Ms. Messmann Declares The AAPI Festival A Hit!!!!

Ms.+Messmann+Declares+The+AAPI+Festival+A+Hit%21%21%21%21

Hats off to all the staff and students that facilitated the AAPI Heritage celebration. Teacher leaders included: Ms. Dong, Mr. Liang, Ms. Xu, Ms. Wang, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Chan, Mr. Zhou, Mr. Abdelaziz, Ms. Qadri, Ms. Ayyad, Ms. Yorra, Ms. Yuan, Mr. Lam and Ms. Baba, and guidance counselors Tian, Young, Tien, Wang, for running a guidance resource table.

Each staff member went above and beyond for our students and community in a short turnaround time. Also thanks to Mr. Catalano for running an Anime station, Mervat for invaluable assistance with food service and tea water, Mr. Sullivan for photography, deans, school safety agents, and AP Manning for calm supervision, Mr. Stanco and Ms. Williams for balloons, Yamilex, Amber, and the PTA for water, Ms. Feratovic for pinch hitting and running the check in station, Ms. Pierre Louis for managing the raffle tickets, Mark for never ending IT support, and all the APs that sponsored the food (supporting a local business impacted by COVID), and helped set up tents, tables and all facets of the day.

Thanks to the teachers, counselors, paraprofessional aides and community assistance that showed their love and support to our students, by attending, and of course thanks to Ms. Katz for allowing us to run the event.

Some truly beautiful things to note. Mr. Chan and the FDR Dreamers made over 25 pieces of 3D origami to raffle. They shared the history of 3D origami, the connection to the Golden Venture shipwreck in Queens in 1993, and the Chinese refugee immigrants who began making 3D origami to pay for their legal aid after this event.

A shout-out to Mr. Zhang and Ms. Scilipote and their embodiment of the true meaning of co- teaching. When there was a chicken and rice shortage, they did not hesitate to hustle down 20th Ave on a second food run, together. Seeing them do this together, as a team, illustrates what co-teaching and collaboration, when done right, will create in a school culture and community. Real co-teaching and collaboration is about a shared deep love for the community. A brave advocacy for what your community needs. To see these two first year teachers, who began their careers during a Global pandemic just get it- leaves me inspired for what FDR will be able to do to restore our community over the next few months.