Ira ewen: A Teacher Affects
Eternity–and So Do His Kids
By Laurie Maloff Kramer MVB ‘65
Harvard graduate Ira Ewen taught math from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, NY. In Honors classes, he taught students who went on to achieve at the highest levels in math, computer science and physics. Many of them became professors who then inspired their own students, in the chain envisioned by another Harvard graduate, Henry Adams, when he famously said, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
In the decades following Ira’s departure from Van Buren for higher-level jobs in other NYC schools, Ira’s “kids” collected PhDs, a Nobel Prize in Physics, an A.M. Turing Prize considered the Nobel equivalent in computing, two Putnam Prizes for top scores in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition for undergraduate college students in North America, the 2022 Templeton Prize (“honoring individuals who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it”). They got other awards and medals too numerous to mention, and wrote books regarded as the bibles in their fields. Some kids remained in the New York metro, others settled in California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota and elsewhere. They got married and divorced, had their own kids and grandkids. They lost touch with their former teacher but retained fond memories of his brilliant teaching and mentoring.
In March 2021, during the worst of the pandemic lockdown, Martin Van Buren HS Alumni Alliance founder Steve Wilson learned that my husband, Joel Kramer, and I met at Van Buren in 1962 and worked together as top editors of the school newspaper, the BeeLine. Steve asked if we’d write two to three pages for the alumni newsletter about what the school was like back in the day. I was intrigued and started emailing aging VB alums including my siblings, friends, siblings of friends and friends of siblings. The memories eventually filled BACK IN THE DAY – Martin Van Buren High School: The Early Years 1955-1971, a 200-page book published in spring 2022 by the Alliance.
More than 75 alums sent me memories of the school and its mostly outstanding faculty. Of teachers mentioned, Ira Ewen was first by far in the number of comments submitted and the number of nominations for the new MVBHS Teachers Honor Roll. We asked around to see if anyone had seen or heard anything about Ira in recent years or knew where, or whether, he was living. With some luck and the help of the internet, we found him. And in the spring, summer and fall of 2022, more than a half-century after graduating from Van Buren, 21 of Ira's former students had the pleasure of reconnecting with him in a series of Zoom calls.
Click here to read the article in it's entirety!
Harvard graduate Ira Ewen taught math from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, NY. In Honors classes, he taught students who went on to achieve at the highest levels in math, computer science and physics. Many of them became professors who then inspired their own students, in the chain envisioned by another Harvard graduate, Henry Adams, when he famously said, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
In the decades following Ira’s departure from Van Buren for higher-level jobs in other NYC schools, Ira’s “kids” collected PhDs, a Nobel Prize in Physics, an A.M. Turing Prize considered the Nobel equivalent in computing, two Putnam Prizes for top scores in the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition for undergraduate college students in North America, the 2022 Templeton Prize (“honoring individuals who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it”). They got other awards and medals too numerous to mention, and wrote books regarded as the bibles in their fields. Some kids remained in the New York metro, others settled in California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota and elsewhere. They got married and divorced, had their own kids and grandkids. They lost touch with their former teacher but retained fond memories of his brilliant teaching and mentoring.
In March 2021, during the worst of the pandemic lockdown, Martin Van Buren HS Alumni Alliance founder Steve Wilson learned that my husband, Joel Kramer, and I met at Van Buren in 1962 and worked together as top editors of the school newspaper, the BeeLine. Steve asked if we’d write two to three pages for the alumni newsletter about what the school was like back in the day. I was intrigued and started emailing aging VB alums including my siblings, friends, siblings of friends and friends of siblings. The memories eventually filled BACK IN THE DAY – Martin Van Buren High School: The Early Years 1955-1971, a 200-page book published in spring 2022 by the Alliance.
More than 75 alums sent me memories of the school and its mostly outstanding faculty. Of teachers mentioned, Ira Ewen was first by far in the number of comments submitted and the number of nominations for the new MVBHS Teachers Honor Roll. We asked around to see if anyone had seen or heard anything about Ira in recent years or knew where, or whether, he was living. With some luck and the help of the internet, we found him. And in the spring, summer and fall of 2022, more than a half-century after graduating from Van Buren, 21 of Ira's former students had the pleasure of reconnecting with him in a series of Zoom calls.
Click here to read the article in it's entirety!
