he had a great taste for books, movies and music and he loved to share them with his friends. Johnny loved to laugh and to tell jokes. But most importantly, he was sweet and kind, and he was a dear friend to those who grew up with him, who spent their lives with him. as we suffer this loss, we also remember his laughter, and we draw strength from the beautiful memories of the times that we shared.
this year Johnny would have taken the maturità and we awarded him an honorary 12th grade diploma on June 29th at the graduation ceremony.
on Monday, February 27th, a small memorial ceremony organized by liceo coordinator michael prater took place at the la Scuola middle School and liceo campus.
Several students and teachers took this opportunity to share their memories and pay tribute to life and legacy. the students and teachers also used this occasion to make a painting to him.
Can Akant “Johnny” will be alive forever at La Scuola, we will keep his memories and his presence with us in any possible way. 59
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”
may 23rd memoRiaL ceRemony foR can akant “Johnny” tokSu
on wednesday, may 23rd, la Scuola d’italia celebrated our beloved student can akant “Johnny” toksu’s life. after the head of School’s introductory remarks, several speakers shared their tribute of love to Johnny by singing songs, reciting poems and sharing memories of their strong relationship with can akant. following, a video projection of Johnny’s life from babyhood to young manhood was shown, set to his favorite tunes.
among the speakers, the Educational director of the consulate General of italy in New York, ing. antonio Benetti read a letter written by consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle, which you will find here below:
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”The ceremony of the dedication of the science lab in Johnny’s honor was introduced by a video projection about different religions, highlighting Johnny’s spiritual side. three iV liceo la Scuola students read the plaque dedication lines and hung the plaque in the science lab. Shortly after, Elizabeth toksu announced the creation of the Can Akant “Johnny” Educational Fund for La Scuola Liceo students.
during the last part of the ceremony, everyone enjoyed Johnny’s favorite refreshments and music.
we warmly thank michael prater, liceo coordinator, the liceo students and the pa parents for helping in the organization of this celebration. our immense gratitude goes to Elizabeth and ihsan toksu for creating the can akant “Johnny” Educational fund for la Scuola liceo students.
this celebration was coordinated by Elizabeth toksu who took care of each single detail of the ceremony bringing la Scuola community to higher level of spirituality and unity. Below please find the thank you letter from the toksu family.
Dear Ms. Fiore,
The beautiful gathering to celebrate Johnny’s life and dedicate the Science Lab with such a special plaque on Wednesday, May 23rd, has left us overwhelmed with gratitude. We appreciate the outpouring of support from the lovely La Scuola community. It is a tribute to the school and his friends and teachers that Johnny felt at home and surrounded by an extended family at La Scuola. We remain deeply moved by all of the ways in which La Scuola has honored our beloved son, from the letter we received the night that Johnny passed away to knowing that when Johnny was being laid to rest in Istanbul, with the support there of our dearest friends, Simonetta and Giorgio Righetti, you were all gathered here in sorrow. To learn that you also adoringly honored Johnny at the Gala made all the difference. Thank you, Michael Prater, the liceo classes and the PTA for working so devotedly to ensure that Johnny’s recent gathering reflected his unique personality and style.
We are hopeful that the Can Akant “Johnny” Education Fund for Liceo Students will contribute to the school’s future achievements. As Johnny will remain in our ardent hearts forever and on a daily basis, so will his La Scuola community and the Can Akant “Johnny” Education Fund for Liceo Students!
Thank you all. We love and appreciate all that you all have been and all that you have done for our son. We would be honored to assist La Scuola a la Johnny’s creative style as we remain and humbled and inspired by Johnny and all who knew and loved him.
