The BILA Wave

Sizzling Fun In The Sun? Unleashing The Secrets Behind A Summer Birthday!

October 24, 2023

By Renea Henlon

Summer Birthdays are desired by many people, mostly teens and young children, but are summer birthdays really that enjoyable? Birthdays in the summer are said to be the best. The youngsters have no homework, the weather is generally always good, and everyone is content and at ease. Fun is guaranteed because of the warm weather, abundant outdoor play alternatives, and sunny days. Let’s talk about the weather right now. Birthdays in the summer allow you to take advantage of the pleasant weather and the outdoors. There’s no need to stress about dressing in layers or enduring the cold. “ I normally would go out to eat with my family and then buy something I want a few days later, from all the money I received.” said Abigail Hudson, a student at The MICO University College. This shows that the nice weather is a benefit.

To celebrate your special day, you could organize outdoor gatherings, picnics, or even trips to the beach. There are countless options. The abundance of activities available is one of the best aspects of birthdays occurring in the summer. There are things for everyone, whether you’re a thrill-seeker who enjoys water sports like jet skiing or paddleboarding or you prefer more relaxed pursuits like hiking or having a picnic in the park. “I prefer celebrating my birthday during the summer because I get to go to beaches and the hotel.” said Roanna Henlon, a 7th grader at P.S. 189.

To get everyone involved and have fun, you can even host friendly sports events like beach volleyball or football. Some people prefer celebrating their birthdays during school time. “I prefer during school because I have the weekend to go out and I still get to celebrate with my friends at school,” said Ray-John Bailey, an 11th grade Jamaican student at St. Jago High School.

Celebrating in the summer

Though fun and exciting, summer Birthdays have their downfalls. Conflicting schedules that people endure is one difficulty for birthdays in the summer. Some of your loved ones both friends and family, may already make plans apart from celebrating your birthday because summer is a popular time for vacations and other social gatherings. Finding a date that works for most of your guests requires ahead of time planning and open communication with everyone you would like to invite. “ I love spending time with the people I love during my birthday, but not everyone is able to come celebrate with me.” said Roanna Henlon, a 7th grader at P.S 189.

A successful celebration is an outcome of flexibility and understanding. Another downside is the heat of summer most of the time, it depends on where you live or decide to host the party or celebration. The summer months provide warmth and sunshine, but they may also bring unbearable temperatures that might make outdoor activities difficult. If the heat is too hot, it’s necessary to provide shade, fans, or even think about shifting the celebration indoors. Making your guests’ comfort a top priority will improve everyone’s enjoyment of the day.

In general, having a summer birthday has its benefits and drawbacks. However, with careful preparation, flexibility, and a positive outlook, you may organize a memorable and happy party that celebrates the best aspects of the holiday. You may prepare to enjoy the sunshine, gather your loved ones, and have the birthday of your dreams in the summer.
A Gloom Start of Season for the Wingate Soccer Team that is Looking for Improvement

October 24, 2023

By Le Tian Feng

In the past three weeks, the Wingate soccer team had a start that was not the most wanted by the team but they were able to make some good progress recently. Losing the first two matches, they lost by a score of 0-2 and 3-1 respectively but these loses serve as a source of motivation for their first win of the season being 3-1. Their losses were due to a restructure of the team as key players left the team due to graduation and a lack of physical training that made their current players out of shape. But you know the saying “the more you try, the better the result is gonna be,” that is exactly what the team used to be able to secure their first win.

But to be able to be consistent and be able to win you must minimize the problems inside the team structure. That is not the case with this team, Genor, the goalkeeper of the Wingate soccer team, has provided some insight of the inner problem from the team: “the team have no chemistry meaning that they don’t understand each other, they need to learn in order to adapt to each other’s needs.” Lack of chemistry in the long run might be a problem for a soccer team, they need to know what to do for each other like knowing when to cover other positions when the other is unavailable. “Although this can be solved by practicing with each other more.” Genor added, “…like knowing when to pass as Edison[teammate] is making the run to receive the pass.” Practicing is what makes a team better, not just trying to improve yourself which is also essential but practicing with the team is far more efficient in the sense that it builds connection.

As previously mentioned in the beginning, the team lost some key players which led to Odolphe, a defender on the Wingate soccer team that participated last season, to argue that their losses weigh heavily on two graduate students from last year, Bernardo and Angel, who were key players for the team.

The coach is one of the most important players on a soccer team as they are the one that plans how the players are gonna play and who is gonna play, which can be compared to a tactician. Coaches are like the players, they are human that can make mistakes; not all the coaches have the best knowledge on the sport, which is not an exception to the soccer team but it is part of a coach’s life to solve their flaws and be able to do the best of his capability to help the team improve. Genor was asked about his first impression on the coach, “the coach is alright…but sometimes he makes mistakes like putting players out of position such as putting a defender to play as a striker.” It is normal that players give these kinds of opinions to a coach but in the defense of the coach, inexperience is something that is solved as the season progresses, not all of the coaches start as world class coaches.

