Robert Speaking at Lawyers Leading the Way

It was a slow moving day in fourth grade when my class was called to the auditorium. As I  took my seat, a group of sharp-looking boys walked in wearing blue blazers, red bow ties and shiny black shoes. They looked like superstars! They started singing "This Old Man." I never realized how a silly nursery rhyme could sound so beautiful. It was so amazing that I wanted to be a part of it. I started singing when I was five and I always loved it, but I never saw a future in singing until I saw the Newark Boys Chorus perform. I can honestly say that that day truly changed my life. 

A year passed and I was on my way to middle school when my mom told me that she wanted me to have more opportunities and NBCS came up. At first I didn't want to go. Dismissal wasn't until 4:30 and by all the projects displayed on the walls, I could tell I would have to work hard...and it was only boys! My entire perspective changed when I had my interview. The vibe you feel when you walk into NBCS is almost an overwhelming wave of positivity. NBCS represents optimism, compassion, unity and success. It is almost impossible not to be happy when you enter the school.

As I reflect on my journey from a boy to a young man I can see the changes.  Click here to continue reading Robert's story. 

Our seventh graders recently visited Egypt!  Through an interdisciplinary program during the month of February, each academic class taught lessons tied to ancient and present-day Egypt, providing a thoughtful and well-rounded learning experience for our students. 

In Language Arts, the students read the poem "Adoration of Hapy" and then composed their own stories and poems using personification.  After studying the Nile river and Aswan Dam in Science, they constructed a dam to determine the effect of sediment movement down the Nile.  The boys created a timeline of an Egyptian calendar in Social Studies to identify flooding, planting and harvesting seasons.  In Math, students used geometry to determine how Egyptians built pyramids and measured fields.  They were also required to use the Pythagorean theorem to complete math equations.

Nathan & Tonny show off their projects

To tie all the lessons together, the students created brochures to promote a special exhibit on Egypt.  Half the class focused their projects on ancient Egypt, such as the Rosetta Stone and hieroglyphics, directions to make a mummy and the history and treasures of King Tutankhamen.  The other half of the class concentrated on the changes on the Nile over the past 100 years with projects on the construction of the Aswan Dam, water control on the Nile and maps of modern Egypt. 

I was never a bad kid but I wasn't always a mature one either. When you're a student at NBCS you have certain expectations, but as a child they are challenges. In truth, they are the challenges of a man. When boys are held to the same standards of men they either step up or give up and at NBCS failure is not an option when you are told that your future and your success are determined by how much you want it. I was taught that I can have anything so why would I stop now? The past three years at NBCS have made me more mature, more intelligent and more compassionate.    

The concert performances have played a major part in my growth. Whether it was the shows at the other schools where all the girls would scream my name  or the more serious concerts. Last year there was a big memorial concert on September11th. We performed, we made smiles, we made tears. It was just another important concert until I was stopped by an older woman in the audience. She hugged me and told me how her son must be smiling ear to ear up in heaven. She told me how much of an impact we make on the people in the audience. How our smiles and our optimism cast a wave of hope over the crowd that permeates to the whole town. I was touched and at the same time enlightened by the fact that I can make 20,000 people happy just by singing. I can give them hope. I can give them strength.

With all the performances and the almost endless hours spent in school, I can say that NBCS has prepared me for anything, even prep school. I've been visiting schools since November. I like each one but I still am not sure on which I should choose, but I know that wherever I go, I will succeed. NBCS has molded me into a better singer, speaker and person.  

Photograph courtesy of Chris Rohleder.