In Sincere Appreciation, Elizabeth and Ihsan Toksu
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”
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fRom eLizabeth and ihSan tokSu
“can was the only present you really want at christmas, a gift that you can’t believe that you actually received or deserve and therefore remain thrilled about, everyday, afraid that if you blink too long it will disappear. Each morning, as Johnny made his way down from his loft, sleepy eyed and with his hair very confused as to what it could possibly be thinking, he somehow made his way to take his wake-up, far too long american shower, the only thing that he could not say he was an environmentalist about, only to emerge a school-ready version of himself, checking out his reflection in our full length hall mirror to make sure he met his own standards in appearance. we then piled into our car every morning, or the bus, and made our way in the city. as soon as we arrived in port authority or to the NY side of the lincoln tunnel, ihsan and i would look at each other and smile, saying quietly to each other, ”the prince is back.” dropping Johnny off at school, where he then usually stopped at the vendor’s cart for his usual breakfast, we felt good that he was reunited with his friends and teachers at la Scuola. we always felt reassured that he was being both challenged and supported at school and in the perfect balance. we also knew that if there was fun to be had (or make) during the day, he would be involved in that too. we repeated the same routine five days a week, each time gazing at the NYc skyline in amazement at its beauty in the early morning or twilight lights, as though we were seeing it for the first time. can eventually (but surely!) became dad’s copilot in the front seat where he could be our dJ, controlling the radio stations, soon hoping to take over the wheel of the car and drive himself. we knew that each day was a gift, a party just to be near Johnny, not to mention a learning experience and adventure.”
Here are some poems that Johnny was very proud of, written in his 2005-2006 school year
“Funny Matches”i am a ruby sun shining on a maple tree. i am a red rose burning in a candle. i am rain diving from a cloud into a blue spring. i am a joyful blue jay soaring on top of a mountain. i am a barracuda chewing a alligator under the sea. i am alive! i am alive! i stand in good relation to water cascading down a waterfall. i stand in good relation to the plants. i stand in good relation to the sun shining on us.
“I Wish”i wish i were a door so i could whack people on the head and open automatically and when the door opens the room beyond the door changes. i wish i were a Sprite so when people bought me i could run away and drink myself , then i would throw myself in the recycling bin!
“Icarus” My father was a great inventor but it was my idea for flying. i put my wings on my arms. i felt like a bear after hibernation. When i took a jump into the air, i flew! My father flew too but i was soaring in the air and went down into the sea. but my father said no you will fall in the sea, i won’t i said proudly. i’m too good to fall but i slipped and fell into Poseidon’s sea.
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La ScuoLa beLoved Student caN aKaNt toKSu “JohNNY”
This is the Poem that the Liceo Students Wrote Together for Johnny: do not stand at my grave and weep i am not there, i do not sleep i am smiles and warm hellos, i am the clear skies over those who see the sunlight in my name i am gentle whisper of the rain i am an exhale after a heavy day i am the sunset that colors the bay do not stand at my grave and cry i am not there, i did not die
do not stand at my grave and weep i am not there, i do not sleep i will always be there by your side, i have not gone, i will not hide. i watch over you day and night when the Sun is up and the moon is bright i know i will be forever in your heart, wherever you go, whatever you start i am with you in happiness i am in your luck and success do not stand at my grave and cry i am not there, i did not die
do not stand at my grave and weep i am not there, i do not sleep do not wet your face with tears i’m in a place that has no fears Keep our memories in your heart in our life they’re the best part. do not blame the others ad fight i am the stars that shine at night. face the challenges, don’t run i am the sky, i am the sun do not stand at my grave and cry i am not there, i did not die.
we won’t forget you if we tried You are the hero in our lives You are memories that make us smile we travelled childhood’s happy mile You are present in our laughs and jokes You are present in a funny hoax You are the freshness in the air, which we perceive, thou anaware. You are upbeat music in our ears and thus you’ll be with us for years
Buona notte from Johnny’s Parents:
Goodnight for now our kind, clever prince of everything fun, right and beautiful with the world. we know that you are resting peacefully. one day you will agree to rest without pain in our hearts, our young and brilliantly dressed whirling dervish, taking beautiful spins in our hearts every time we think of you. we will try our best to finish up living in your honor and name as you would want us to. we miss you so very, very much. You turned our world upside down, and we wouldn't have had it any other way! thank you for being perfectly you and for living out loud. we will keep a close eye out for all of your friends and your dear la Scuola. like you said about being italian, you are and you always will be a very special part of their very special club, with your smiling face cheering on students in the science lab as they learn and have fun like you did. Grazie per te, Johnny, e grazie di tutto. we love you always, most precious son notre bel ange. Seni her zaman cok, cok, cok seviyouruz, bir tane, Sevgili caniko.
