Winter Kaleidoscope
of the Big Apple Academy
Once Upon a Time in
December...
If you stopped by the doors of the Big Apple Academy in early December and felt the tickling of delicious aromas, do not be alarmed - you did not enter the wrong door. On the contrary, you were in for a great treat of international cuisine. Ukrainian ravioli, Turkish rice, French croissants, and Japanese sushi were teasing young healthy appetites and proudly displaying national flags sinking in culinary delights!
The well-behaved chefs of the lively and energetic 4B community were patiently waiting for their teacher, Yelena Brilovskaya, to set the table and properly place the countries’ banners. After all, this festivity was for the mind as well as for their gourmet indulging!
Than came brief presentations with particular emphasis on the countries' traditions and culinary recipes. Only after all of the academic aspects were completed with excellence, the natural instincts kicked in, and the class sank in deafening silence occasionally interrupted by the sounds of energetic chewing. Bon Appetite, 4B!
When children enjoy learning, everybody is a winner! In December 2017, our 5th and 4th grade classes competed in Social Studies Jeopardy. Certainly, there was a lot of passionate enthusiasm about meticulous preparation for the event: first thing in the morning, studious boys and girls rolled down their geographic maps, flipped the textbook index, and searched educational websites.
Homeroom teachers, Olga Vanderbeek, Florina Rabinovich, Valentina Kataeva, and Lyudmila Shevchenko, were preparing their kids for the “Big Intellectual Fight”. Their prayers have been answered - their beloved students were well motivated.
The event itself was the “Battle of the Titans”. Students unleashed their intellectual powers to the fullest! They defended their classes' honor to the last aspect of knowledge. Jeopardy game was so engaging that the outcome was not important.
From face recognition riddles to the questions in US History, almost all of them were cracked by our young scholars. Students easily navigated through the questions on American Presidency, Civics, and Geography. When children love learning, it is a triumph for everyone involved. Let’s cheer to the winners!
Learning comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes - traditional and unconventional. Students of Class 7A, under leadership of their caring homeroom teacher Olga Ruban, and creative Social Studies teacher Ilona Gitsin applied this doctrine in practice.
Putting in perspective one of the most sacred fundamentals of American democracy, the 7A students eagerly staged the “The Bill of Rights” performance for our fifth graders. Knowledge, ignorance and humor, sarcasm and charisma - all these characteristics were embodied in the script. However, most importantly, all these aspects were delivered through masterful and spirited acting!
