Black History Month and Valentine’s Day was celebrated in high fashion with our annual festivities. We paid respects to African American legends, past and present. Featured performances were acknowledge to show appreciation for the contributions of African-Americans. The two celebrations complemented each other nicely, as we promoted love for one another and our respective cultures. Both events portrayed a variety of themed decorations and performances. Commemorating various historical African-American figures proved effective in bolstering our knowledge of black history. Credit is due to our Dance, Step, Chorus, Engineering and Chorus clubs that produced impressive performances and presentations. Our staff and students did an excellent job collaborating to execute an educational and inspiring showcase.

Although our 2019 Winter Break Program was limited to a week, we certainly made the best of our time and ensured the students were very productive. In the morning session all students were tasked with completing their homework assignments with the assistance of our staff members. Then they proceeded to participate in various activities in the afternoon session, consisting of Science Lessons, Clubs, and daily themed activities which kept all students active. Our Science Exploration Hour allowed students to engage in experiments and activities that improved their general understanding of scientific concepts. Student were given a diverse selection of clubs to participate in including Sports, Art, Music, Engineering, Dance and Computer Science and Technology. After completing projects and learning about topics pertaining to their club each day, all students joined together to participate in recreational activities. These activities included a Home Depot Workshop, Movie Day, Game Day, and an end-of-the-program Talent Show. Our Talent Show provided students with an opportunity to showcase their talents with original performances created by them. After distributing award certificates to acknowledge students who performed well throughout the week, and watching an impressive talent show, we concluded our program with a dance party before saying our final goodbyes.

In honor of the Global day of the Engineer, students participated in a program wide project called Seismic Shake Up. The goal of the activity was to build a structure strong enough to withstand an earthquake. An earthquake is a natural event that affects many areas around the globe, caused by the friction of tectonic plates (plates that make up the earth’s outer shell). One huge challenge engineers have is to create structures that cannot be damaged or injure anyone when an earthquake occurs. Our project was made of two segments. On one side, a “shake table” was built, which is a device engineers use to simulate earthquakes. Two pieces of cardboard were bound together with rubber bands, with two tennis balls in between. A ruler or paint stirrer was taped under the top of the cardboard, which could be move around to simulate the earth shaking. On the other side, the students’ task was to build a sturdy building out of craft sticks and clay or PlayDough. In groups, they were to discuss the best way to make a tall enough building that would not crumble when placed on the shake table. The goal was to use their knowledge of shapes to build a large and strong base that could support its structure. With this hands-on project, students learned more about how earthquakes work, and how engineers prepare to prevent damage to life and property.

We would like to wish all students and staff members who celebrated their birth these past Spring months a Happy Birthday! We hope they enjoyed their special day and wish them many more to come.

This Spring we remained motivated in ensuring our students maintained the same productivity level they achieve during a regular school week. However, we always put a CYCSI spin on Spring break, allowing students to have fun, while staying busy. While our morning session consists of Spring break homework assistance and an engaging science lesson, the afternoon session features clubs hosted by our amazing activity specialists, who share a wide array of knowledge and skills with the children. This year, our clubs included Art, Technology, Engineering, Dance, Step, Music and Sports, giving students more than enough options to choose from. Our featured field trip this year was to Laser Bounce, where the students were able to run and play games with their friends. Whether it was playing arcade games for redeemable tickets, or running in the play area with plenty of tunnels and slides, everyone had a blast in an experience to remember.

"My favorite part about Spring break was having fun with my friends, playing." - Mathew Fagan, 2nd Grade

"My favorite part was going to clubs, especially Dance with Ms. Jasmine." - Savanah Dorsanvil, 1st Grade

Students from P.S. 176 Afterschool Program returned to perform at UPS North Atlantic African-American Business Resource Group’s (AABRG) Black History Celebration. This year the AABRG collaborated with the Womens Business Resource Group (WBRG) to lead a discussion on Mentoring Matters: Empower Others to CHALLENGE themselves, LEARN about the world and be a POSITIVE FORCE within it. Our students entertained the audience by performances of "Afro Beat" Dance and the "Beat of the Drums" Step. These performances were choreographed by Jasmine Warren, and Dominique Coppin, the CYCSI Dance and Chorus Instructors.