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TRCS Anniversary Celebration Coverage
APRIL, 2013 


Wow, what a wonderful night of reminiscing, visiting with friends old and new, and enjoying the music and each other.  We heard from some of our local dignitaries, as well as those involved in the history of our school.  If you were unable to be there, we hope you enjoy the pictures and stories below!  There are additional photos on the Renaissance photo site.  Click on the "Special Events" tab. 
A Letter of Thanks
We were joined that evening not just by our staff and families, but many community members who feel a part of the Renaissance family. Susie Tanebaum works for the office of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall as Special Assistant on Immigration and Inter-Cultural Affairs.  She previously worked for the Jackson Heights Community Development Corporation.  She has helped Renaissance form many partnerships within the community, including bringing TREA to our school.  Below is her letter of thanks:

Congratulations on TRCS's spectacular 20th anniversary gala last Friday!  What a wonderful night; you & Peggy & everyone in the TRCS community really know how to throw a great party!  Several of us were also saying that the reminiscences being shared were the makings of a meaningful oral history project.  Hopefully one day we can arrange for TRCS to become part of Queens Library's new online Queens Memory Project.
 
And thank you for including TREA, and me, in the beautifully narrated slide show!  We made the right choice when we approached Renaissance after 9/11/2001 and asked if you'd adopt us.  The group has made a profound difference in many teens' lives (and in the lives of the adults who have been a part of it).  There's still plenty of room for growth, and now a few people have asked me if they can model their after-school teen dialogue programs after TREA (which, at this stage, I think would be worth exploring).  I hope you know how grateful I am that we forged this community partnership and that you continue to offer TREA financial & moral support.
 
I hope you're able to bask in the glow of that very special evening.
 
Regards,
Susie

Shout Outs!
Renaissance is strongly supported by our local officials, who always hold us up as a model of what a great public school can be.  Check out our visitors below, which included Assemblyman Mike DenDekker, not pictured.

Queens Borough President proclaims April 5, 2013 TRCS Day!


Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette (retired) stopped by to speak about his memories of Renaissance.  He was instrumental in helping to get the support of the DOE so that we could move Renaissance from Long Island City to its present home in Jackson Heights!


Councilman Danny Dromm stopped by to give us a congratulatory plaque, saying if he ever goes back to teaching, he hopes he can teach at Renaissance!


Assemblyman Moya spoke about his part in helping Renaissance to expand its agriculture program.  In a visit to the school a few months ago, he discovered our rooftop garden.


Judge Rudy Greco has been a great community friend to Renaissance.  He has been the keynote speaker at a number of our High School graduation ceremonies.


Senator Jose Peralta is our NY State Senator, and a proud Renaissance parent.  He said that up in Albany, when the talk turns to schools and education, Renaissance is always mentioned as being a model school!
A Letter From the Mayor
Back in 2003 Mayor Bloomberg visited Renaissance, calling it a "Charter school that works".  In recognition of our 20th anniversary, the mayor sent the following letter of congratulations, which was read by our principal, Stacey Gauthier.  Click here  to read the Mayor's letter.
Renaissance Rocks!
Everyone danced the night away, including our founding principal Monte Joffee, joined here by founding member Meryl Thomson and veteran staff member George Adams!





Click here to view the entire photo album!
A Message from Founding Teacher Arlanna Black
The greatest congratulations to all of you on the 20th anniversary of the Renaissance School.  I wish I could have shared in every one of those years as one of the founding teachers and a high school social studies teacher.  That first year was the most glorious challenge ever.  I had 25 rambunctious 7th graders, three rising 6th graders and three 8th graders, a seemingly unworkable classroom.  My classroom was like a mini-United Nations with students representing 11 different ethnicities.  What a treasure house!

 

One of my fondest memories was a class project we completed around Christmas.  We decided to hold a mock trial to determine whether Santa Claus was real or not.  Students did amazing research and the jobs of prosecuting and defense attorneys were expertly carried out, as well as witness testimony.  I will never forget that when the jury had enough conclusive evidence to determine that Santa Claus was indeed not real, one of my precious 7th grade students burst out in tears and it took quite a while to calm him down. 

 

I will be visiting New York City at the end of June, beginning of July and I would LOVE to get together with some of those precious students who are now all grown and have children of their own.  I wish I could now transport myself back to the Renaissance School and pick up where I left off.  You are truly fortunate to have been a part of such an amazing undertaking.  Once again, my heart-felt congratulations to all of you ~ faculty, students and staff.

 

Sincerely,

 

Arlaana Black

 

History of Renaissance 

    

 A special video presentation was put together, outlining the history of Renaissance with pictures and a narration of its' story.  Click this link to watch the presentation:   

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-LqdA1XsLM   

If you would like a DVD copy of the video as a momento or to share with others, copies are on sale for $10 in the main office or on the website support page. (http://www.renaissancecharter.org/support/campaigns)

Alumni Corner
We had a number of alumni with us that evening, and a few of them spoke about their experiences at Renaissance:

Danielle Bero, class of 2003, spoke about how her experience at Renaissance led her to a career in education so that she could give back to the community.  She is a founding teacher at Broome Street Academy Charter High School.  Standing next to Danielle is our DJ for the evening, Kenny Vargas, also a former student.

Pictured above are three alumni who have all returned to work at Renaissance:  Girelle Guzman, Valedictorian class of 2002, now works as the Internship Coordinator for the College Bound Program,

Jose Mane, Valedictorian of the first graduating class of TRCS 1999, is now our High School Humanities Teacher, and

Alex Smith, class of 2000 is the Coordinator of TRCS Sports Teams.

Make an investment in children, education and the future of our world.  Safer, better-educated communities are great for business; they improve the quality of life for everyone. Renaissance's hard-working, high-achieving students strive to make that happen and with your help that goal is closer to being a reality:  Please visit our website for more information, and lick on the red DONATE button on the bottom of each page: http://www.renaissancecharter.org/.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

The Renaissance Charter School