Community News

Majors at Murry Bergtraum High School
Majors at Murry Bergtraum High School were once known as Houses. However, in September 2006, these houses were renamed to Academies as the school began its year of reformation. Students of the Graduating Class of 2009 will be the last graduating class to be known as Houses. These new academies have directors that would oversee the academic and social activity of students.

1. Finance ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy J" Students. In the Finance major, students are introduced to accounting, business introduction, law and computer applications, college level accounting, and financial investments. The director of the Institute of Economics and Finance is currently Jared Vitolo.
2. Accounting ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy G" Students. In the Accounting major, students learn basic to complex accounting. This program mocks the previous stenography major that taught all types of stenography. The director of the Accounting Academy is currently Barbara Cortez.
3. Human Resources Management ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy E" Students. In the Administrative Assistant Technology major, students are introduced to Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access programs, notetaking (Shorthand), business English, and business protocols. The director of the Academy of Human Resources Management is currently Irene Gianacoplos.
4. Information Systems ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy F" Students. In the Information Systems major, students are introduced to MOS certifications in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access programs, integrated computer applications along with desktop publishing. The director of the Information Systems Academy is currently Wayne Gagnon.
5. Global Marketing Travel and Tourism ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy L" Students. In the Travel and Tourism major, students are introduced to geography , computer systems, job shadowing, paid summer internships, and participate in the virtual enterprise. The director of the Global Marketing Travel and Tourism Academy is currently Mark Malkonian.
6. Computer Science ~Students in this major are known as "Academy N" Students. In the Computer Science major, students are introduced to QBasic, C++, HTML, web page, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access, desktop publishing, and participate in mentoring programs with Lehman Brothers. The director of the Computer Science Institute is currently Anna Matheos.
7. Legal Studies ~Students in this major are known as "Academy Q" Students. In the Legal Studies major, students are introduced to business law, trial procedures, general law, basic law of contracts, real estate law,urban planning, constitutional law, and participate in courthouse visits. The director of the Legal Studies Academy is currently Jose Cruz.
8. Marketing, Introduction to Business ~ Students in this major are known as "Academy K" Students. In the Marketing major, students are introduced to the principles of marketing, and advertising, insurance, business law, business computer operations, sports marketing, and participate in the Estee Lauder retail academy. This major is tied along with the previous L and K houses. Both houses now contain the same conjunct courses. The director of the Marketing Academy is currently Mark Malkonian.
9. Communications/Instructional Support/Special Education ~Students in this major are known as "I, O, or Z Academy" Students. Students in this house must follow procedures according to their respective major, however their classes are taught differently from regular education students. The director of these departments currently is Ms. T. Austin

Sana Islam, April 17, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murry_Bergtraum_High_School

Graduation requirements

Murry Bergtraum High School just like any other school in New York City enforced certain requirement on its students in order for them to graduate with the High school Diploma. These requirements are to take:

• 4 years of English, and than take the English Regents at the end of Junior year.
• 3 years of Math and take the Math A regents, the Math B or both depending on your math level
• 4 years of History including Global History and American History. The Global Regents are usually taken at the end of sophomore year and the American History Regents are usually taken after junior year.
• 3 years of a foreign language and taking the regents is optional. The languages that are offered are Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish.
• 3 years of science ranging form Marine Biology to Physics, but students are required to only take to regents in science.
• 3 and 1/2 years of physical education, and 1/2 a year of health education.
• 4 years of business study. Passing all business courses is mandated in order to graduate with the Bergtraum seal. Specific business courses will depend on the house that the student is in.
• Half a year of Music
• Half a year of Art
• Half a year of an Internship in which the student works in school
• Also Work-Based Business Credit are available . Students who work a specific amount of hours each Semester qualify to receive an elective business credit.

Sharmin Hossain April 16,2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murry_Bergtraum_High_School

History of Murry Bergtraum
Murry Bergtraum High School was actually established in 1975 in memory of the former New York City Board of Education president named Murry Bergtraum. He passed away in 1974 and the high was established in his memory. The term Bergtraum is actually German and it means “mountain dream”. Murry Bergtraum High school was the first academic high school in New York City to have majors in business. This was accomplished to better prepare younger generations about to enter into the business world. However the school that is now dedicated to Murry Bergtraum wasn’t always called Murry Bergtraum High School in fact it was called “downtown High School for quiet some time and later it was dedicated in memory of Mr. Bergtraum.

