Learning English and Business, by Oumou Diallo, Junior at CIHS:
“My name is Oumou and I’m a student from Crotona International High School. When I came to CIHS I was very confused and sad because I was a new student and I don’t speak English, but fortunately I found students who speak my other languages, French and Fulani. I like my school because it’s an international school, and the students and teachers helped me a lot so that I can adapt to the new language. There is a teacher who helps the students find jobs, I went to talk to her and she found me an opportunity at The Glass Files and MetaBronx. I was very very happy to have this work because The Glass Files is a technology company that builds software to connect family stories to history. The job helps me to have more professional experience, it helps me to know about computers, and to be comfortable speaking with people in public.”
The Legal Brief, by Bremely Tapia, Senior at CIHS:
“My name is Bremely Tapia, I am a student of Crotona International High School. I will be writing about the lawsuit that happened in The Glass Files. The reason why I am interested in writing about this topic is that when I graduate from high school, I want to study to become a lawyer. Working on this topic will help me to have some experience about what a lawsuit is and how it is carried out.
According to what I investigated, there is a problem that happened between the tenant of the third floor and the tenants of the second floor, scenyc, where The Glass Files and MetaBronx are located. The tenants on the second floor are dealing with the thickness of the ceiling that separates them from the third floor. They’re also dealing with the installation of the plumbing.
The employees had the bad experience that they felt that the ceiling could collapse. Loud noises were heard from the third floor daily, and heavy impacts on the the floor caused wood, paint, moths and dust to fall on the heads of the tenants on the second floor. The other incident they dealt with was the plumbing, first it started with a little water but then it was growing until it was already quite big puddles, it became really a serious problem and we had to call the Fire Department.
Employees gave their statements of everything that happened and how much it scared them. Some other students working in this area, such as Julio C, Orlenys, Christopher and Ariel, took photographic evidence about the above problems.
It is a sad situation because it shows that we do not have neighbors who are worried about what is happening around us. They don’t realize that what affects us also affects them in another way. We are supposed to be a community and take care of each other but that is also not possible for the reason that the landlord of the building does not care either.”
Transcribing the Bronx Senior Storytellers, by Anyeska Mendoza, Sophomore at CIHS:
“My name is Anyeska, I’m from Crotona International High School, and I started to work at The Glass Files in November.
At The Glass Files I have learned and done many things that will help me in these moments and in my future. As part of marketing I worked on adding full descriptions to the videos that BASE students made last summer, of the Bronx Senior Storytellers. The videos were interviews with elderly people who talked about their lives, and how they became the people they are today. I started with the transcripts of each person, which basically are written documents of everything that each person said in the interview. I edited some mistakes in the writing such as commas, periods and some words in English that were not well written, and ordered everything in parts so that people who enter The Glass Files can watch the videos and read the stories.
This job is very important and it helped me practice writing and improve my skills with the English language. At every moment we students have to write essays, make presentations and many things that have to do with writing and spelling, and this helped me become a better writer.”
The virtuous circle between classroom and workplace, by Sharbie Rivaz, Senior at CIHS:
“Every year the Seniors at CIHS work on a project to find a resolution for different issues in the community. This year we focused on topics such as immigration, crime, domestic violence, sanitation, segregation, housing and food access.
For instance, here in The Bronx there are a lot more bodegas than supermarkets, and they sell mostly preserved fast foods that cause people to develop diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart problems.
At each step of the process we documented our research on The Glass Files, we wrote letters to elected officials to raise awareness, and we edited short films to educate the people that we presented at Belmont Library near our school.”
Excerpts from the full article by The Glass Files co-founder Sarah Poyet.