Get to Know Adelphi’s January 2020 Students of the Month!

Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn’s January 2020 Students of the Month: Saba (Lower School), Dannielle (Middle School), Raneem (Upper School), Aiden (Student-Artist) and Timothy (Scholar-Athlete).

BAY RIDGE – Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn’s prestigious “Student of the Month” program continued with a special assembly inside the John Lockwood Auditorium Theatre in early February to recognize five outstanding students who demonstrated extraordinary effort during the month of January. Saba (Lower School), Dannielle (Middle School), Raneem (Upper School), Aiden (Student-Artist) and Timothy (Scholar-Athlete) were each recognized in front of the entire Adelphi community and received official certificates signed by Head of School Ms. Iphigenia Romanos. They recently sat down with the Panther Press Room for an exclusive interview, during which they shared some details about themselves and their experiences at Adelphi.

Lower School Student of the Month Saba was thrilled to learn that his extra effort had paid off with this special honor. “I’m happy and proud. I worked so hard!” he smiled. At Adelphi, Saba especially enjoys singing and performing in the Annual Lower School Talent Show alongside his talented classmates. “I love singing,” he said. “We are one talented bunch!” Saba hopes to one day become a train conductor. “I want to drive the N, R and Q trains,” she said. Part of Saba’s extra effort included helping his fellow siblings with their homework and participating more in class.

Lower School faculty member Ms. Banach said, “Saba works very hard and is enthusiastic when completing his work. He is always honest and trustworthy when interacting with others. I am proud of Saba for receiving this Student of Month award!

Middle School Student of the Month Dannielle was genuinely surprised to receive her very first Student of the Month award. “I thought maybe next year,” she said. “But I worked hard and participated in class.” Dannielle also participated in Adelphi’s Theater Arts Program by auditioning for The Adelphian Masquers’ 5 Year Anniversary Show! and landing several key roles. The talented actress, who has been performing outside Adelphi since the age of 8, was excited to be making her Adelphi stage debut. “I’m enjoying the ‘Lion King’ scenes because I get to rehearse with all my friends,” she said. Dannielle, an avid horseback rider, dreams of riding professionally one day, or becoming a horse trainer. “I can perform tricks with horses,” she said. “I can already do small jumps.” Her advice for her fellow Adelphians who are looking to make a name for themselves at school is simple. “Just work hard, show good sportsmanship and participate in everything,” she said.

Homeroom teacher Ms. Wong said, “Svetlana is a self-motivated student. She always puts forth her best effort in and out of the classroom.”

Upper School Student of the Month Raneem is a veteran of Adelphi’s Theater Arts Program and is having fun rehearsing for the upcoming 5 Year Anniversary Show! So, what can audience expect on opening night? “You can expect a new spin on previous performances,” she said. “It’s very exciting!” Raneem said her favorite part of the upcoming production is that she gets to reprise her role of Jan from Grease. “That was my favorite character,” she smiled. Raneem aspires to be a pediatrician one day because she is inspired by her own doctor. She advises her fellow Adelphians to “be a good student and always try your best.”

Homeroom teacher Ms. Alvarracin said, “Raneem is an excellent student who shows qualities of caring and compassion to her classmates on a daily basis. She is a talented performer as well and I cannot wait to see her shine on stage once again!”

January 2020 Students of the Month were recognized at a special assembly held in their honor.

Student-Artist of the Month Aiden loves to create artwork at Adelphi and at home. He was particularly proud of a recent drawing he did in class. “I drew a doggie!” he exclaimed. He was inspired by his new dog Cooper, he said. Aiden enjoys drawing and painting alongside his older sister Tiffany when he’s at home. “Both of us are good artists,” he said. Though technically still undecided about his future career, he said he hopes to work in a big office like his father when he gets older.

Art Instructor Ms. Fregara said, “Aiden is always eager to learn in art class. He listens and follows directions carefully. He is very neat with all his artwork and he always gets excited by his art discoveries, such as mixing different colors of paint together to see what the outcome color will be. Aiden has a love for art and he is always willing to help others as well when they are struggling to find an idea or using an art material. Congratulations on being Student-Artist of the Month!”

Scholar-Athlete of the Month Timothy was excited to learn that he was being recognized for his athletic and academic efforts. “It feels awesome!” he said. Timothy is highly creative and spends much of his time imagining and drawing unique characters. To date, he has created more than 50 individual characters, each with a backstory. “Marx, for instance, is from another universe many years older than ours — more than a million years, actually — and he’s more advanced and more powerful than we are,” he explained. Timothy, who enjoys anime and other cartoons, plans to put his creativity to work for him one day by creating his very own television show. “TV shows take a lot of time, though,” he acknowledged.

Open Gym Moderator Ms. Alvarracin said, “Timothy always tries his best during physical education and he definitely has fun whenever he enters the gymnasium. Timothy has developed strong leadership skills through his athletic activities and that translates wonderfully into the classroom. Keep up the great work, Timothy!”

Congratulations once again to Adelphi’s outstanding “Students of the Month” for January: Saba, Dannielle, Raneem, Aiden and Timothy!

As the oldest private, independent, continuing, coeducational, college-preparatory day school in the borough and one of the oldest in the nation, Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, “the little school of big dreams” has been “effectively preparing  young people for college, career, and life, one day at a time” for over 150 years. Founded in 1863 and located in the historic Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, Adelphi enrolls students from two years of age through twelfth grade. A strong emphasis is placed on small class size, individualized attention, self-expression, critical thinking and challenging hands-on learning through Adelphi’s founding philosophy and dedication to the education of the “total child.” Adelphi students excel within a small, intimate, safe, caring, nurturing, and secure environment through Adelphi’s core values and founding principles of pride, tradition, spirit, and excellence. The student-teacher ratio is 8 to 1 and Adelphi is a New York State Regents Exempt Program with a 100% college application, acceptance and attendance rate. A founding member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, Adelphi receives its charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and has been a member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since 1928. Ms. Iphigenia Romanos serves as Head of School.

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Photos courtesy of Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn