MS 145 would like to thank the hundreds of parents, guardians and friends who joined our educators in braving the elements today and came to the daytime session of Parent/Teacher Conferences. Due to the inclement weather, a recorded notice was sent to the emergency contact number we have on file indicating that the Chancellor had postponed the afternoon sessions citywide. Keep checking this site, check the NYCDOE website, register for Notify NYC and pay close attention for any postings sent home indicating the rescheduled date and time. Thank you, and stay warm.

Recent graduates Jesica Blandon and Vaughn Kelly are participating in the 2010 Knicks Poetry Slam competition. These are video clips of Jesica’s and Vaughn’s performances during the semifinals held at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Stay tuned for more info since Jesica has qualified for the finals, and Vaughn is currently a “Digital Poet.” In order to vote for Vaughn’s video (or any other poets you prefer…) please log onto www.knickspoetryslam.com and cast your vote! Help these poets to claim one of two remaining spots for the finals!

Kia Vaughn, MS145 alumnus and New York Liberty basketball star recently visited her middle school alma mater to give the Liberty fans a glimpse into her world.

Alumni Jesica Blandon and Denisse Cotto were recently interviewed, photographed and featured in an article published in Edutopia Magazine about Global WRITeS, the arts organization (formerly known as Bronx WRITeS) that partners with our schools and provides a teaching artist/poet to work with our award winning poetry slam teams. Jesica’s poem, “Bleeding Da Vinci” was reprinted in the magazine, and a video of her poem, “I Was Told Mama Had All the Answers” was featured in the magazine, in both their print publication and their online version. Mr. Hannibal was also interviewed. Click the link to view the article and Check out our Graduates!

Students at MS 145 middle school courted success Thursday when we won a mock trial competition – our second win in three years. Seventh-graders from Middle School 145 outlawyered hundreds of other students to win the Thurgood Marshall Junior Mock Trial competition held at the Bronx County court building. Tina Fraser, 14, an MS 145 student who moved to the Bronx from Jamaica two years ago, said she was excited to make her case at the mock murder trial. “My coaches, teacher and principal inspired me,” said Fraser, who also won top prize for best advocate. “We worked hard and did our best.” Continue this article here…

Students from Middle School 145 in the South Bronx outlawyered kids from a fancy upper East Side private school to win the ninth annual Thurgood Marshall Junior Mock Trial competition. “We worked hard and it paid off,” said 14-year-old Carissma Hughes, a lawyer on her eighth-grade legal team. “At first I was nervous, but in the middle of the trial I enjoyed the rush. Now, I realize I want to become a defense attorney.”

The mock trial, held last week at the Bronx County court building, was based on two men boarding a subway and robbing a man. Real-life Bronx Assistant District Attorneys Jon Westland and Jaci Flug volunteered to coach the Bronx students. Edwin Carbajal, 14, who served as a prosecutor, said when it was his turn to speak to the jury during closing arguments, he looked them right in the eye as he spoke. Continue article here…

The Arturo Toscanini Complex played host recently to an international dignitary. The First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, who was visiting the United States to celebrate Tartan Day, also paid a special visit to the library of MS145 in order to interact with a group of youth to learn how the arts could be used to promote positive youth development in his native Scotland. The funny thing is, he also talked with some students from Scotland at the same time. How was this possible? Through a video-conference, leveraging the power of our poetry slam equipment to reach across an ocean and shake hands with Europe. Students from all three of our complex schools, MS145, MS325 and MS328 all performed for audiences in both the Bronx and in Scotland. Click the link to view the original article on the BBC News website and on News 12.