Sharmin Hossain April 15, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murry_Bergtraum_High_School

The Leading Ladies.
Murry Bergtraum High School is well known for its history of having only female principals. Ever since Murry Bergtraum was started it has had four principals. They are Dr. Barbara Christen, Elsie Chan, Grace Julian, and Barbara Esmilla. The first principal, who of course was Dr. Barbara Christen, turned Murry Bergtraum into one of the toughest High School in New York City. The second principal, Elsie Chan, took over after Dr. Barbara Christen had taken the decision to retire, she continued Bergtraum’s excellence. The third principal was Grace Julian and she basically brought Bergtraum to the top. She was the principal when the lady blazers began to take over the NYC basketball division. And lastly but certainly not least is Ms. Barbara Esmilla she is the current principal of Murry Bergtraum High School. She is trying to restore “bergtraums glory”. Murry bergtraum is definitely seeing some results with her methods.

Sharmin Hossain April 14, 2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murry_Bergtraum_High_School

No More Night School!
Night School has been canceled at Murry Bergtraum High School. Although there will be no night school, PM school will make up for that matter. Some senior students were outraged when they found out that night school has been canceled. They think that they will not be able to graduate this year since failing classes is a common thing in Bergtraum. Some seniors didn’t take their freshmen year seriously, and ended up failing many classes. At the end, it all came back to them. Many seniors regret failing their classes and they suggest other Bergtraum students to improve before it is too late. Many senior students are now part of extended day program, which starts after 8^th period. This is sad because it is our senior year, and we should be enjoying our last year in high school, but there are some seniors who are suffering due to the fact that they failed some classes during their freshmen year.
Sana Islam, April 4, 2007

Senior College News
1.SCHOLARSHIPS ~ It is your job to do research and apply for scholarship that you qualify for. Be aware of deadlines that are quickly approaching.
2.FAFSA ~ All students should have completed and submitted the FAFSA by this point. If you don’t submit it, you will not get financial aid for college.
3.TAP APPLICATION ~ Once you have submitted your FAFSA application online, you should do your tap application. The website is http://www.hesc.org/.
4.WHAT IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD YET? ~ Colleges will continue to send out acceptance letters through April. Take the initiative and make a call if you are curious.
5.DON”T SEND ANY MONEY AT ALL! ~ Some colleges are asking you to secure your spot, but don’t send money at this point. You need to wait for your financial aid packages before you commit to a college. If you have questions, contact the Financial Aid Office of the colleges you applied to.
Sana Islam, April 3, 2007

Three Years & Done with High School?
It only took Talha Islam three years to graduate from high school. He is only sixteen years old and he will be graduating in June, 2007. His average is 91. 53%. When asked if he feels like an overachiever, he said that “I am a regular high school student and I am no different than any other student in our high school. Talha likes challenges and he decided to graduate in three years because he wanted to. He has taken two Advanced Placement classes and he is part of the New York State Math Team. He is also in Bergtraum’s handball team. Talha has decided to major in marketing and he wants to become a Marketing Director in the future. His parents are proud of him since he is graduating with his elder sister, Sana.
Sana Islam, April 2, 2007

The Obstacles Faced in High School
Some seniors have said that high school so far has been the most academically stressing, hard and an annoying period of their time in their time in their lives; while some didn’t find it so overwhelming. Over the four year course in Murry Bergtraum high school we have all had our share of difficulties. With so many students in one school, it can be common to find yourself being influenced by your peers.
Yet one of the most common regrets among the student attending Bergtraum is the roller coaster rife with their grades. Many of us aren’t so proud of how we started off freshman year, but after we started realizing the importance of our high school career and how hard it really is to get that diploma on time we started to get our act together and start doing everything we were supposed to.
High school is guaranteed to not be all that you might expect. Areas you once excelled in might become your weakest points and you might even find some things about yourself that you had no idea about. The school experience is sure to have it challenges, but it is in the way that we handle them that make them the most memorable moments in our life.