Engineering your Summer-2022 Edition
by Arveen Singh, '22
This summer has been one of the most rigorous yet rewarding periods of my life thus far. I was graced with the chance to explore the realm of engineering with my own two hands and not be limited by the boundaries of a typical high school classroom. I had two opportunities that were the cornerstone of my in-depth knowledge acquired, all of which were made possible by the Alumni Alliance of Martin Van Buren High School.
Women & Minority Summer Engineering High School Program
We live in a world where discrimination plays a role in an individual's ability to gain access to resources for knowledge. This program had the insight to look past such obstacles and decided that education belongs to everyone, including the minorities of America. The coursework offered in this college-level program was nothing short of perfectly rounded with every opportunity being taken to educate us students. It was to the point where every lunch period was facilitated by a guest speaker in the engineering field. This program was aimed heavily at the hands-on aspect of engineering with every lecture being followed by an activity to showcase what was thought. When we explored the fields of environmental engineering, Professor J. Wilson made sure every student fully understood the concept of water purification by making us create a water purification cell of our own. When exploring the contents of Mechanical Engineering with Professor A. Ovalle students were required to construct a DC motor to show complete compression of electricity and magnet forces. Every lecture followed the same principle with all efforts being made to ensure the core philosophy behind each engineering discipline was understood. The knowledge we gained in each lecture was designed to always be applied in a collaborative scene. In which case we were facilitated with an end goal project. Students were grouped into teams and were responsible for creating a structure based on all the knowledge we had acquired over the full week of the course. The project was aimed at weight distribution where the caveat was that we could only use 8 pieces of balsa wood to assemble a structure in such a way to withstand multiple times their own weight. This activity combined the principles of Material, Civil, and Mechanical engineering all in one. Our team was able to construct a structure that was able to hold 827 times its own weight. This baffled my mind as it showed what a couple of high school students could accomplish with proper teaching. The program also entailed a college readiness element where we were all given SAT advice to maximize our college acceptance potential. Overall, this course offered insight into the application of engineering, not just as a single entity but for the different branches of engineering. As we had experienced engineers from multi-billion-dollar corporations throughout the country such as Google, The Trevour Project, and Skanska share their life experiences on what molded them to pursue the path they did.
Makelab 3D printing Production Internship
This was my very first real-world insight into how engineering was applied in the business setting. My role here was as a production intern, meaning I was responsible for customer orders being carried out on time. My daily activities from when I start the day were to remove 3D printed objects that had already been printed the night before on both SLA and FDM printers, then proceed to put them through a post-processing chain. Here is where I would remove impurities from the print by using 99% pure alcohol and leaving it to dry until sanding and carving it to a more presentable state. Safety is a huge priority in this setting. Object Rehabilitation was another aspect that I had to take into consideration. Some of the prints do not always come out perfectly, in which case specific parts need to be rebuilt. This task can be extremely tedious and requires vast amounts of patience. From the point where the order is in the advertised condition, I would use software called AMFG to change the status of the order and get it ready for shipment. I would then schedule the next cycle of prints and repeat the steps.
This internship also gave me experience on what it's like to be a 3D printer technician as I was educated on how to fix broken printers. As a result, I am pretty confident now that I have gained the knowledge to build a 3D printer from scratch. Filament researching and testing were also a part of my time here. The Makelab team was responsible for developing applications for conductive filament which is one of the newest breakthroughs in 3D printing. The real beauty behind this experience as an intern was that it showed me one way how an engineering career path in the field of 3D design can be used to generate income.
How I was impacted
At the start of the summer, I had a good idea that I belong in the engineering field, but the truth of it is that the discipline of engineering is truly vast. By having hands-on experience with multiple forms of engineering I was able to solidify mechanical engineering as my designated career path. I have high confidence that this will not change. These opportunities provided me with a certainty to take a leap and pursue this career path due to the level of exposure I had at such a young age. For this, I am truly grateful and implore others to follow this path of hands-on exposure. Having such experience shows you what you like, and what you do not like which is just as important.
Epilog
Arveen’s employer was equally happy with the arrangement. Despite the fact he was years younger than all their other interns who were college students, they found he was very eager to learn and took initiative. He was quite mature for his age and took direction well and displayed great attention to detail. They were impressed enough to say “Our doors are open for him to come back”. Equally important, Arveen’s impressive tenure has laid the groundwork for his fellow students as the company looks forward to more MVB interns next summer.