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middLe SchooL and Liceo poetRy cLub
thanks to the initiative of our middle School and 9th grade English teacher, ms. mary Giaimo, who is also a published poet, this year we have organized two “poetry clubs” to enrich our after school program: the first one in the fall semester was geared towards middle School students and the second one, in the spring semester, was for our liceo students.
on Tuesday, January 31st we hosted our first Poetry Reading at la Scuola middle School and liceo auditorium, where our young middle School poets showed their talent and their love for poetry. teachers mary Giaimo, Nels pierce and michael prater, with the help of astrit tena and admir cungu, transformed the gym into a cafe, and parents generously brought refreshments. the event was packed and the poems were beautiful, the readers were poised and confident!
we thank our young poets and readers: Virgilia Antonucci, Victoria Becker, Nathaniel Cruz, Nicolo` Ferretti, Alessandro Ferri, Pietro Geuna, Dante Hin-Gasco, Luciano Niedermann, Jenna Urgo, and Pietro Valetto.
The event was hosted by Mary Giaimo (Poetry Club Leader) with the presence of Preside Anna Fiore.
on Tuesday, June 5th we organized a second poetry reading, at the conclusion of the Spring semester of liceo poetry club. once again we created in the gym the right “café atmosphere” and we had the pleasure of welcoming many of our liceo parents. readers included the studente Bianca Serafini, Chiara Di Muccio, Eleonora Valentini, Silvia Valentini, Josephine Morris and Sabrina Scattoni.
the event was hosted by ms. Giaimo, poetry club facilitator. it was a beautiful evening! Nels pierce and michael prater created a gorgeous slideshow, parents brought refreshments and the poets provided music. family, friends, classmates, faculty and preside fiore attended. the poetry was extraordinary; the poets read with grace, power and beauty.
"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world,and makes familiar
objects be as if they were not familiar." – Percy Bysshe Shelley
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middLe SchooL poemS/poetRy cLub/fall SEmEStEr 2011
beLow you find Some SeLected poemS of ouR middLe SchooL and Liceo StudentS who paRticipated in the poetRy cLub:
The Ice SculptureMy sense of smell abandoned me.(the grumpy old bear had it.)i journeyed to the arctic to locate him.crystals shining on every flake of snow.Loudly whistling wind. a brilliant ice sculpture of an old bear.i walked so close... my nose felt its freezing burn.For one second, i retrieved my smell.then my nose tip went numb, and then my nostrils,and then it vanished.Virgilia Antonucci
Just Changedif there’s a shell in a shelli’m going backto what i was before lifea gun is now a knifePlastic is oilthese big walls just dustMy granddad just a boyWho says he isn’t here anymore?he’s just what he wasashes to ashesa whole plain is a spear of summer grasseverything now past nowthere’s a tree, no more chairsall the blood goes back to tearsWriting on a paper now coveredin free leaves, some birds soarno more school, no more being sadi’m seeing it. i definitely am.Pietro Geuna
Ode to Sandthe warm smooth sanddescended from rocksit is the ocean’s best friendthe rough grainsSalty tasteSun smellthe grains of sand walk along the beachto get some exercisethey walk deep into the black holeand become a bed for a sharkthe little grains that you need glasses to seeare so big in reality that when they fallthey are niagra Fallsthe grains of sand Form a shield against burning feetare the stars at the beachJenna Urgo
How? How? How? how underground is hell?how the hell should i know, i’m not dead.
Why can’t your earlobe smell?Because then you’d have a disorder.
how fat is fat?if you see space, you know you’re fat. But if you’re as big as space, you dominate everything.
are strangers strange?that’s a matter of opinion.
What is stuff?i know. it is not going to come from any book, you know?
