40 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • NOVEMBER 29, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
school spotlight COMPILED BY BOB HARRIS AND EMMA MILLER
Active high school
volunteer logs 300
hours
Harpreet Singh spent more than 300
hours of the past two summers volunteering
at the Richmond Hill public
library shelving books. She is a junior
pre-med student at Hillcrest High
School and lives in Kew Gardens Hills.
Singh has tutored fourth grade ESL students
at P.S. 86 and is involved in her
school’s Girl-Up program that spreads
awareness for women’s issues through
fundraisers, rallies and outreach. She
wants to be a dentist and hopes to attend
City College or Howard University for a
six-year dental program.
Honors student wins law internship
Zakira Naim is a senior in the
Public Service and Law Institute
at Hillcrest High School. She participated
in Law Day with the
American Bar Association, taking
part in their annual essay
competition. Naim’s essay about
the separation of powers won the
contest. She got her picture in
the American Bar Association’s
newsletter and a summer internship
with Judge Grays at the
Queens Supreme Court. Th is
turned into a year-long internship
where Naim learned how
to do clerical work and was able
to sit in on trials and meet other judges.
At school, Naim is part of the Queens
District Attorney’s Council and leadership
council. Naim hopes to attend John
Jay, Penn State or the University of New
Haven.
Consultative Council addresses concerns
Th e Consultative Council at Martin
Van Buren High School is a group
of student government members
who meet with Principal Sam Sochet
monthly to discussion the concerns of
students and administration. Th e group
is supervised by the coordinator of
student aff airs, Brian Greenspan. One
issue that the council has resolved this
year involved a concern that students
were stopping to socialize between
classes and causing a traffi c jam in the
hallways. School administration sent
deans to clear the halls so everyone can
make it to class on time. Th e council
is pictured above in the student government
offi ce with Greenspan in the
back center.
Nepalese student
active in school
organizations
Dawa Sherpa is a new student from
Nepal at Hillcrest High School. She is
in the school’s Global Citizens Small
Learning Community where international
students help each other adjust
to an American high school. She has
helped write the Global Citizens Journey
Book that tells stories about the diff erent
cultures students are from. Sherpa is
vice president of student organizations
where she writes for the newsletter and
helps with blood drives, Penny Harvest
and leukemia fundraising. Sherpa is also
in a rowing club in Flushing Meadows
Corona Park. She wants to attend CUNY
for photography, swimming and rowing.
Leadership students make memories
Th e student leaders of Richmond Hill
High School, pictured above, are supervised
by the coordinator of student
aff airs, Janika Doobay. Th ey are the main
volunteer force of the school, organizing
special events throughout the year.
Leadership students set up the gymnasium
and served dinner to students and
parents for Community Family Night.
Th ey organize three blood drives a year as
well as many other activities such as pep
rallies, a breast cancer walk and a talent
show. Th e leadership students feel that it
is their job to promote school spirit and
make their high school years a memorable
experience.
Graduates return to visit teacher
Students Ash Bakshi and Naji Aris
returned to Martin Van Buren High
School recently to visit their old teacher
Rose Charletta Rozzell,
a mental health counselor
in the S.O.A.R. program.
S.O.A.R., or
Student Opportunities for
Achievement and Readiness,
is a mental health counseling
program off ered through
the Central Queens Y. Th e
program off ers students a
place to feel comfortable
and safe seeking advice and
counseling from qualifi ed
adults. Both Bakshi and Aris
now attend Queensborough
Community College, where
they are doing well. Aris brought in credits
he received from College Now courses
he took in high school.