Christina Li
Photo by Brooklyn Latin's Twitter
Every Founders’ Day on the 23rd of May, TBLS takes a pause in its classes and comes together to celebrate and have fun. While this may not be possible this year, this article highlights some members of the school community’s voices, sharing either a fond memory or what they like most about TBLS. Additionally, two of our staff members, Ms. Glass and Mr. Turner, also share a birthday on this day. Happy Birthday, TBLS! Happy Birthday, Ms. Glass! Happy Birthday, Mr. Turner!
Aurora Domaszowec, Class III - I think my favorite part about TBLS is the staff. My teachers are pretty great. They're knowledgeable and kind, and some of them are really funny.
Christina Li, Class II- My favorite thing about TBLS is the endless amount of support we receive and give. I have never been in a place that supported one another as much as TBLS does. It is the foundation of all the strong relationships formed here.
Cindy Truong, Class IV - Going into high school can definitely be stressful and daunting especially for those who know no one going in. But, TBLS makes sure everyone can find their own unique bond with school events such as the PBC trip and March Madness. Through these experiences, I can proudly say that I have met some of the sweetest people and grown such a special connection with them.
Desmond Keuper, Class I - My favorite thing about TBLS is the community. I’ve made new friends each year that I’ve been here. I will be very sad to say goodbye to everyone, but I know that we will all go far.
Eden Moore, Class I - I have too many fond, funny, and intimate moments surrounding TBLS but one of the shining lights in my memory was winning prize Declamation. It was a mixture of elation that I was able to get my message out, express my passion for the piece and its background, show off in front of my family, and the surprise of actually winning while watching my other friends go on stage. To hear my name be shouted by my friend Shawn, followed by the absolute loudest round of applause at my back impressing everyone as I gained the title of the first non-senior to win made me cry with happiness. It was like the best headache possible and got topped off by a bunch of hugs and kisses and fun times at Founders’ Day. I just hope that the community remembers it as fondly as I do.
Eleanor Macagba, Class II - My favorite thing about TBLS are the clubs!! I was pretty nervous when I first arrived at TBLS, and clubs really helped me find people with similar interests and made me feel as if I belonged in the school!
Faraaz Ali, Class II - The students at TBLS have a strong sense of community. The school is small so everyone has the similar classes, teachers, and classmates, which fosters camaraderie and helps people feel like they're part of a larger, shared experience.
Janata Harrison, Class II - My favorite thing about TBLS is the community. We have some really great teachers who stick their head out for us, care about us as people, and look out for us beyond the classroom. There are also a million bazillion kids who are so incredibly talented. We're all so lucky to share a space together because we all bring different gifts and our friendships are so creative and beautiful and deep.
Kaden Chan, Class II - My favorite thing about TBLS is the small community because it allowed me to have many, many friends and have close relationships with every single one of them. I feel like it would be really hard to do that with a larger school.
Maduca Kubo, Class II - My favorite thing about TBLS is that the community is so closely- knit. I've never been to a school where the teachers and students care about each other as much as they do here.
Max Leussing, Class II- My favorite thing about TBLS is the smaller, tighter-knit community that it builds with its smaller student body. My favourite memory comes from Princeton-Blairstown, at the beginning of the year, when I met a bunch of new people and we all got along very well and bonded over the sorta eh camp food at the beginning of freshmen year.
Ms. Snyder, Latin magistra - My favorite thing about TBLS is our balance of hard work and compassion. Both discipuli and staff alike work incredibly hard in and outside of the classroom to meet the academic standards of the rigorous IB Programme and we are also all incredibly supportive of one another and care deeply about each other as human beings. I've never been part of a community that struck such a beautiful balance of both, and in fact I think most have one or the other, so it is a true honor and joy for me to be able to be a part of.
Ms. Koppa, Biology magistra - My favorite thing about TBLS is the intellectual curiosity of students and faculty. I feel very lucky to work with people who are so knowledgeable and to teach students who are so eager to learn. Becoming an informed and engaged citizen is so important and I think the TBLS education speaks to that!
Ms. Vetter, History magistra - One of my absolute favorite things about TBLS is how much it challenges me, and I hope all of us, to be the best version of myself as both an educator and an individual. It really is a community of analytical thinkers and not a day goes by that my students don't push me to think about history, or education, or theater, or politics or identity or life in general in a new, valuable way that helps me continue to grow as a person.
Mr. Lao, Math magister - My favorite thing about working at TBLS is the diversity of the students and the encouragement of group work. I think when people interact with others who don't look like themselves or don't necessarily share the same viewpoints, we as a society grow the most and those individuals learn best. With the common goal of learning together to become more educated people, the individuals of TBLS's diverse student body work together to be a much stronger whole than the individual parts added together.
I have many fond memories of TBLS, but my fondest always surround my feelings of pride for students. The pride I feel could come from seeing TBLS students get into college, or win awards, or graduate, but I also feel it when I see an exceptional performance I know the students worked hard on, or a sports game/match where TBLS students give it their all, or when I read a piece of writing that clearly shows the student's thoughts and character.
Ms. Glass, Dean of Discipuli Support - Definitely the discips! TBLS attracts a wonderfully nerdy, kind, creative, and interesting discip. I love working with all 778 of them.
My first year at TBLS was also Mr. Baker's first year. We were pretty new teachers, and we had a lot to learn! We would spend hours and hours working on creating lessons and curriculum. There were some hits and definitely some misses, but through it all, I became a much better teacher because of that work with him and developed a life-long friend.
Rachel Huang, Class I - My favorite thing about TBLS is undoubtedly the community. Nowhere else had I been able to meet such open minded, passionate and supportive people. I’m comfortable starting a conversation with anyone, no matter if they’re a student or member of the staff, and the feeling is always reciprocated.
William Diep, Class II- My favorite thing about TBLS is the emphasis on public speaking. I love public speaking because I get to express who I am and TBLS shows us this. TBLS teaches us to be the leaders of today and I am thankful for that.
Yewon Yang, Class IV - As a freshman, going to high school was both nerve-wracking and thrilling. I think that the first time I got to really interact and create special moments happened in our PBC trip. Because everyone was mostly there, I was able to talk to a variety of students and staff members, and at the same time do entertaining activities with them. I vividly remember the great delay the freshman class faced when coming back to school because a Mercedes car wedged into the lane. While we were frustrated and exhausted, it is now a memory I can look back and laugh at.
Despite TBLS being a prestigious school with its reputation built around being one of New York City's specialized high schools, it would appear that TBLS's biggest strength is not its excellent performance in academics but rather its strong community. Every answer circled back to the teachers, students, and staff that make up the school population.
Happy Birthday, TBLS! Happy Birthday, Ms. Glass! Happy Birthday, Mr. Turner! We love you!