Dear Families,

Tomorrow we celebrate another great tradition in the High School: Arts Festival! While this is a day long event celebrating the arts with a variety of professionals who volunteer their time is a lot of fun for our students (and Seventh Graders who will join us), the day's offerings are also rigorous. Our students are ready for such rigorous and intensive workshops because they are fortunate to have art every day; here at LREI, art is an academic, not an afterthought.

This year's workshop offerings include:

LA VIE BOHÈME with Sara Heaton (sister of Julia Heaton, English teacher and Eleventh Grade class dean)
Long before RENT became a hit on Broadway, La Bohème – the opera upon which RENT is based – was one of the best-loved operas of all time. Composer Giacomo Puccini wrote some of opera’s most beautiful music to tell the love story of Mimi and Rodolfo (a.k.a. Roger), the unstable relationship between Marcello and Musetta (Mark and Maureen), and the antics of their friends Schaunard and Colline. Hailed as one of opera’s most dramatically-driven composers, Puccini used specific musical gestures to add depth to his characters, to dictate the atmosphere of a scene, or even to direct the action on stage. In this workshop, we will compare the music and stories of La Bohème and RENT. How closely did Jonathan Larson stick to Puccini’s plot and characters? Can we find any traces of Puccini’s music in RENT? Students will study musical scores, listen to recordings, and watch video of recent productions. Although singing ability and musical training are not required, interested students will have the opportunity to perform vocal numbers from both shows.

COMMERCIAL FILM with Honest
Honest is creative firm that directs commercials and short films and does graphic design for websites, print and identities. They also publish their own magazine. Some recent projects include a music video for Rapcat, the mascot of the Checkers fast food chain, filming a commercial for Nike during the world cup and building the Axe - boostyouresp.com website. Go to Stayhonest.com or Honestdirectors.com to learn more. Honest will guide students through the process of creating a 30 second commercial for LREI. Students will quickly brain storm an idea to create a spot. Once the idea is agreed upon, they will draw boards or create a shot list. This will lead to shooting the desired shots, which we will edit. While some students are shooting, others will work on the graphics and music. In the end all assets will be combined to create a final spot, which will show how LREI is the best school in Manhattan.

MYSTERIES OF THE FACE-THE PORTRAIT with John Wellington P'09
This is a workshop on the portrait. Students will work in dry mediums (pencil, charcoal, etc.) on paper. There will be an introduction to drawing the anatomy of the face, focusing on proportions, and concepts for drawing the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

COMIX CLASS with JP Cummings
This class is an exciting look into creating one's own comic book. Bring your pencils, designs and imagination and students will plunge into the wild, unpredictable world of comics and graphic storytelling.

WHACKY T-SHIRTS with Janet Koenig, P '08
Transform old T-shirts into nifty, thrifty fashion statements. Bring in your old tees and alter them: swap, add, or remove sections (sleeves, collars, parts of backs, fronts, sides); add collages, cartoons, thought bubbles, words, etc. using colored felt, fabric remnants, permanent markers, beads, buttons, ribbons, feathers, etc. and apply with thread or fabric glue.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC with Valery Ponomorev
We will form a music ensemble that will blur the lines between jazz, blues, funk and the modern world of music. We will be performing Jazz compositions and learn the techniques involved in musical improvisation. The ensemble will arrange a piece of music and then perform it in the afternoon. This is an opportunity to work with one of the premier trumpet players of Jazz. Ponomarev has worked with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Benny Golson, and the Mercer Ellington Orchestra.

HIP HOP, Spoken Word and Playback Theater with Baba Israel
This workshop uses free style Hip Hop and improvisational theater to transform the stories into the art of theater. Rooted in ancient story telling traditions and tempered by current poetic and musical forms, this workshop takes the script from audiences, memories, feelings, dreams, social and political conflicts and are all transformed into a performance. Baba is an actor, rapper, beat-boxer, playwright and cultural activist. www.openthoughtmusic.com

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE IN TODAY'S SOCIETY with Daryl Embry
By merging texts from Shakespeare's most famous works along side your creative energies, participants will create a performance that draws a connection between timeless literary themes and the world we live in today.

USING COLLAGE TO ILLUSTRATE FOR CHILDREN with Marthe Jocelyn, P '08
In this workshop students will look at the tradition of pictures made for children using papers, fabrics, and found objects. We will analyze different techniques and effects. Each student will create a collage illustrating one page in a children’s book.

BOOKS ARE WACK (because you are not writing them...) with author Gabriel Tolliver
A fun, informative workshop on how to create a book proposal and pitch your great novel, coffee table, or photo book idea.

THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE with Isaac-Daniel Astrachan (husband of Meghan Farley-Astrachan, Arts Department Co-Chair)
Students will visit the Center for Architecture on LaGuardia Place and see the current exhibits including POWERHOUSE a juried design competition for affordable, sustainable housing, and the 2007 AIA New York Chapter Design Awards. A hands-on workshop pertaining to the exhibits will then take place at the Center before returning to school.

DIGITAL DARKROOM with Denise Adler, P '08
Students will experiment with layering images and parts of images to create a computer generated composition from multiple photographs. The outcome can be abstract, surreal or completely realistic. The goal can be to create art, intrigue or advertising or all of the above.

IMPROV with Zohar Adner
"I know what you're gonna say. Um, well... actually, we don't. With a little help you can take your conversations to a whole new place – one where you're communicating openly and comfortably ... and hilariously."

FASHION DESIGN with Roberto Crivello, P '08
Co-owner and Co-designer of the New York City fashion brand DDCLAB which produces men’s and ladies wholesale and retail. DDCLAB has 2 retail locations, one in the hip and trendy, MEAT PACKING DISTRICT here in NYC and the other in LOS ANGELES on Melrose Ave. We also own DDCUSA an apparel design studio which previously designed for companies like GAP, LEVIS, REEBOK, TOMMY HILFIGER, ENYCE, DIESEL,BMW apparel, DUPONT FIBERS , and now have an exclusive contract with NEW BALANCE. We also do special projects for the likes of celebrities as LENNY KRAVITZ, LAUREN HILL, FERGIE, and BRAD PITT. Students will experience the A to Z for constructing a garment from concept to retail.

WEST AFRICAN DANCE with Imani Faye
This west African dance class is a beginner level class, and will begin with a series of warm up exercises which will prepare the students to dance. They will learn vocabulary from a traditional dance which will lead to their final presentation. Students will be introduced to the music and the dance Ku-Ku, a dance of celebration from Guinea, West Africa, along with song and historical background. This will involve a breakdown of individual steps and movements, which will develop into a dance combination. They will execute the dance movements in small groups and going across the floor; and the dance combination will be repeated together in the center. Building on this process, choreography will develop for the final presentation.

SOLARIZATION WORKSHOP with Kostas Kiritsis
Ever wonder how to turn a black and white image into a metallic image? In this class, students will look at some of Kostas’ artist books, review the solarization process and then begin making images.

ANIMAL PAINTING with Shaunna Finn
Students will work in either oil or acrylic paints, on either canvas or paper, depending on preference. The class begins with a brief showing of a few examples of various animal paintings; from old-master works to modern childrens' book illustrations, and a couple of my own. Next, students will move to a discussion about different symbolic meanings that animals can have. Students will then paint a live animal model!

BENTO BOX LUNCH with Takako Honda
In this workshop, students will learn how to make two types of Japanese bento boxes. One is for everyday and the other is for a trip or a picnic, but both are works of art. Students will learn how to put together two lunch boxes and make rice balls. They will not only prepare this visually beautiful meal, but they will also get a chance to sample what they have created.


Our students are very lucky to enjoy this fantastic tradition; we are so fortunate to have so many people who have gone to great lengths to offer terrific workshops. Many thanks in advance to all of the parents participating, and all of the parent and faculty connections who provided many of the workshops. If you have a chance on Friday, you are more than welcome to come for the afternoon assembly which will celebrate the great work that took place in the day's workshops, 1:00 PM in the PAC.

All the best,

Ruth


May
1 2007-2008 Registration for courses will begin (Grades 10-12)
1 Special Meeting with 12th grade parents, "Transition to College," 6:30 PM, Library
2 Big Auction
9 Interims due for all students in the arts rotation and earning B- and below.
15 Parent Rep meeting, 6:30 PM, Room 13
22 Sports Awards Night, 6:30 PM, PAC
23 New Families reception, 6:00 PM, PAC
24 Spring Concert, 7:00 PM, PAC
25 Field Day
28 Memorial Day, school closed
29 Honors Project Breakfast, Room 10, 8:00 AM
30 Senior Project presentations, 6:30 PM



This Week's Announcements and Attachments:

1. The second open Community Meeting will be held on Monday, April 30th from 8:45-9:45 in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria.

2. Friday, April 27 is your last chance to purchase tickets for the Big Auction which is next Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:00pm at The Puck Building. Tickets must be purchased prior to the event,so if you haven't already done so, please contact Patricia Conroy at pconroy@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 232.

To see all the great items on offer, you may view the catalog on line at www.lrei.org, pick up a catalog in either the Sixth Avenue
or Charlton Street lobby or ask Patricia to mail you one. If you are not able to attend but would like to place an absentee bid, please contact Sandra Song at ssong@lrei.org or 212-477-5316, ext. 275 before the end of business
on Tuesday, May 1st.

