The BILA Wave

Reporting by Tyrone Beckford, Aaron Dixon, Lisandra Frias, Elijah Canton, and Marshanette Brown

What’s your name and what’s your position here at BILA?

Mr. Sweeney. I’m a Global History teacher at BILA. I teach half the tenth graders.

What are the top 3 things students/teachers bicker about?

Bathroom, giving students enough notice on assignments, and eating in class.

What’s your favorite cuisine?

That’s a hard question. It’s gotta be a Manhattan slice of pizza. When my friends who aren’t from New York come here, I rub it in every time.

What’s a hidden gem activity or experience at school that more people should appreciate?

We take for granted how awesome our Library is. It’s crazy a lot of students don’t get to use it – only during lunch or not at all. We have an awesome librarian – many schools don’t have as good of a library, or have one at all.

What do you consider iconic?

Every song by Queen.

What’s your impression of every grade?

I have a ninth grade advisory, and I’d consider them positively energetic. Tenth grade is diligent. Eleventh grade is outspoken. The seniors are self-directed, self-managing, and self-controlled.

What’s your go-to song?

“Love Remembered.” It’s a song from the original Dracula movie. I probably listened to it 2,000 times last year. It’s all about love forsaken.

If you could be doing anything else right now, what would you be doing?

I’d be somewhere warm by the water with a book.