World Language teacher Barbara Chan took over 40 students in her Chinese classes to New York for the day, April 6. The trip started in Brooklyn with Chinese opera demonstrations. Students watched performers apply their make- up and prepare backstage. After watching a short operatic skit and listening to a Chinese musical quartet perform, students asked questions to further their knowledge and understanding of Chinese music and opera.
After an authentic Chinese Dim Sum lunch in Manhattan’s, Chinatown, the group toured a nearby Chinese temple and learned of its interesting history. Students practiced their oral Chinese skills as they shopped and bargained in Chinatown. They visited a Chinese fish market, a vegetable market, Chinese drug stores, and food marts with roast ducks and chickens hanging in the windows. Students returned to NFA having learned a great deal about Chinese culture and having used their language learning to interact with the Chinese Community.
The Junior Classics League and their advisors World Language teachers Nina Barclay and Elizabeth Tylawsky held their annual readathon, January 8-9. The text was Humphries' translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Students arrived with pillows, quilts and snacks at 4 p.m. Friday, and for the next 15 hours Land Library was transformed into a place of costumed inspiration, illustration, feasting, laughter and design as students dramatically read aloud. Alumna Lara Day created a stencil for participants to design their own T-shirt with Daphne's transformation into laurel tree. Eight NFA alumni (a record) attended, including David Brine who brought his famous mac and cheese, and their experience staying up until wee hours facilitated the reading through the night. Domino's supplied pizza, and NFA alumni Daniel Park and Michelle Moran replenished the coffee. Senior Silvi Banushi led the group in illustrating scenes from the myths to post in the library.
By 6:30 a.m. the entire book was complete, the wrappings from the many door prizes of the night were gathered, and the library was again transformed to a place of quieter reading.
Other students who participated were seniors Alexina Aron, Matthew Donahue, Shane Donahue, Lucy Fernandez, Victoria Moebus; uppers Michael Jones, Paden Kosoff, Lindsay Savignac, Jonathan Sheffield, Victoria Schultz, Jenny Yee; lowers Jessica Cote-Michaud, Aaron Evrett, Tonay Gooday-Ervin, Hannah Perkins, Daniel Pisowloski, Genevieve Remondi; and juniors Mackenzie Little, Christopher McAlpine, and Jake Paulman.
- Best Use of Theme - Emma Fontaine
Lowers Jesse Babbitt won "Best Composition" and Emma Fontaine won "Best Use of Theme” in the poster contest. Senior Tina Provatas won special recognition for teaching Greek Dancing at the event for the past 4 years. Senior Vasilika Banushi and lower Genevieve Remondi were recognized for dance and Greek cooking. Seniors Vasilika Banushi, Lucinenne Fernandez, and Constantina Provantas; upper Vivian Zhang; and lowers Tonay Gooday-Ervin and Waylon Verley wrote and performed a shadow puppet skit based on the allegorical myth of Eros and Psyche, the marriage of Love and Mind.