Aside from the team prospect, the physical aspect is another key factor for any athlete. “Soccer is a cardiovascular sport…the players use their heart and lungs a lot,” said Mr. Corrado, P.E teacher of BILA. “They need to build endurance, soccer players have to run a lot for two straight 45 minutes.” If you want to be in shape you have to understand that you have to build your body full of endurance to be able to play for long periods of time, otherwise you won’t be able to do much. For the Wingate soccer team, this is a problem but since it is the start of the season there is a lot of improvement that can be made.

There are always problems within a soccer team, but one has to stay positive on what they can achieve in a match. As long as the line between fun and competitiveness exists, you can expect positive outcomes that can create a positive expectation from the spectators that are watching the games. Soccer is a sport, the path is never straightforward, struggles are gonna come but success is also part of it.
General Aspirations

October 22, 2023

By Jeremy Ulysses

The 2022-2023 season for the Wingate Generals of Brooklyn was deemed as a success by most, despite the shortcomings. The overall grit and passion of the team led the Boys Varsity to go 9-9, and make the PSAL playoffs for the first time since 2016. All of these accolades and achievements are only a start, as players aspire to build a legacy.

Good Today For A Better Tomorrow

      To start off, ever since Coach Baker was hired as the head coach for the Generals Basketball team in 2021, he has undeniably flipped the agenda for the program. The team with consecutive years below .500, change needed to occur. The 2022-2023 team was the epitome for this success, as they brought an energy that has not been seen by most in the Wingate Community. Senior Hasani Thomas of the Generals voices his thoughts on this growth “ The progression is everything we planned since day one. Coach Baker has always said that Rome wasn’t built in a day and he’s 100% right. Nobody was going to hand us our goals we accomplished, we had to work for it. As much as we completed in our three year rebuild there’s still so much we have to work for and we won’t stop till we achieve it.” This mindset will only be a beneficiary to the team, as this leadership from the seniors last year ignited the fire for their success.

Behind the Camera

      Without the media team, the overall perception of the generals wouldn’t be what it is. Photographers such as Rachel, Stanicia John, and others help capture essential moments throughout the teams, and without them the memories wouldn’t be recalled the same. Rachael was interviewed, and gave us some insight on her experience behind the camera. As this is her second year in capturing moments for the Generals, she reminisced on the 22-23 season and voiced how it contributed to her career in photography “I would describe 22-23 sports season is amazing, at first it was nerve racking being new to photography and all but I knew I was gonna do something great and I love it. I got to meet new people and expand on my craft.” Last season was only a start, as she also shared her aspirations for this upcoming season “As a photographer my goal is to capture the essence of the team with a visual story. I’m aiming to make memorable moments and capture the moments of teamwork and resilience and also the highs and lows. I’m aiming for personal growth too. I intend to improve my skills and experiment with new techniques and learn from each game and shoot. I want to build relationships with the coaching staff and players and that can also lead me to better opportunities and deeper understanding of the sport.” Without Rachael’s efforts, the Generals will not have received the same level of publicity that they were deserving of.

Voices of The Gate

   Without supporters and fans, sports would hold no relevance. Despite supporters of teams oftenly being overlooked, the Wingate community is embraced and reciprocates that energy towards their teams. We asked BILA worker Jesse Rose to describe this last season in a word, which resulted in a bittersweet response: “Emotional. Man, they made their first playoff appearance in the history being in a higher division, I looked at them boys like my little brothers, they still are and will always be my little brothers, I see them grow, smile when they won, cry when they lost, I was there with them every step of the way and will continue to be every step of the way in their future endeavors.”

Onto the next

    Last season was undeniably a success, but the Generals aren’t satisfied with just that. These aspirations from the community show the passionate desire for more, and to build a brand that’ll change the narrative for this team. Now just sit back and watch, you will not be disappointed.
Culture Coalescence: Anime x POC

October 22, 2023
By Gabriella Dure

Megan Thee Stallion, Michael B. Jordan, and Samuel L. Jackson. What do these names have in common? Besides being famous Black celebrities, they’re also vocal fans of anime. While it has become mainstream recently, anime has had an influence on Black and Brown culture for the past few decades. Anime has a clear influence on Western consumers, but what is anime?

Anime is roughly defined as animation originating from Japan, but it has broadened to include animation from East Asian countries or anything imitating the art style and plotlines. While anime is thought to have a stereotypical art style with big eyes and sharp hair, it can come in a diverse array of mediums. Technically speaking, the first anime to be received by Americans included those produced by Toei Animation in the 1960s. The most famous example would be Astro Boy, a series following a humanoid robot meant to replace his creator’s late son. Astro Boy had rather dark themes like war, setting it aside from common cartoons. While it had a popular reception, it soon fell into obscurity because of its violence and mono-color animation.