Where is the start and end of the ocean?you can’t find it in an ocean movie.you find it in the moonlight and the sizzling sounds of heat.Nathaniel Cruz
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I know, would you like to?i know how the moon walksWould you like to?i can take you to the moonto peel the stars andShow you what i knowi know what the sun thinksWhat the walls hearthe way the ocean feels just after a huge wavecome, come away with meand maybe you shall know as well
Why the sky is blueMaybe because it feels blue?
i know, i know, but would you like to?Victoria Becker
middLe SchooL poemS/poetRy cLub/fall SEmEStEr 2011
Placethe tall treeshidden in the bushessecret by nameunseenwith cardboardsearchingsunlightyelling like tarzanflying the stickssearchingspyingand then going back.Dante Hin-Gasco
The Pineconeit is an apartment for sap.it sounds like a guy from new Jersey.it smells like . . . cinnamon.it would taste like a crunchy candy.it would probably yell at me.it would probably call me a fat-faced pig.it is a flower of crime.Luciano Niedermann
Warm wood (not worm wood)i shivered in warm woodas the King departedi shivered in warm woodas love liedi shivered in warm woodas love gave away the secretsi shivered in warm woodas love turned against mei shivered in warm woodi shivered in warm woodas sadness reared its face trickling over the thresholdi shivered in warm woodas fear struck and tooki shivered in warm woodNicolo Ferretti
My name is mystery unfoldedP is a pipe smoked by a small, hairy-footed creature in the small grotesque cavern filled with powder from a strange place beyond the hills of gold
I is the ladder falling down into the bottom of the eye which flaps its wings red and avoids the ladder that plummets into the
E which is the bottom of the earth where nothing comes out and failure is rewarded until the days of tomorrow into yesterday
T is the verge of war between sense, nonsense
R is the command ship going through the vertical spire of daily life
O is infinity never-ending metaphors of life and deathPietro Valetto
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high SchooL poemS/poetRy cLub/ SpriNG SEmEStEr 2012
New Rochelle Marinaif you’re quiet enoughyou can hear the trains’bustle, when the cars don’tpass and the calm suburbanstreets are naked of everything they could wear.the wind, it talks, as you look right into the marina,the docked boatson drake avenue, the girlin the little yellow dress.all i hear are my young memories,i can feel it,i can feel it,the new rochelle Marina.Bianca Serafini
Self-Portrait, as a Swallowi’m a swallow.i am the small brown bird that comes when spring arrives.i am the mysterious bird that is always traveling around the world.i am on my way to new places and new experiences.i love how people try to understand me.inside i’m a sea:light on the top,dark at the bottom.i’m a sea full of secrets.i contain all the wishes made by children throwing a stone . . .Eleonora Valentini
Colored Vowelsa, a deep red, the color of her deep red lipstick.the color of the bouquet of roses he gives her for their anniversary.the color of sparkling rubies in a dark cave.
e, green, the color of my dad’s seashore eyes.the color of broccoli, that my sister doesn’t like.the rolling hills of the countryside.
i, the white mountain topsor the color of the bride’s gown.the snow that falls on new york fire escapes.
o, a deep black hole that goes on and on.no one knows where it leads, or where it ends.
u, the purple that paints the sky in a sunset,or freshly picked plums in italy.Sabrina Scattoni
BellGo inside a bellenter with a submarineinside there is a candlelight it and blow.
i now see a wooden clockit reads 12:22it is time for the dong.
there is a cloud on the topin the middle a wandi move the cloudand cast a spell.
i exit the bellwith the loud dong from behindthe journey is shorti see the gold flowing out of my eyes.Chiara Di Muccio
The NightJoin the club!i’m beckoned.i glide outside; it’s too much for me.it’s dark and i’m dark.it’s cold and i’m cold.it smells of lilac and i smell of lilac.it sits and ponders, i sit and ponder.it’s fresh and i’m fresh.it whispers and i whisper.it hides from bright lights and i do the same, synchronizing behind.it’s wet and i’m wet.it’s blue and i’m blue.i do not see for it blinds me.i want to yell, but they’ll come find me.it’s alone and i’m alone.it’s waiting . . . i’m waiting . . . it’s dead and i’m dead.it’s alive and then i’m alive.it’s night and i’m the night.don’t come after me. i’ve been beckoned.Josephine Morris
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June 2nd: itaLian nationaL day ceLebRationfESta dElla rEpuBBlica
on June 2nd we had the honor and the pleasure to celebrate the italian National day in collaboration with the consulate General of italy and the other italian institutions in New York.