Thank you for supporting LREI.

3. Please be reminded that all students must complete 25 hours of community service this school year. There are many opportunities available to students now that spring is here! Opportunities include a community service opportunity at East NY Farms this Saturday, the AIDSWALK on May 20 and several spring clean-up opportunities through the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.

4. To all families who have children participating in the LREI extracurricular sports program: In order to make sure that you receive timely notifications about changes to the practice or game schedules, we have created an email list that we will be using to provide these updates. If you child participates on an LREI sports team, we ask that you go to LREI SPORTS where you will be able to subscribe to the list. The instructions are posted on this page. After you subscribe, you will receive a confirmation email and instructions for how to reply. This email will be followed by a welcome email that will give you additional information about the list. Please note that subscribers to the list will not be able to post to the list. The list is for information distribution from the school. If you need to respond to an update, please respond directly to Marcus (mchang@lrei.org) or Larry (lkaplan@lrei.org). These updates will also go to coaches who will include this revised information in subsequent emails to their team lists. When you receive an email from this list , the subject line will indicate the group for which it is intended (e.g., [LREI-Sports] HS Baseball). If your child is not a member of the indicated team, you can delete the email without reading it. We do not expect the volume of this list to be that high so this should not be a problem. As we pilot this list, please send Marcus and Larry any feedback that you think would help us to refine this process. Thank you!

5. Is your teen looking for a summer opportunity? See below:

Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) has an online application for 2007 NYC Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Access the site here. Applications are due May 18, 2007.

The program runs for 7 weeks from July 2-August 18. Students ( age 14-21) work 25 hours per week while earning $7.15/hour. Jobs assignments are at government agencies, law firms, nonprofits, small businesses, sports and retail organizations.

Marty Markowitz has a program in Brooklyn - Brooklyn Summer HEAT (Help Employ Ambitious Teens). The deadline is April 30 and students must be age 16-18. Pay is also $7.15/hour.
For more information click here.

6. The 14th annual LREI camping trip will be held on the weekend of June 1-3. All LREI families and their children -- pre-K through high school -- are invited to participate. As in past years, we expect that a good time will be had by all: hiking, swimming, sports, fishing, camping, cooking, eating, singing around the campfire, etc.

The site, as in past years, will be near the Delaware Water Gap (somewhat north of where I-80 crosses the Delaware River). The cost will be $30 per adult, $20 per child. Also, we need volunteers to help with hauling food and supplies and equipment out to the camp site (and back) and providing extra space in their vehicles for those who need a ride out and back.

More details will be forthcoming for those who are interested. We will have a sign-up table for a few mornings at LREI in May, when we get closer to the camping trip weekend.

Please save the date and let us know if you are interested in receiving more information -- and especially if you are interested in volunteering: Send an e-mail to Larry White ([ mailto:Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu ]Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu).

Organizers:
Neil Capobianco ([ mailto:CapobiancoN@gtlaw.com ]CapobiancoN@gtlaw.com)
Seth Tapper ([ mailto:sethtapper@yahoo.com ]sethtapper@yahoo.com)
Dave Trumbull ([ mailto:dave.trouble@gmail.com ]dave.trouble@gmail.com)
Larry White ([ mailto:Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu ]Lwhite@stern.nyu.edu)

7. Click here for the calendar for the 2007-2008 school year.

8. Please do not schedule appointments, medical or otherwise, during the school day, between 8:30 AM and 3:50 PM. When a student must leave early for a non-emergency, it is very disruptive to the academic program and to a student's progress in any given class. Thank you.

9. Please do not plan vacations that fall outside of scheduled school breaks. Each school day is important. Today's classroom experiences are building blocks for tomorrow's. Missing school on either end of a scheduled break, or at any time other than when school is closed, is disruptive to your child's education and to that of her/his classmates. Often, the days preceding our longer breaks include community events such as buddy activities and assemblies. These essential community events are important. We feel strongly that students should not miss these occasions. It is our policy that teachers not prepare work ahead of time, or help students to catch up, if your family will be vacationing at times when school is in session. If your family is presented with a singular opportunity to travel that offers significant educational advantages we encourage you to speak with the division's principal in advance.

As always, please browse the web site at www.lrei.org. Also, note the links to the Middle and Lower School weekly emails on the right. Please take a look at what the students in the other two divisions are up to!

All attachments are in .pdf format. To view these files, please download Adobe Reader, if you do not already have it. Click on this link or paste it into your browser: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html.
If you are having trouble opening the attachments, go to http://www.lrei.org/weekly/ms/ to access.