Fordham Preparatory School

Summer Academy

Mission Statement and Program Goal

The Jesuit educational mission advocates that an ethnically and
economically diverse student body creates a superior environment for learning and liv-
ing. The Fordham Prep Summer Academy was created to address the need for contin-
ued skills development among gifted young men in the Bronx. The Academy seeks to
introduce able students of modest means to Fordham Prep.
The program’s curriculum calls for instruction in grammar, reading, and
mathematics in the morning. Time after lunch is set aside for computer skills, theatre
use, and opportunities for recreation. There are also visits to nearby cultural resources
in and near the Bronx such as Yankee S tadium and the Bronx Zoo.

2009
 TRIPS AROUND THE BRONX
TOUR OF ROSE HILL BY: WILLIAM M ENDEZ AND M ICHAEL GIGANTE

On the tour of Fordham University’s Rose Hill cam-

pus, we learned many things. Fordham University is filled with
a lot of history. Fordham is a Jesuit university. The Jesuits are a
religious order created by St. Ignatius Loyola. The campus had
many points of interest that are filled with history. Fordham has
a cemetery where some Jesuit priests are buried. We saw
Loyola Hall, which is where the Jesuits at the University live.
Constitution Row is the path on campus that has thirteen trees
representing the original thirteen colonies. The bell that is out-
side the university gym is called the Victory Bell and is rung
after every Fordham sports victory. It was taken from of a Japa-
nese war ship in World War II. The Gym that the bell sits in
front of is also the oldest Division I gym in the nation. It seats
about four thousand people.
A lot of famous people attended Fordham University
such as Cardinal Spellman and Vince Lombardi. The entire
campus is made in the Gothic architectural style. The actual
building that Fordham Prep is in is fairly new, being built in the
70’s. The Prep used to be Hughes Hall, which is now a dormi-
tory for the College. It is made without the use of steel beams,
as only brick is used. Keating Hall is the main building of the
campus. On the outside, on the top of the building, there are
seals of other Jesuit colleges and some of the Jesuit high
schools. Before taking this tour I had no idea so much history
was on this campus. Its hard to believe such a beautiful campus
can be located right in our backyard of the Bronx.

GOLF LESSONS BY: AVERY DEWINDT , M ICHAEL MORRONE, AND JULIAN ROJAS

A skillful sport that tests a person on his patience, strategy, and

love for the game is Golf. The sport, made famous by one of the greatest
players in the game during our time, Tiger Woods, was actually started in
1497 on the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife. The Fordham
Prep Summer Academy took a trip to the Mosholu Golf Course to explore
this sport of patience. The coaches there divided the group into three sec-
tions to learn key essentials to the game. The lessons we received were on
chipping, putting, and driving. Putting is the stroke you use when you play
mini golf; it is a less powerful stroke which is designed to get the ball into
the hole from small distances. Not a lot of power is required. Control, aim
and accuracy are key elements when putting. Chipping is much like putting
but from a farther distance. It is a deeper swing, designed to get the ball into
a projectile motion so that the ball can land on the green and set up a putt.
The last thing we learned was driving. Driving is a full out swing, generated
from the hips to drive the ball as far as possible to the hole. These three
things are key when playing golf. At first it looked easy. How hard can it be
to get a little white ball into a hole with a club? Little did we know it actu-
ally takes a lot of skill and practice to do so. There is a lot of technique that
goes into it. Golfing is a fun sport, and is a great way just to relax. Every-
one should try the game of golf. It definitely turned out to be a great experi-
ence for us.

Summer 2009 Page 2

 THE STUDENTS OF THE 2009 FORDHAM PREP S UMMER ACADEMY
Gregory Adams St. Jerome
Jason Adulley St. Angela Merici
Ginikanwa Amaefile St. Martin of Tours
William Baez Public School 214
Abraham Barba Immaculate Conception (MH)
Tanvir Bashar Middle School 144
Jordan Beebe St. John
Joseph Boncardo St. Theresa
Paget Bramble Holy Family
Adrian Cacho St. Simon Stock
Eric Chavez St. Athanasius
Eric Collazo St. Simon Stock
Basit Dar Our Lady of Angels
Jordan Devonish St. Jerome
Avery DeWindt St. Athanasius
Colin Esterine-Reid St. Mary
Kenneth Felix St. John Chrysostom
Giancarlo Furio St. Theresa
Rigoberto Garcia St. Ignatius
Michael Gigante Villa Maria
Cleavon Hampson St. Angela Merici
Justin Henry Sts. Philip & James
Karell Henry Holy Cross
Fernando Jorge Carl C. Icahn Charter
Ryan Karran Our Lady of Angels
Howard King Sts. Phillip & James
David Lopez Public School 214
Brian Luna Middle School 145
Noel Martinez St. Ignatius
William Mendez Holy Cross
Joyner Meregildo St. Martin of Tours
Michael Morales Immaculate Conception (GH)
Michael Morrone Villa Maria
Julian Rojas Immaculate Conception (MH)
Adrian Roque Silva Middle School 145
Jordan Santos Holy Spirit
Antonio Singh St. Nicholas of Tolentine
Jonathan Torres Holy Cross
Ariel-Alexis Valera-Uribe Carl C. Icahn Charter
Christian Vega Holy Family