our middle School and liceo auditorium hosted performances for the entire day. the morning event began with the La Scuola Girls Choir who beautifully sang the italian, american and European National anthems, followed by the introductory remarks of our consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle.
following, the Incanto Italiano show was performed by actress Simona Rodano, “La Fata Italiana,” who engaged all the children and the audience, about 350 people from the italian-american community, in the beauty and magic of la bella lingua through songs and rhymes. Everyone truly enjoyed this performance and appreciated la Scuola d’italia that organized and hosted this event in conjunction with the consulate.
right after, in the afternoon we presented our Liceo theatrical production Anphitryon from Plautus, performed by our liceo students in italian, English and latin. this theatrical performance was directed by liceo teacher rosaria crisafi. the playwright adaptation was prepared by liceo teachers marta pettenella and rosaria crisafi.
we also set up an exhibition in the auditorium of photos and works of our preschool and elementary students, prepared in the Art Atelier, with the guidance of the teacher laura larocca; moreover, once again we displayed the white sculptures from our middle School and high School division.
the June 2nd celebration truly offered la Scuola a great opportunity to showcase its values and cultural level to the italian-american community in New York.
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AMPHITRyON oR JUPITER IN DISGUISEBY t. macciuS plautuS, (206 B.c.)
performed by la Scuola liceo high School Students
the play amphitryon revolves around a small circle of characters. the major roles in the play are those of amphitryon, Jove, and alcmena. two slightly lesser roles, though of equal importance, are those of mercury and Sosia.
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chaiRman awaRd
June 2nd was also a very special day for la Scuola and for our chairman of the Board, Stephen Madsen Esq., who was awarded with the very prestigious “onorificenza” of Ufficiale of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy - Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana - by the President of the Republic of Italy, the Hon. Giorgio Napolitano, for his work as chairman of the Board of trustees of la Scuola d’italia since 2005. the award was bestowed to our chairman S. madsen on June 2nd by consul General Natalia Quintavalle, at the consulate, during a moving and elegant ceremony, in the presence of the madsen family and many board members.
we are all very proud of our chairman of the Board of trustees. with his enlightened guidance we will accomplish major goals for la Scuola d’italia!
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gRaduation JuNE 19 aNd JuNE 29, 2012
on June 19th and June 29th we were very pleased to honor our 8th grade and 12th grade students with two graduation ceremonies that took place at the consulate General of italy in New York.
on June 19th, the 8th grade students and their families gathered at the italian consulate. Educational director of the consulate, ing. antonio Benetti introduced the guest speakers: head of la Scuola anna fiore, chairman of the Board Steve madsen Esq., and the director of the Exams commission, dr. roberto pennazzato. dr. pennazzato congratulated our 8th grade students for the very good exams results, showed by one “10 e lode” awarded to a student. Shortly after, consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle awarded our 8th grade students the 8th grade italian diplomas.
8TH GRADE GRADUATE CLASS:
Eva Carocci
Jonathan Derks
Matthew Joseph Dyczek
Pietro Geuna
Maximilian Festa Blanchet
Agnese Mosconi
Beatrice Rossi
Gabriel Sobell
on June 29th, our 12th grade class, after completing a long and very challenging italian maturità exam, dressed in cap and gown, received their diplomas by consul General min. Natalia Quintavalle. Educational director of the consulate, ing. antonio Benetti introduced the guest speakers: special remarks were made by anna fiore, head of la Scuola; mr. Stephen acunto, Vice chairman of la Scuola; and by the president of the Exams commission, dr. roberto pennazzato. dr. pennazzato acknowledged the excellent exams results showed by three “cento,” maximum score, awarded to three of our students.
consul General Natalia Quintavalle commended la Scuola liceo students for the various projects and activities, both academic and cultural, implemented throughout the year in close collaboration with the consulate General of italy and the other italian institutions in New York. it was a very special and solemn moment when consul General Natalia Quintavalle called the name of can akant “Johnny” toksu and two of his classmates to accept his honorary diploma. right after, michael prater, English teacher and liceo coordinator read a beautiful letter of thank you sent by Elizabeth toksu.