One cannot underestimate the power such opportunities can provide to a high school student. Learning about a specific profession and coming to understand the adult work environment are critical elements of a challenging summer. Tying together what one is exposed to in a classroom setting with what’s happening in the real word help motivate and excite a student. Arveen embraced these situations to learn and expand and the Alumni Alliance was thrilled to be able to provide this chance. We are excited to extend such opportunities to more of our students. If you have any such situations or know of where we can source such opportunities, please let us know. mvbhsaa@gmail.com
This summer has been one of the most rigorous yet rewarding periods of my life thus far. I was graced with the chance to explore the realm of engineering with my own two hands and not be limited by the boundaries of a typical high school classroom. I had two opportunities that were the cornerstone of my in-depth knowledge acquired, all of which were made possible by the Alumni Alliance of Martin Van Buren High School.
Women & Minority Summer Engineering High School Program
We live in a world where discrimination plays a role in an individual's ability to gain access to resources for knowledge. This program had the insight to look past such obstacles and decided that education belongs to everyone, including the minorities of America. The coursework offered in this college-level program was nothing short of perfectly rounded with every opportunity being taken to educate us students. It was to the point where every lunch period was facilitated by a guest speaker in the engineering field. This program was aimed heavily at the hands-on aspect of engineering with every lecture being followed by an activity to showcase what was thought. When we explored the fields of environmental engineering, Professor J. Wilson made sure every student fully understood the concept of water purification by making us create a water purification cell of our own. When exploring the contents of Mechanical Engineering with Professor A. Ovalle students were required to construct a DC motor to show complete compression of electricity and magnet forces. Every lecture followed the same principle with all efforts being made to ensure the core philosophy behind each engineering discipline was understood. The knowledge we gained in each lecture was designed to always be applied in a collaborative scene. In which case we were facilitated with an end goal project. Students were grouped into teams and were responsible for creating a structure based on all the knowledge we had acquired over the full week of the course. The project was aimed at weight distribution where the caveat was that we could only use 8 pieces of balsa wood to assemble a structure in such a way to withstand multiple times their own weight. This activity combined the principles of Material, Civil, and Mechanical engineering all in one. Our team was able to construct a structure that was able to hold 827 times its own weight. This baffled my mind as it showed what a couple of high school students could accomplish with proper teaching. The program also entailed a college readiness element where we were all given SAT advice to maximize our college acceptance potential. Overall, this course offered insight into the application of engineering, not just as a single entity but for the different branches of engineering. As we had experienced engineers from multi-billion-dollar corporations throughout the country such as Google, The Trevour Project, and Skanska share their life experiences on what molded them to pursue the path they did.
Makelab 3D printing Production Internship
This was my very first real-world insight into how engineering was applied in the business setting. My role here was as a production intern, meaning I was responsible for customer orders being carried out on time. My daily activities from when I start the day were to remove 3D printed objects that had already been printed the night before on both SLA and FDM printers, then proceed to put them through a post-processing chain. Here is where I would remove impurities from the print by using 99% pure alcohol and leaving it to dry until sanding and carving it to a more presentable state. Safety is a huge priority in this setting. Object Rehabilitation was another aspect that I had to take into consideration. Some of the prints do not always come out perfectly, in which case specific parts need to be rebuilt. This task can be extremely tedious and requires vast amounts of patience. From the point where the order is in the advertised condition, I would use software called AMFG to change the status of the order and get it ready for shipment. I would then schedule the next cycle of prints and repeat the steps.
This internship also gave me experience on what it's like to be a 3D printer technician as I was educated on how to fix broken printers. As a result, I am pretty confident now that I have gained the knowledge to build a 3D printer from scratch. Filament researching and testing were also a part of my time here. The Makelab team was responsible for developing applications for conductive filament which is one of the newest breakthroughs in 3D printing. The real beauty behind this experience as an intern was that it showed me one way how an engineering career path in the field of 3D design can be used to generate income.
How I was impacted
At the start of the summer, I had a good idea that I belong in the engineering field, but the truth of it is that the discipline of engineering is truly vast. By having hands-on experience with multiple forms of engineering I was able to solidify mechanical engineering as my designated career path. I have high confidence that this will not change. These opportunities provided me with a certainty to take a leap and pursue this career path due to the level of exposure I had at such a young age. For this, I am truly grateful and implore others to follow this path of hands-on exposure. Having such experience shows you what you like, and what you do not like which is just as important.