“ T e a c h u s t o g i ve a n d n o t t o c o u n t t h e c ost.”
-St. I g n a t i u s o f L o y o l a

Summer 2009 Page 3

 FPSA: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
2009 marks the 8th Fordham Prep Summer Academy class. Since it’s inception, the Summer Acad-
emy has seen growth in many areas, particularly with the students who have come from the Academy and
moved on to fruitful careers at Fordham Prep. As those students from the first and second Summer Academy
classes have now graduated from high school, the Prep has seen these graduates achieve many awards and
accomplishments. Among these achievements are admission to some of the best local and national colleges
and universities. Academy alumni who have gone on to graduate from the Prep are now attending the follow-
ing schools of higher education:
Catholic University, Washington, D.C.
Loyola University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY
College of Mt. St. Vincent, Bronx, NY
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY
State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

PREDATORS AND PREY OF THE BRONX ZOO BY: PAGET BRAMBLE AND KENNETH FELIX

On July 17, 2009, FPSA went on a trip to the Bronx Zoo. It was clear from the beginning that the trip was going
to be a fun and exciting one, and I couldn’t wait to see all of the interesting animals we were going to learn about.
Our tour guide, Janet, took us on what is known as the tour of Predators and Prey. During the tour we learned
about many exciting animals. I had no idea that Pere David’s Deer were from China and that the only difference between
the male and female are the antlers. The males have antlers but the females don’t which makes the females harder to see in
the marshy grasslands. We also visited the tigers. Tigers are one of the biggest predators in the world today; they can grow
to almost six feet tall. You can tell predators by their sharp teeth called carnassials which help them dig into their prey.
Tigers are known as carnivores because they only eat meat. They eat animals such as pigs and deer. Next we went to see
the ducks. Ducks, like the deer, are prey. We learned that when duck feathers are messy, ducks do something called preen-
ing. Preening is what ducks do to clean their feathers. Finally, we saw a polar bear. Polar bears’ favorite food is seal. Like
the endangered Siberian tiger, this eating of other animals also makes polar bears predators.
The trip to the Bronx Zoo was amazing, and in my opinion the best trip ever. I hope I can go on it again some-
time and learn more new and interesting things about the animals that surround us everyday.

Summer 2009 Page 4

YANKEE STADIUM BY : GREG ADAMS, ABRAHAM BARBA , CLEAVON HAMPSON , H OWARD KING , NOEL MARTINEZ, AND ANTONIO SINGH

On July 10, 2009, FPSA went on a trip to tour Yankee Stadium. The tour proved to be both fun and exciting for everyone
that participated. We got the chance to learn many new and interesting things like “Babe” Ruth’s real name is actually George Her-
man Ruth. We also visited the new Yankee Stadium museum. In the museum there were two statues of Don Larson and Yogi Berra.
The statues were set up to look as if Larson was throwing a pitch to Berra. In between these statues were 781 balls. Each ball was
signed by former and current Yankee members.
During the tour, we also visited Monument Park. This is where all the retired Yankee numbers are shown. Players such as
Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, and Billy Martin all have their numbers retired here. The only person who also has his number retire d
here but was never a Yankee is none other than the legendary Jackie Robinson, whose number is retired throughout baseball. The
only player who still has his number, 42, is Mariano Rivera soon to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Lou Gehrig’s bat was
bronzed and is displayed at the top of the clubhouse, which is also known as the Yankee locker room. The Yankee locker room has
gone through a lot of changes in the move to the new stadium. For example, it has more facility space and batting cages.
Overall, the Yankee Stadium trip was a good one that was enjoyed by everyone. It was incredible and a great experience.