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gRaduationJuNE 19 aNd JuNE 29, 2012
12th gRade gRaduate cLaSS:
fabrizio migliorisi Ramazzini - School of visual arts, new york
gareri goldenberg miles - fordham university
gleizer ari oliver - LuiSS university in Rome
gottardi eleonora - university in italy
iaccarino Stefano - pace university
Leon Rebecca - Johnson & wales university
michi andrea - imperial college, London, uk
migliorisi Ramazzini fabrizio - university in italy
nealy cherice - university of pennsylvania
Risi federica - university in italy
Rojas bolivar Randall - university of massachusetts, amherst
Romero natalia - fairleigh dickinson university
Rosellini maria beatrice - La Sapienza university in Rome
Sonnino chiara - university of tel aviv-israel
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gRaduation JuNE 19 aNd JuNE 29, 2012
fRom the Speech to the 12th gRade gRaduateS of head of SchooL anna fioRe
During these past years you were lucky enough to live and study in perhaps the most international city of the world: New York. You studied at La Scuola d’Italia, some of you for 15 years since preschool, including our beloved student Johnny, Can Akant Toksu.
We have challenged you during these four years with an exceptionally rigorous and rewarding bilingual curriculum. Bilingualism: a great and invaluable gift. As our mission says, “By becoming truly conversant with two cultures, one achieves a mind that transcends both.”
The great results of your exams today show us that we reached our goal to prepare you to be citizens of the world and of the planet earth. Citizens of the planet earth: not only I want to commend bilingualism, but also the strong connection between humanities and sciences, which is another precious feature of our school.
Steve Jobs mentioned the magic of the intersection between humanities and science. Your task in your future professions should be “to read things that are not yet on the page,” to always connect humanities to science in order to be innovative, creative with compassion for the human beings and for the planet earth, in order to be world citizens and world leaders.
Always bring in your heart and in your mind “l’imperativo categorico di Emmanuel Kant.”
I want to conclude with two quotes, one from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon from his speech at our Gala Benefit Dinner 2010, and the other from Eugenio Scalfari, founder of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
BAN kI-MOON, GALA 2010
“dear students, you are the change, the future global world leaders. we live in a world which is facing extremely complex challenges and where there is great sufferance. we need your hopE, we need the work of institutions like your school, we need people who promote dialogue among cultures and the richness of different languages in order to accomplish our mission.”
eugenio ScaLfaRi
“Vivetela bene la vostra piccolo vita, perche` e` la sola e quindi immensa ricchezza di cui disponete. Non dilapidatela, non difendetela con avarizia, non gettatela via oltre l’ostacolo. Vivetela con intensa passione, con speranza, con allegria.”
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La ScuoLa in the pReSS
TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR 12TH GRADE LICEO GRADUATION CEREMONY, PLEASE CHECk OUT THE I-ITALY WEBSITE AT WWW.i-ITALY.ORG 77
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biLinguaL bLiSSfor KiNdErGartEN throuGh GradE 5
This year from June 18th - June 29th we were able to once again organize a wonderful summer camp at la Scuola for two weeks of learning and playing. the camp was attended by more than 25 students, with all the activities coordinated and organized by la Scuola teachers Spiro Gouras, Jennifer dionisio and rosa dimaggio.
