Regents Week and Snow

Hey SEAD Family,

I hope you're all enjoying this wintery weather, which makes me feel a little closer to Hanover. The combination of Regents week and the snow day gives you all an awesome chance to catch up/get ahead on work. Paradoxically, it can be difficult to get work done when you have such large blocks of time on your hands, since procrastination doesn't seem risky. Resist this by making yourself a schedule and sticking to it! I'm available to chat over e-mail or phone this week if you need help making a plan. Keep in mind how great it will feel to return to classes feeling prepared and ready to move forward!

I look forward to seeing you all back at BCSM!

Winter Reunion Recap

This was an amazing weekend for SEAD-BCSM: on Friday, we saw Kat's star performance in "Hairspray," and on Saturday we headed north to Hanover, New Hampshire for SEAD's Winter Reunion at Dartmouth College! After a card-game and snack-filled bus ride (see Johnael and Kat playing "spit" below), we arrived for a wonderful weekend of catching up with other SEAD Scholars, participating in SEAD Programming, reconnecting with SEAD alumni, teachers, and the Leadership Team, and enjoying great food and activities.

Kat and Johnael impressively balancing cards on a moving bus

On Saturday, we spent time catching up and working during Study Hall, and connected with students' host families. Thank you to the Dartmouth Rockapellas and the Hanover High Hilights for the beautiful singing performances during dinner! After dinner we rock climbed, cheered at the Dartmouth Hockey Game, or participated in an Arts Workshop, and finished the night with an ice cream social.

Sunday's highlights included a review of SEAD Expectations, a SEAD alumni panel and an incredible discussion with Reverend Starsky Wilson, the co-chair of the Ferguson Commission tasked with addressing the racial injustice that reached a crisis in Ferguson in August. Watching the SEAD students engage in dialogue with Rev. Wilson was my personal favorite part of the weekend.

Rev. Wilson answering SEAD Scholars' questions

An additional favorite was the coffeehouse that night, with talented and brave performances across the board, including Safi and Kat's wonderful rendition of "Winter Song" (photo below)!

Safi and Kat repping BCSM with their amazing singing

Monday marked the last day of our reunion. We were fortunate enough to hear about the College Application Process from two Dartmouth Admissions Officers and get a preview of SEAD III's college preparation work. After a final study hall, lunch, and a stress-prevention workshop, we headed back to New York to get some sleep before another week of hard work at BCSM.

Ariela giving a warm goodbye to SEAD Scholars we unfortunately can't take back to the Bronx with us

SEAD Updates

It's my third day at BCSM, and I'm so happy to be here getting to know the school's welcoming, hard-working students and teachers. Thanks to all the SEAD students who have been stopping by the College Office to say hi, including Isabel and Lovtin who are featured in the photo below:

Pointing at the Dartmouth banner in anticipation of SEAD's Winter Reunion this weekend!

I'll be featuring different students each week, with a few updates about them: Isabel has started eating breakfast in the mornings and offers the profound advice, "breakfast is healthy." As for Lovtin, he enjoyed a 5-hour pre-calculus study session last night!

Upcoming Announcements:

The SEAD Winter Reunion is this weekend, Saturday, January 17 - Monday, January 19. We'll be meeting at the Dartmouth Coach stop in Midtown Manhattan (150 East 42nd Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue) at 8AM on Saturday morning. Students, make sure to plan ahead and consider what work you'll need to get ahead on for the weekend since you'll be busy! Schedule a meeting with me if you need help coming up with a plan to manage your time. Also, bring all your homework to the reunion and a laptop, since you'll have Study Hall time there.

Keep stopping by the office and scheduling meetings with me and as always, please let me know if have any questions/suggests/requests!

Best,

Sarah

Winter Intern Introduction

Hi, SEAD!

My name is Sarah Waltcher and I’m the SEAD intern at BCSM this winter. I volunteered with SEAD this summer as a Mentor, and am so looking forward to continuing my work with the program as a part of the BCSM community.

Here's some information about myself:

Hometown: New York City

Class Year: Junior

Campus activities: Mentoring an adorable 5^th grader, facilitating a self-reflection program for freshmen, conducting research for the English Department

Hobbies: Attending dance, theater and music performances; hiking around New Hampshire

Dream job: High School English teacher

Dislikes: Spinning amusement park rides, asparagus, crowds

Likes: My younger brother, spicy food, things that make me laugh

I can’t wait to get to know you all this winter, and please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! I’ll pass my contact information along to the SEAD scholars and will send a letter out soon, as well.

See you Friday!

Best,

Sarah Waltcher