FPSA CURRICULUM

The FPSA curriculum is for students enter-

ing the 7th grade. The three main subjects are F
Mathematics, taught by Mr. Pedro; Reading, P
taught by Mr. Armstrong; and English/Language
Arts, taught by Ms. Irizarry. In Math, the students S
learn about the perimeter, area and volume of vari- A
ous shapes, and they also learn how to solve prob-
lems using integers. In Reading, with Mr. Arm-
strong, the students read novels such as The Out- 2
siders and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963,
and hold classroom discussions on them. In Eng-
0
lish/Language Arts, the students study vocabulary, 0
spelling techniques, sentence structures, and they 9
complete personal and descriptive writing projects.

Summer 2009 Page 5

MY E XPERIENCE AT FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL BY : ADRIAN ROQUE SILVA

My name is Adrian Roque Silva and I am a student at the Fordham Prep

Summer Academy. This school is all-boys and it’s a great school. The school is
not just any school; you can actually have fun while you learn! Here at Fordham
Prep, you actually get to have fun and not notice that you are actually learning
something. The teachers use different teaching methods, such as singing, telling
jokes, and actually start a conversation with the students. Through all of these,
the students are learning something.
Other than just working on their academics, students actually have the opportunity to socialize
with kids from different ethnicities. You can find people that are Asian, Indian, Mexican, Cuban, African,
and many other ethnicities. The students at Fordham Prep are also very friendly, which means that you get
to meet people very fast. Sometimes at other schools, I hear that it is hard to become friends with people
because you think they have nothing in common with you. That is not the problem at Fordham Prep. This
is because Fordham Prep has many sports and activities through which you can meet a lot of people.
Honestly, my favorite part of this school is the lunch! Lunch at Fordham Prep is totally different
from any other school. The food is awesome! Here, you have the type of food you don’t have at other
schools. You have so many options and it’s free! While having lunch, you are able to socialize with the
rest of the students. After lunch, we have recess where we play some games outside or walk around the
track.
Fordham Prep is very fun and educational. I love it here and hope that everyone in the Academy
will be able to come here!

WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT FORDHAM PREP BY: ADRIAN CACHO

The Fordham Prep Summer Academy is a program that helps us to excel

and achieve our goals so we can attend a great high school in the future. It is a
great way to learn new things, especially how Fordham Prep is a great school. We
learn and have fun at the same time.
The teachers are amusing and nice to us. The academic inspired me a lot. I
met a lot of cool friends and teachers including Mrs. Piñeiro, Mr. Pedro, Mr.
Armstrong, and Ms. Irizarry. The tutors, Stefen, Ray, Delorian, and Vijay, were
also helpful to all of us. The Academy teachers and tutors have taught me new and exciting things I never
knew before.
We have done many exciting things that made my experience in the Academy memorable. We took
a tour around the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University, which is really huge! We also took golf lessons
where we learned a new sport that requires more skill than we thought before. My favorite field trip out of
all of them was the tour we took of Yankee Stadium. We saw everything about the history of the Yankees.
It was so awesome! I had a fun experience at the Summer Academy so far and will miss it when it ends.

" We m u st spe a k t o t h e m w i t h o u r h a n d s b y g i v i n g , b ef o r e w e
t r y t o spe a k t o t h e m w i t h o u r l i ps."
-St. P e t e r C l a ve r

Summer 2009 Page 6

 June - July 2009
June 28 June 29 June 30 July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4
Summer Academy Study Skills/Theatre Computer Skills/Library Personal Writing Independence Day
Orientation Golf Lessons 1:30 PM Observation
Tour of Rose Hill Late Dismissal (No Classes)
8:30 A.M. Section II 5:00 P.M.

July 5 July 6 July 7 July 8 July 9 July 10 July 11

Study Skills/Sports Computer Skills/ Computer Skills/Sports Personal Writing Yankee Stadium
Student Pictures Golf Lessons 1:30 PM 10:00 A.M.
Late Dismissal
Section I 5:00 P.M. Study Skills
July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 16 July 17 July 18
Computer Skills/Theatre Theatre/Sports Study Skills/Theatre Bronx Zoo Early Dismissal
10:30 A.M. 11:45 A.M.

July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 July 23 July 24 July 25

Study Skills/Theatre Computer Skills/Sports Theatre The Outsiders Summer Academy
Closing Ceremony
10:00 A.M.

A Typical Daily Schedule Trips / Activites

8:30-9:00 - Tutors help students with homework

Students wear FPSA T-shirts
and organization for their classes

9:00-9:50 - Reading
June 29 – Tour of Rose Hill (9:00 A.M.)

10:00-10:50 - Mathematics
July 2 – Golf Lessons for Section II (1:30 P.M.)

