For Immediate Release:
Contact: Karen J. Arthur, 212-961-3331, karthur@bankstreet.edu, or Richard Rivera, 212-961-3423, rrivera@bankstreet.edu

Bronx High School Students Head To Science Expedition In Antarctica 

Bank Street leadership program provides cultural experiences to inner city youth

New York, NY October 30, 2006 -- Three female, 17-year-old, Bronx  high school students will join international students, scientists, and educators for two weeks starting December 20, 2006  to participate in a scientific and educational expedition to Antarctica. The students are part of a partnership between Bank Street College Liberty LEADS program and Students on Ice, a ship-based expeditionary program that plans educational excursions to Antarctica and the Arctic.  

 "Global experiences, ecological stewardship and the development of a social conscious are fundamental to the education of today‚s youth.   Experiential, active participation is important to urban youth whose backgrounds may not afford them this opportunity," said Farhad Asghar, Program Director. These programs are constantly in need of funding support to prepare our future leaders."

The students will study the impact of global warming and its effect on the world‚s ecosystems. They will develop a new understanding and respect for the planet, and an increased perception of the earth as a global ecosystem. This expedition will also strengthen their skills in both science and international policy as well as heighten their personal experience of the complex political, environmental issues facing Antarctica.

Two of the students, Mariella Paulino and Denisse Delgadillo are originally from the Dominican Republic and the third, Astley Robinson is from Jamaica. They are all top students in their class and have overcome many personal challenges as immigrants to the United States. These young ambassadors are also active in their communities and are eager to secure funding to achieve their dream of venturing to the bottom of the earth.

One of the goals of Bank Street‚s Liberty LEADS Program, is to engage students in proposing solutions and recommendations about local, national and international challenges.  With recent NASA reports that the poles are shrinking with global warming and may possibly disappear in 100 years, understanding the fragility of the ecosystem and the importance of the poles to the rest of the earth makes learning personal and relational.

Experiencing this personal transformation was last year‚s Bronx student, Aryana Jacobs. "No one lives in Antarctica, but it is drastically affected by people. The massive ice sheet is melting because of global warming, and what happens there will touch the entire world. Before I went I wasn‚t a big environmentalist, I thought I would be dead by the time global warming happened. In Antarctica you realize it‚s closer and more serious that you might wish to think,"
she commented.

ABOUT LIBERTY LEADS

Liberty LEADS is an after-school leadership and college preparatory program at Bank Street College for high school students of promise.  For nearly two decades, Bank Street has worked to enhance the academic achievement, leadership skills, and college admission opportunities of talented, underrepresented youth. The goals are twofold: to assist students in gaining admittance to select colleges, and to prepare young people to become leaders with the desire, skills and resources to return to and help transform their communities.

Donations are being sought from individuals, corporations and institutions who wish to support the development of today‚s youth through dynamic, leadership-based educational experiences.

For more information regarding contributions for this exciting partnership, please contact Richard Rivera, at (212) 961-3423, or email rrivera@bankstreet.edu