Bilingual activities included arts and crafts, various field trips, including local museum workshops and outdoor learning experiences, sports days in the park and many hands-on science projects. on the last day of camp (June 29th) all parents were invited to join their children for a sports day and picnic in central park.
the coordinators and teachers involved truly worked hard together to plan a camp that was educational and fun. children came home every day with interesting things they learned and about fun times. finding that balance was tricky but rewarding!
new! itaLian SummeR camp in Rome at the piSteLLi SchooL! June and JuLy 2012
we were also able this year to offer la Scuola Kindergarten and Elementary school families the opportunity of attending a Summer camp in rome in June and July 2012, at the Elementary school, “E. pistelli” Via monte Zebio 35, 00195 rome. we warmly thank the head of the pistelli school, dott.ssa Brunella maiolini for offering our students this great opportunity at a very convenient price.
day camp
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aLumni coRneR
La S
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Alum
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meSSage to aLumni and La ScuoLa community fRom a foRmeR facuLty membeR
Prof. Giovanna Rizzo writes:
…i was the science teacher at la Scuola d’italia a long time ago...from 1980 ‘til 1989, a wonderful time of my life! i’m still in touch with some of my ex-students, through e-mail or facebook; it is amazing to see how they have bloomed and become successful men and women at whatever they chose to be. i still feel the joy and pride of all the work, the efforts and the determination i shared with my “ragazzi” (for a teacher they will always be the kids!).
i am still working for italian schools; last year i was at the liceo marconi, asmara, Eritrea and last September i was assigned to the liceo imi, istanbul.
as you can imagine, i will not be able to join the celebration for la Scuola d’italia’s 35th anniversary. it goes without saying how much i wish i could be there, sharing with my colleagues all the “amarcord” of the 80’s! i send each of them my “cari, carissimi saluti e un forte forte abbraccio!”
as for my students, please give them all my love! i want to thank each one of them for all that we learned together, both from books and from the wonderful moments we shared in those fabulous years!
wishing all the students and their parents, all my colleagues and staff of la Scuola d’italia of New York a great festa for la Scuola’s 35th anniversary!
con affetto! Giovanna rizzo
Prof. Giovanna Rizzo at La Scuola c.1983
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aLumni coRneR
the woRLd tRuLy iS a SmaLL pLace!
thiS SpRing ouR Liceo exchange pRogRam StudentS met a La ScuoLa aLumnuS duRing a tRip to aquiLa. one of ouR facuLty membeRS Recounted the expeRience:
as the group was walking around the “ghost town” with very few people, our students noticed a military presence. Benton madsen walked over to the Jeep to introduce himself and la Scuola. as it happened, one of the soldiers, caporale Maggiore Sandro Sbordoni said, “that was my school!” his mother worked at the italian consulate from 1992 to 1998, and he attended the Elementary and middle School with us. he was very kind and open to the students’ questions, and he also told them of his experiences from the day of the earthquake. it was amazing to find a la Scuola alumnus right in l’aquila during our liceo students’ visit!
Cristina Vaccarella ’96 during her La Scuola days
caporale Maggiore Sandro Sbordoni during his la Scuola days…
and now…
it was wonderful to hear from alumna cristina Vaccarella, class of ’96, this year and learn how her career as an actress, producer and author for television, theater, and film has progressed since her la Scuola days. She also kindly shared with us a copy of one of her early published works, anna magnani: Quattro storie americane.
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aLumni coRneR
la Scuola alumni, we want to hear from you!please send in your news, announcements, and photos for publication in an upcoming la Scuola newsletter. Submissions should be sent via regular mail to leonora mcclernan in the development office at 12 East 96th Street, New York, NY 10128, or via email to [email protected]. leonora can also be reached by phone at 212.369.4433.