11:00-11:30 - English/Language Arts

July 9 - Golf Lessons for Section I (1:30 P.M.)

11:30-12:20 - Lunch
July 10 – Yankee Stadium (10:00 A.M.)

*12:30-1:30 - Computer Skills/Theatre

July 16 – Bronx Zoo (10:30 A.M.)
*1:30-2:30 - Study Skills/Sports

*Activities Vary

Summer 2009 Page 7

THE FACULTY OF THE FPSA
Director:
Mrs. Wanda Piñeiro
B.S. New York University
M.A., P.D. Fordham University
Born and raised in the
South Bronx, Mrs. Piñeiro
has been teaching at Ford-
ham Prep since 1979. In
addition to being the
Chair of the Modern Lan-
guage Department at the
Prep, she is moderator of the Spanish
Club and the school’s Director of Di-
versity.
Instructors:
Mr. Brian Armstrong
B.A. Johnson C. Smith University
M.S.T. Iona College
Mr. Armstrong is a Social
Studies, Reading, and
Religion teacher at St.
Mary School. He has
taught there for eleven
years and has served as
moderator of various activities includ-
ing Student Council.
Ms. Rose Irizarry
B.S., M.S. Mercy College
Ms. Irizarry has taught
in the New York City
Public School System for
twelve years. In addition,
she has also taught at
the American School in
Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Mr. Randall Pedro
B.A. College of the Holy Cross
M.A. Fordham University
A former football standout
at the College of the Holy
Cross, Mr. Pedro has been
teaching at Fordham Prep
for twenty years. He
teaches Religion and
serves as the moderator of the
Kawaida Club, the African-American
student organization, as well as serv-
ing as coach of the Prep’s bowling
team.
Created and Edited by Vijay DaCosta ‘04
THE STAFF OF THE FPSA
Delorian Bennett ‘09 Vijay DaCosta ‘04
B.A. Le Moyne College
A recent graduate of Ford- Vijay is currently a student
ham Prep, Delorian will at Fordham University’s
be a freshman at St. Graduate School of Religion
John’s University in the and Religious Education. A
fall. Coming to the Prep graduate of Fordham Prep
from St. Jerome School, he and St. Mary School, he also
was a defensive end on holds a Bachelor’s degree in
the Prep’s football team and a member of English and Creative Writ-
the Kawaida Club. Delorian is also an ing from Le Moyne College. Vijay aspires
alumnus of the second Summer Academy to be a teacher and campus minister in a
class. He would like to pursue a career in Jesuit high school.
writing.
Raymond Ortiz ‘08 Stefen Rice ‘10
A graduate of Fordham Prep Entering his senior year this
and Immaculate Conception fall at the Prep, Stefen is a
School in Mott Haven, Ray graduate of St. Lucy School.
is currently a sophomore at A star athlete, he is a mem-
St. John’s University. Major- ber of the Prep’s football
ing in Clinical and Forensic team. Stefen was also a mem-
Psychology, he is an alum- ber of the Prep’s track team
nus of the first Summer Academy class and Spanish Club. An honor student, he
and was a member of the National Honor is currently looking at Pennsylvania
Society while at the Prep. Ray hopes to State University and University of Con-
eventually become a child psychologist. necticut for potential college destinations.
FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL
As a Jesuit, college preparatory school, Fordham
President Prep’s mission is to inspire young men to reflect, to question,
Fr. Kenneth Boller, S.J. to learn, to pray, to love, to serve, to lead. Since 1841, we
have based our challenging curriculum and pursuit of human
and academic excellence on a foundation of Catholic faith and
Principal principles. We seek to be one community created from a
Robert J. Gomprecht ‘65 broad spectrum of ethnic, racial, geographic, and socio-
economic backgrounds. We strive to include qualified stu-
Assistant Principals dents of limited financial resources by providing substantial
Dennis M. Ahern ‘63 financial assistance. Our faculty and staff dedicate themselves
to a caring and dynamic interaction with students both inside
Theresa Napoli
and outside the classroom, a characteristic of Jesuit education
for over 450 years. We educate our students to be men for
others: spiritually motivated, intellectually accomplished and
committed to promoting justice.
THE FPSA W OULD LIKE T O THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS T O
THE PROGRAM:
Fordham Preparatory School
Fr. Kenneth Boller, S.J.
Mr. Robert J. Gomprecht ‘65
Mr. Dennis M. Ahern ‘63
Mrs. Theresa Napoli
Nelson Urena ‘03
Families of the FPSA
Teachers and Administrators of the FPSA

Summer 2009 Page 8