Sharmin Hossain March 28, 2007

Senior Class President
A day in the life of our senior class president, Denise Morales is tough. Waking up at 6am for school, spending about 7 hours doing various things, including attending her classes, working in both the senior office and the 2007 yearbook, attending National Honors Society and Black Student Union are all part of her daily routine. Not to mention she also rushes to her job at Guardian Life Insurance after school. This is a typical day in the life of Denise Morales.
Denise Morales isn’t your average senior; she is a student with an 88+ average, even with extracurricular activities on her agenda. When asked what her greatest accomplishment was, she simply said “Making it to senior year in high school without being delayed and getting good grades throughout my high school career.” always wanting to learn more, Denise said that “On average I read about 2-3 books a month. I am interested in learning about several different countries and cultures.”
So far her experience of being the class president has been good yet a stressful journey. She definitely feels that she has learned a lot working with Ms. Brown and the other members of the Senior Council.

Sharmin Hossain March 27, 2007

Student Government
Student Government started 31 years ago and still has a strong presence throughout MBHS. Mrs. Ada Colon is the coordinator of Student Government and Council For Unity. Student Government is an organization that helps and regulates student affairs at Bergtraum High school. It has played a big part in an open house this year, which was not done in previous years. Government had participated in many activities. Government took part in Big Brother Big sister, community services, FWA mentoring program, YWCA, and Estee Lauder Mentoring Program. Student Government has been a very active organization for many years in helping Bergtraum maintain a well organized learning environment for students and teachers.

Sharmin Hossain March 26, 2007

AP Calculus!

When students hear the word “Calculus,” 9 out of 10 of them flip out and back off from taking the subject in High School. “Mathematics is the language of Science. Many of my former students inform me that they were at a major advantage when they attended college since they took calculus in High School,” said Ms. Daquila, a calculus teacher who also works in the program office. She enjoys teaching mathematics especially AP Calculus.
However, all the credit does not go to Ms. Daquila alone. The students in AP Calculus are the students who ranked in the top 50 of the graduating class meaning they are talented naturally. Many of the students in the AP calculus are also taking several other AP courses as well. “Many of the students that take calculus are good students that take the class very seriously,” said Talha Islam, one of the AP students who will be graduating in only 3 years. Ms. Daquila barely lets her students use a calculator because she thinks that it is only as smart as her students are.
Sana Islam March 25, 2007

College Advocate ~ Ms. Shore
“I am an old fashioned teacher in that I believe students can be enlightened by exposure to great ideas and literature but I also am a new styled teacher in that I love to find connections with students’ contemporary experiences,” said Ms. Shore who has been a teacher in New York City public schools since 1972. When asked to elucidate what she meant by finding connections with students’ contemporary experiences, she explained: “That means I have to do my homework: watching TV, listening to current music, seeing popular movies, and learning youth language.” A bouncy teacher even at eight in the morning, Ms. Shore, loves working with teenagers and helping them find their paths. Ms. Shore prefers teaching senior classes like English 7 and English 8. She said, “I want so much to clue the students in on the myriad choices and decisions they have to make senior year. I love to set them up for early success in college.” Sharmin who has Ms. Shore for E7 said, “Ms. Shore is the best because she helped me with my college application.” Her students appreciate her help. They are pleased to have Ms. Shore as their teacher. As said by Ms. Brown, “She is a nice person to work with, she is very helpful, and she was an excellent college adviser for me in 1992.” At Murry Bergtraum High School, Ms. Shore has helped many seniors explore success. Her students describe her as “kind and caring.” However, she said, “I would love it if they said intelligent. And while we are at it, gorgeous would not go amiss. OK, that is a joke.”

Sana Islam March 24, 2007

About My Community

Community is a locality inhabited by a group of people. I belong to the Murry Bergtraum Community because I am a student at this high school. It's been four years since I joined this school. Now, I am a senior. I am a member of National Honor Society and Council for Unity. I am a section editor for senior life section in the Yearbook Staff of 2007. I'm also a volunteer in Senior Council. I am part of this community because I talk with my fellow classmates and friends. We try to come up with different ideas of improvement so we can make our high school a better place and accomplish our school's mission.

This school is located in Lower Manhattan near the Brooklyn Bridge next to City hall. The complete address is 411 Pearl Street, Manhattan, NY 10038 and the phone number is (212)-964-9610. It is a public high school and it offers business courses like accounting, marketing, finance, computer science, and information systems along with academic courses to prepare students for college. Students are well-behaved and well-mannered. The school's mission is to "instill in its students a strong sense of ethics, problem solving skills, strategies for consensus building, team spirit, a work ethic, a sense of self esteem, critical thinking and interpersonal skills." Thus, it prepare students for college and for the business world. This is why Bergtraum is the first choice for students who have decided upon business careers.
http://www.bergtraum.org/
Sana Islam March 23, 2007