La ScuoLa’S gRaduateS and theiR SchooLS of choice oveR the LaSt decade:
2000/2001chiarini, francesco università Statale, Bologna, italy - modern languages
Gennarini, francesco rutgers university, NJ - fine arts
lo Gullo, arturo università Statale, pisa, italy - chemical Engineering
lo Gullo, roberto università Statale, messina, italy - medicine
mazza, fabio richmond american international university, london, England - communication
Spada, Stefano università Bocconi, milan, italy - diEm, international Economics and management
tonelli, adriana università Bocconi, milan, italy - law
2001/2002Bove, anna SuNY purchase, NY - drama
de leo, omar New York university, NY - Business and Economics
fiorelli, Elizabeth manhattanville college, NY - political Science
ippolito, angelo università Statale, Salerno, italy - modern languages
marinai, matilde università Bocconi, milan, italy - diEm international Economics and management
michetti, Gabriele università Bocconi, milan, italy - diEm international Economics and management
Quaranta, Guja università Statale, rome, italy - damS Visual arts and music
Senni, Nicolo università Statale, rome, italy - damS Visual arts and music
Spalten, Valentina Boston university, Boston, ma - psychology
2002/2003francesconi, federico università Bocconi, milan, italy - diEm international Economics and management
Gallo, alessandro università Bocconi, milan, italy - clEa Business administration
Garretti, alice iulm (libera università di lingue e communicazione), milan, italy - communication and modern language
2003/2004castronovo, fadi polytechnic institute, NY
conlon, Gabriel università degli Studi di Bologna, italy - political Sciences
modabber, Venus università Bocconi, milano, italy - diEm international Economics and management
Gennarini, Giuseppe columbia university, NY - School of Engineering
luongo, marco università luiS, roma, italy - political Sciences
Smith, hilary c. università Statale di milano, italy - mathematics
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2004/2005
Gennarini, carmen university of Southern california - liberal arts
padovano, Valentina universita` degli Studi di roma tor Vergata, rome, italy - Business administration
2006/2007falzone, Jessica Binghamton university, Scholars program, NY
marichal, mickaela Boston university, Boston, ma
marinai, chiara SuNY purchase, NY
minoli, Stefano universita’ di roma, italy
parodi, Giorgia accademia di Belle arti, milano, italy
richardson, Gemma Bristol university, England
2008/2009cioci, anthony universita` degli studi di Bologna - medical School
di muccio, Elio university of Birmingham, uK - Joint honours in media cultural Studies and philosophy
fortunato, Bruno pace university
iaccarino, monica fordham university
la Salandra, luca universita` degli studi di roma - la Sapienza
longobardi, Stefano macaulay honors program at citY college
rapetti, chiara universita` degli studi di roma - la Sapienza
russo, angelo hull university, uK
Shedrinsky, maria antonia hunter college, cuNY NY
tonelli, renato John cabot in rome
2009/2010aquino, aanandi manhattanville college
Barabino, aimone university of Southern california
falzone, James university of pennsylvania
Sagastiverza, Jazmin manhattanville college
Zappia, tommaso università Bocconi, milano, italy
2010/2011Benetti, Zeno università degli Studi di Verona
fortunato, marcello fordham university Business School
martella, ludovica manhattanville college
Nordio, Gabriele università degli Studi di padova
Nordio, federico università degli Studi di padova
pantaloni, Benedetta lancaster university, uK
peebles, phoebe manhattanville college
perrino, massimo Syracuse university
pirrone, michele Baruch college
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in recognition of their leadership and support during the 2011-2012 academic year:
La ScuoLa d’ItaLIa
gratefuLLy acknowLedgeS
thE toKSu familY for creating the can akant “Johnny” Educational fund for la Scuola liceo Students
thE parENt aSSociatioN committEE 2011-2011 aNd all la Scuola parENtS for their efforts and ongoing support throughout the year
thE Gala committEE 2012
SPecIaL tHankS to
mr. rocco Sebastiani and mrs. Sheree Sebastiani, pa president, for their support and efforts towards the creation of the new science lab and for the purchase and installation of the beautiful projector at our middle School and liceo campus. the numerous la Scuola community members and friends who generously volunteered their time and expertise during the course of the year at our many events and programs. we thank you for your service and for your dedication to our school.
extended tHankS to
Eligio Sgaramella & Zach Patten Iperdesign, Inc. www.iperdesign.com
Paola Serrone Assistant to the Head of the School For her help and support in the organization and creation of the Annual Report Project
acknowLedgmentS
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i-Italy.orgItalian/American Digital Project www.i-italy.org | www.i-italy.us
12 East 96th Street, New York N.Y, 10128www.lascuolad italia.orgphone: (212) 369 3290New York City
The future
of our childrEN dEpENdS oN Your Support to la Scuola d’italia aNd thE world’S futurE dEpENdS oN thEm