However, during the late 1990s and early 2000s, anime had a resurgence in American media. Shows like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Naruto became popular among young kids and teens. Our very own Ms.Bhehaspat was born and raised during this time and has some opinions regarding anime as a whole.

“I think anime is a beautiful and interesting art form,” answered Ms.Bhehaspat about her opinions of anime. Ms.Bhehaspat also continued to explain how it “inspires creativity” and “influences art styles.” One major example of this is the hit show Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as A:TLA. A:TLA was very popular during the late 2000s for its somewhat mature themes paired with its lighthearted characters. The Last Airbender followed a similar comedic approach to many shonen anime and had an art style to match. With highlighted eyes and chibi closeups, Avatar brought a Westernized take to Japanese animation.

When asked what makes anime memorable, Ms.Bhehaspat replied, “It’s memorable because of the message and complexities… It feels like you’re a part of the story.”

Anime had an impact on kids then and now. Because of the hidden messages and themes, anime can actually mature with its viewers. A famous example is the series Naruto. Naruto follows its titular character on his journey to becoming the Hokage, the strongest ninja, and leader of his village. Naruto starts as a pubescent, impish boy before maturing and acknowledging his responsibilities to others. As the show aired, viewers could see how the characters of the show changed over time, thus offering the satisfaction of sticking around for so many years.

But what do younger generations think? Is it just a millennial trend? Well, here at BILA, anime still plays an active role in Black and Brown culture. With our very own club and casual watchers, anime continues to be a popular option for entertainment.

According to Junior Dawens Gracia-Romain, “Anime is pretty cool and entertaining”. When asked how he thought anime shaped the Black and Brown community, Dawens answered, “Hoodboys used to watch DragonBall and Naruto back in the day… Anime has been here for a while, but people didn’t feel comfortable sharing about it. This has been true until recent years. It’s common for new anime fans to remember starting it in their middle school years or during quarantine. Staying bored inside left them eager for new stimuli, and the action-packed animated sequences offered just that.

Specifically, anime presents a means of escape for its viewers of color. Often, in the real world, young Black and Brown watchers might face class struggles or social problems. Instead, fantastical places can have viewers indulge in otherworldly shows. It becomes a breeding ground for diverse ideas. You might see one of your favorite artists refer to anime in their songs. For example, famous rapper Cochise loves to mention shows like Tokyo Ghoul and One Piece in his songs.

Senior Johnathan Brooks agrees. According to him, “We’re able to create content and [engrain it] into our own culture, like handshakes and our own clothing.” You’ll often see teens dapping each other up with a mix of hand signs from Naruto or having a heated debate on who’s the strongest character of all time. Even hoodies adorned with hiragana or sakura flowers, the national flower of Japan, can be seen worn by teenagers.

Anime can also be used as a bonding method between family members. Johnathan explained how his “own brother was the main person that introduced [him] to anime, with him [his brother] being a Dragon Ball fan.” While not true for everyone, cousins and siblings can form a fellowship over being fans of the same anime.

One major issue, however, with anime is the lack of skin tones present in the series. If a character did have dark skin, they were likely seen as jokes or caricatures, not actual people. Along with toxic viewpoints from many non-Black and Brown fans, it may often leave fans of color feeling excluded or isolated from the community despite playing a huge role in its success.

Japan has its fair share of colorism in its society. Many fashion styles, like gyaru, were made to combat that. However, diversity has made huge strides in the anime industry. There are even anime that have people of color as main characters! Twenty years ago, it might’ve been impossible for melanated fans to see a character that looked like them, but now it’s more popular than you might think.

Overall, anime has become a major part of pop culture, especially in the Black and Brown community. With songs, clothes, and art being based on anime, the impact anime has on creativity is clear. The bond between them can produce cult classics like The Boondocks or Teen Titans. Either way, enjoying Japanese animation has been welcomed as a new pastime.
- Shonen: A genre of Japanese comics and animated films aimed primarily at a young male audience, typically characterized by action-filled plots. (https://en.bab.la/)
- Chibi: Japanese slang for small/short. Usually, a style of caricature originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and minimal detail. (https://midlibrary.io/)
- Hiragana: the more cursive and more widely used form of kana (syllabic writing) used in Japanese, especially used for function words and inflections. (Oxford Dictionary)
- Gyaru: Japanese Katakana for girl in English. A subculture which originated in Shibuya (a district in Tokyo) in the ’90s as a rebellion against the stereotypical beauty standard of having pale skin and dark hair. (Hellolizziebee.com)
Reading and Relationships: Where do they Connect?

