44 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • APRIL 27, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM school spotlight COMPILED BY BOB HARRIS AND ROBERT POZARYCKI International fl air to National Honor Society Ben Franklin student from Ridgewood keeps very busy Abdelkarim Bisharat, a Ridgewood teenager who also serves as vice president of the Benjamin Franklin High School student government in Cambria Heights, is one of the most active students you’ll fi nd on campus. His 97.5 percent grade average puts him on course to be the new high school’s fi rst valedictorian when he graduates next year. Bisharat is involved with numerous volunteer activities including working in the assistant principal’s offi ce, acting as a teacher assistant, representing the school at the High School Fair and training to be on the Campus Magnet Bulldogs football team. He’s planning to intern at TD Bank this summer. What a story this young poet has to tell Joel Okpara, the valedictorian for this year’s graduating class at the Math, Science Research & Technology High School at the Campus Magnet Complex, immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria just four years ago, and he has accomplished incredible things since arriving. Okpara is a poet and short stories writer who loves to read myths, legends and stories of Lady Diamonds helping to create valuable futures Shown above are girls from Lady Diamonds NYC and the Infi nity Love empowerment organization at the Women’s Empowerment Expo recently held in Queens. Th e Lady Diamonds aims to help young girls have a productive future; they’ve set up a program at the Campus Magnet Complex in Cambria Heights, working with students and guidance counselors to help develop the next generation of female leaders. At the expo, the Lady Diamonds raised funds for a tour of the Historic Black Colleges. heroic and ordinary people. On campus, he’s a member of the Campus Magnet varsity soccer and volleyball teams; sings on the school’s Glee Club; is an ARISTA volunteer; and is a peer leadership volunteer working with younger students. Okpara’s achieved a 4.0 GPA and has been accepted to City College, Hunter College, York College, Brooklyn College and Queens College. Teens’ self portraits are on display Tenth-graders Cristian Cabrera (at left ) and Jordy Lemache at Pan American International High School are shown in front of a case featuring their self portraits. Th e students are part of Ms. Cabrera’s studio art class; they created the “heroic self portraits” with charcoal and other instruments. Th ese students at Pan American International High School in Elmhurst were recently inducted into the school chapter of the National Honor Society. Being accepted into the society is a great achievement because the entire student body, 400 students in all, have been in the U.S. fewer than four years and have had to learn English and excel academically in order to be eligible for membership. Th e honorees are pictured with Guidance Counselor Shirley Torres. Fine student art in Elmhurst Young artists at Pan American International High School are pictured in front of their work, which was put on display outside the school’s art studio. Th ese 10th-graders create a variety of artwork in all diff erent forms of media.
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