Dear familia,

There is a growing, healthy debate about what should be the end-goal of a high school education: which skills and abilities should a diploma represent? At American Dream, our focus is on college preparation and bilingualism/biliteracy: graduating students who are prepared for and committed to higher education and equipped to succeed in two languages (not to mention multiple cultures). 

This month, I was honored to be chosen to serve as one of 64 members of New York State's Graduation Measures Blue Ribbon Commission. Between now and summer 2024, our commission will review New York's high school diploma measures, ultimately recommending the measures of learning and achievement that best indicate the readiness for college, career and civic life of our state's diverse student population. I look forward to contributing my perspective on the different ways students learn and the multiple ways in which they can achieve the same educational goals, and to representing our school, the Bronx, English Language Learners and bilingual education in this work.

This month, we also mailed care packages to those alumni who went away for school and awarded our first micro-grants to fund bedding and other dorm room essentials. Our community's message to our alumni is clear: We are here for you on your college journey.

Please read on to meet one of the hardest-working students in 8th grade and a faculty member who helps students to equate Algebra with fun.

Warmly,

Melissa Melkonian

Founder and Executive Director

LAUNCHED: New American Dream Web Site

Thank you to Advisory Board Member Lin Boesen and designer Jenn McCann for leading the redesign of www.theamericandreamschool.org. Please visit!

Photo of the Month: 8th Grade Team-Building Trip

Faculty Spotlight: Sarah Loewentheil

8th Grade Algebra I Teacher

What do Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Algebra 1 have in common? According to Sarah Loewentheil, they make for a delicious introduction to linear functions. Loewentheil and her 8th grade Algebra 1 co-teacher, Stephanie Ferreyra, like to begin each unit with a “hook.” For their students, being provided the number of pints a Ben & Jerry’s factory produces per minute and then working out how many it produces over a certain amount of time can be pretty sweet. 

“If you frame learning as joyous, the student is going to want to learn,” says Loewentheil. “And when it comes to Regents, we know they’re more likely to remember information because they learned it in a fun way.”

Growing up, Loewentheil found learning quite stressful: As a child, she played “teacher” in order to make the learning process less intimidating for herself. “I love teaching because I get to explain things in manageable chunks that make my students feel confident and successful,” she said. While in high school in Westchester, Loewentheil taught literacy to native-Spanish-speaking elementary students and, later, photography and literacy to native-Spanish-speaking Middle School students. She fell in-love with Spanish language and culture and, while in college, spent a semester studying in Madrid, living with a host family.

“I think it’s fun for my students to see me with my sometimes-funny accent wanting to speak with them in Spanish. I think it also makes them more eager to speak in English–the enthusiasm goes both ways.”

When Loewentheil was a child and struggling to learn Geometry, her father once stayed up all night teaching it to himself so that he could explain the proofs to her over breakfast. This taught her that learning should be a collaborative experience, a value shared by American Dream and its co-teaching model: While one teacher leads a lesson, a second can support students' individual learning styles and needs.

“American Dream is a very special place," says Loewentheil. "You walk the halls and you feel the joy and happiness and enthusiasm for learning.”