FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 26, 2018 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 47
school spotlight COMPILED BY BOB HARRIS AND MADELINE NELSON
Virtual enterprise class in Richmond Hill
operates as a company
A high school in Richmond Hill has
a class that doubles as a full-time business
operation that sells virtual advertising
and e-publishing.
Th e innovative Virtual Enterprise
class at Richmond Hill High School
operates as a company entitled
“DASH.” Francis McCormack teaches
the course, but it is operated by the students
in charge: CEO Kimberly Patino
and Special Event Coordinator of
Human Resources Randy Ramgoolam.
Th e students choose what product
they want to sell, write a business
plan, develop advertising material and
a sales pitch, prepare a newsletter, write
an employee manual, develop employee
evaluations, punch in on a time card,
and even prepare 1040 tax forms for each
employee.
Th ere are Virtual Enterprise competitions
in Queens, then New York City, and
fi nally nationally.
South Asian Youth Action brings
resources to Richmond Hill
Richmond High School’s South Asian
Youth Action (SAYA) provides several
opportunities and resources for the high
school to become an intertwined community
and for students to maximize their
potential.
Aft er School Club program provides
students with a dance and cheering
Squad, Red Cross program, robotics, photography,
Arcobaleno (LGBTQ), ARISTA
National Honors Society, Bollywood, an
anime library and cultural enrichment
through unions and associations such
as Latino Student Association and Black
Student Union.
Th ere is also an activity that promotes
the mental wellness of students with free
therapy sessions. Th is program is a partnership
with the Child Center of New
York and Richmond Hill’s guidance
counselors.
Th e SAYA program is a part of the
New York City Community Schools
Movement, supported by the NYC
Department of Education. Th e Movement
strives for public schools to become community
schools built on a relationship
between families, teachers, administrators
and the greater community.
Richmond Hill High helps establish
wellness center
Richmond Hill High
School’s South Asian
Youth Action program
and the Child Center of
NY have collaborated to
provide free therapy for
students with emotional
distress and/or behavioral
problems.
Th e program works to
strengthen the development
of every student.
Youth advocates and
therapists provide a oneon
one support to help
students develop appropriate
behavior, acquire
greater self-confidence and achieve
appropriate classroom functioning.
Th e Youth Advocates are either current
college students or holders of a bachelor’s
degree with experience working with adolescents.
Th ey also deal with attendance
issues, help students with time management
and interpersonal skills, treat
depression and help with anger management
and self esteem issues.
High school in Jamaica publishes literary
magazine created by junior
English teacher Erica Ruiz’s Creative
Writing course at Hillcrest High School
has published their second literary magazine
of the school year.
Junior Maya Venkersammy is credited
by Ruiz with the creation of “Th e
Notion”. She taught the students in the
class how to use Photoshop and created
the layout.
Th e literary magazine “Th e Notion”
is completely student-run with
Venkersammy as the Editor-in-Chief,
Kaydian Walker as the Writing Director,
and Kathy Vargas as the Creative
Director.
Th e Creative Writing class has entered
the international Children’s Story
Writing Competition and is preparing
to enter the Diverse Minds Writing
Challenge, sponsored by major D.C.
NGO and interest group B’nai Brith
International.
Elmhurst high school provides career
opportunities to students
An Elmhurst high school
is providing students with
several options other than
college post-graduation.
Along with providing college
tours, Pan American
International High School’s
college counselor and
senior advisor Shirley
Torres brings career representatives
to school to meet
students and talk to them
about their options aft er
graduation.
Recent Pan American International
High School graduate Samuel Tavarez
met Sgt. Carlos Naula through a program
at the high school. Tavarez will be
attending Marine boot camp in South
Carolina this July. He said he chose to
join the Marines to challenge himself
and develop new skills.
Martin Van Buren senior’s involvement
could land her at a top medical school
A high school senior in Queens
Village has a shot at attending one of
the most prestigious medical programs
in the world.
Summera Shah is involved in many
activities at Martin Van Buren High
School. She is the President of ARISTA,
New York’s National Honors Society,
and the Vice President of the Student
Organization (S.O.). Shah has one of
the top three grade point averages in
her class.
She is also a member of the 2018
Yearbook Committee and a contributor
to the school newspaper. She volunteers
in the school library, for teachers
during lunch, and even is a member
of a school organization that encourages
volunteerism.
Shah strives to be a surgeon and possibly
attend the Sophie Davis Medical
program at City College, an accelerated
7-year program that gives students their
B.S. and M.D. degrees two years early.