While fishing in Central Park, tasting the honey made on the rooftops of Manhattan or riding
on the subway to Coney Island, our students and teachers share with each other their stories and dreams.
Isn’t it illegal to sell gum from 1989?
A favorite stop for our students on the Lower East Side is Economy Candy. Here, you will
find Tootsie Rolls, Pop Rocks and other sugared treats that were popular in the 70’s and 80's.
One 10-year-old boy from Turkey was obsessed with superheroes and used his $3 to buy 3
packs of bubble gum with Spiderman cards in them. On his way back to the school, he
popped one of the bubble gums into his mouth and “almost broke my teeth!” When he checked
the pack, he saw a 1989 expiration date. 10-year-old Maria from Brazil exclaimed: “Isn’t it
illegal to sell food from 1989?” The teacher had her say, too. She piped up: “If you save
those cards, they might become collectors’ items, and you will make a lot of money!”
What do you want to be when you grow up?
For 16-year-old Manuel, a day on the Intrepid was right up his alley. His grandfather was in
the military, and Manuel had just decided to go to the military academy in Spain and learn to
design ships. When he said he wanted to “design boats”, we initially thought it was to design yachts...
17-year-old Luisa is interested in animals, nature and wildlife. She would like to become a
biologist. An afternoon spent at an oyster farm in NY Harbor opened her eyes to the
possibilities of water purification using oysters!
Eric, a member of the Hi-New-York team, dreams of playing a superhero in a movie one day. He recently auditioned for Spiderman but was told he looked too old to be a teenage Peter Parker. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he lands the next superhero role!