October 20, 2023

By Katelyn Melville

What’s causing these rapidly declining rates of literacy in the United States? Is it an issue with the curriculum, maybe the school system? Those are the prevalent assumptions, but what if I told you that the aggressor could be as simple as a lack of student-teacher relationships?

School has never been fun for students; it’s just a fact. Whether the issue is learning things they may not want to or having to sit in one place for hours, it’s not the ideal environment, but it’s where our fundamentals for life are taught. It must be tough to have to sit through all of that PLUS being in a class with a teacher who makes no effort to engage or even care about the different ways students might learn.

BILA teachers seek to challenge this phenomenon by creating more bonds with students.

Let’s start by addressing the central concept: Are student-teacher relationships really that important? BILA’s sophomores take the positive side of this argument.

Specifically, Josiah Ingram from B5 brings up an interesting point. He said the following:

“I think that when teachers know you personally, they know how to teach you better, and you can learn easier.”

This concept is vital to understanding the importance of these connections. The way students learn varies; getting to know them is the only way to figure it out. When asked what their learning style is, many students don’t have an answer, so it’s more efficient for teachers to gather that information through everyday conversations with the students.

Along with Ingram, freshman Aaron Green from B5 brings up the point that “it causes less conflict in class,” another issue many may not have considered. When asked to elaborate, he said:

“If something goes wrong in class, it can easily be settled because the teacher kind of… understands you more,” further explaining that these connections can even help with school safety and teacher’s abilities to de-escalate potentially violent situations.

But what makes BILA able to nurture an environment where these bonds are standard? It’s the school’s unusual size. With just under five hundred-fifty students, BILA differs wildly in that aspect from the majority of NYC schools. For example, Midwood High School.

Midwood High School is one of the more known Brooklyn schools, with over four thousand students, presumably making it hard to nurture those relationships with teachers. Danielle Escobar, class of 25′, confirms that.

“I wouldn’t say that teachers don’t have time to create relationships, but instead, kids think that their teachers already have too much on their hands, having to deal with so many students on a daily basis. I definitely think it impacts bonds.”

But some BILA students argue that the size is only part of it.

Take it from freshman Steffen Dunbar, who was interviewed only three weeks into the school year and could already tell me about teachers he felt he could easily connect with.

Dunbar immediately referenced algebra class with Ms. Forsythe and Ms. Madden with a rather pleasant expression. When asked what separates them from his other teachers, he said,

“They’re more laid-back and friendly and are easiest to talk to about the work. I’m more relaxed in their class, but they can actually teach, and I understand the work.” He felt as if he could speak to them comfortably outside of class.

Dunbar’s close friend, Kai Daniel, added on. “Yeah. When I have questions about work, I don’t feel weird having to go to their rooms after school or in class and ask a question.”

These students mention that a teacher’s demeanor plays a significant role in whether a student feels more comfortable speaking to them, but that’s not always true. Freshmen students will inevitably be more nervous talking to teachers, so they will go for the more extroverted and outgoing teachers. Still, as BILA students get older and spend more time with the teachers, we see an almost even spread between more serious and laid-back teachers.

For example, two very popular teachers among the upperclassmen were Mr. Hunt and Mr. Brulhardt, some of the more frank and straightforward staff members.

From one of our juniors who preferred to stay anonymous:

“Mr. Brulhardt and Mr. Hunt are similar people; in my opinion, they can come off as direct and almost uninterested at times, but once you see them in action, you can tell that they have a passion for their job, are really interesting people, and also very easy to talk to. As a junior, it just took me more time to realize that as I took time to build more connections with my educators.”

From Janelle Prudhomme, another junior,

“I think that I felt more comfortable in my geometry class once I actually spoke with Mr. Brulhardt and tried having conversations with him. I felt more comfortable answering questions and tried harder in the class.”

Another favorite, Mr. Leavitt (especially among those who had him for US history during freshman year), is known for giving personal stories to help students understand the material and going the extra mile to do research for students who only have to open up and ask a question.

Of course, there will always be a group that doesn’t see the importance of the subject like their peers might. Freshman Jasiah Whitfeild responded with a simple “No.” when asked if he felt that he would speak to the teachers that he favored outside of class. When asked why, he simply said that he didn’t see the reason.

This doesn’t mean that these connections are not important; they’re just not a widely talked-about enough subject for the behavior to be considered normal and is more commonly known as “taboo” among many students.

So, while some may find it obsolete, student-teacher relationships have made BILA a more welcoming place for our newer and older students and will only continue to. Students become more engaged, develop a desire to learn, and grow exponentially, breaking down the trend of declining education. As we work to curtail the norm, I know you’ll think twice before brushing off a conversation with a teacher in the hallway and think of what it can do for you and your academic journey.