Epilog
Arveen’s employer was equally happy with the arrangement. Despite the fact he was years younger than all their other interns who were college students, they found he was very eager to learn and took initiative. He was quite mature for his age and took direction well and displayed great attention to detail. They were impressed enough to say “Our doors are open for him to come back”. Equally important, Arveen’s impressive tenure has laid the groundwork for his fellow students as the company looks forward to more MVB interns next summer.
One cannot underestimate the power such opportunities can provide to a high school student. Learning about a specific profession and coming to understand the adult work environment are critical elements of a challenging summer. Tying together what one is exposed to in a classroom setting with what’s happening in the real word help motivate and excite a student. Arveen embraced these situations to learn and expand and the Alumni Alliance was thrilled to be able to provide this chance. We are excited to extend such opportunities to more of our students. If you have any such situations or know of where we can source such opportunities, please let us know. mvbhsaa@gmail.com
Scholarly Wisdom
by Steve Wilson '77
What is the Scholars Institute at MVB? It’s an organization of the school’s top students, a place for our best and brightest students. But its so much more than that. It’s a community of like-minded individuals who share a common bond about pursuing academic excellence with a parallel mission to extend support within the school and the community at large.
What makes a Scholar? Scholars are committed to taking the most rigorous coursework available to them and performing service in their school and community. They share a common mindset and work hard to achieve these goals. But its not just about academics, as scholars enjoy socializing with similarly motivated students, relaxing in the Scholars' lounge. Our Scholars are also a part of the National Honor Society - ARISTA. In addition to fulfilling the school's requirements for excellence, they are meeting a national standard. The national standard requires students to have an 85 cumulative average in all their classes. In addition to high grades, students need outstanding leadership skills, superior character and they must perform service in their school and community. Clearly, the Scholars have met these requirements, and then some.
The scholars, with their overriding concern for others in need rallied around our Cookbook project and led our creation of the Melting Pot Blog, which celebrates the great diversity of our school. Our Scholars have created their own programs as well, including Conversation Corner, providing a welcome haven to our ENLs to interact with other students in an informal setting, helping develop their conversational English skills, and Code Blue, a club for students interested in Health Care careers.
In addition to succeeding academically, they must perform a total of 24 hours of service in school and in the community per semester. Scholars and board members attend a monthly mandatory meeting where upcoming activities are discussed. The Scholars have participated in a number of events which include the Breast Cancer Walk, Trick or Treating for UNICEF, the City Harvest canned food drive, a holiday toy drive and Pennies for Patients - a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Closer to home, Scholars have hosted career forums and an international festival. Some scholars are tutoring schoolmates who are part of the My Brother's Keeper program, while others have spent afternoons tutoring at P.S. 18, a local elementary school. Through the Junior Achievement program, over seventy scholars have taught classes at P.S. 33.
The Scholar’s lounge is a sanctuary where members can go to do schoolwork, tutor their peers, participate in A.P. study groups or relax with their friends. The lounge is a comfortable space where computers and snacks are always available to the Scholars. On any given day, dozens of students visit during their lunch period and after their school day.
For seven years the Scholars Advisor has been one of our special teachers, Pam Fried, who has been an English teacher at MVB for 17 years. She has set the tone and led the scholars to achieve all of these lofty goals. Under her oversight becoming a scholar has been a coveted achievement for aspiring students. This is their place to be guided, inspired, and supported by her to push themselves to attain all their goals and more.
This month, Ms. Fried retired and as part of her sendoff, her scholars, past and present, came forward to praise her and thank her for her years of encouragement and direction. The avalanche of well wishes took place at her final Arista installation and proved the magnitude of her impact on so many MVB students over the years. We miss her already and wish her well.
What is the Scholars Institute at MVB? It’s an organization of the school’s top students, a place for our best and brightest students. But its so much more than that. It’s a community of like-minded individuals who share a common bond about pursuing academic excellence with a parallel mission to extend support within the school and the community at large.
What makes a Scholar? Scholars are committed to taking the most rigorous coursework available to them and performing service in their school and community. They share a common mindset and work hard to achieve these goals. But its not just about academics, as scholars enjoy socializing with similarly motivated students, relaxing in the Scholars' lounge. Our Scholars are also a part of the National Honor Society - ARISTA. In addition to fulfilling the school's requirements for excellence, they are meeting a national standard. The national standard requires students to have an 85 cumulative average in all their classes. In addition to high grades, students need outstanding leadership skills, superior character and they must perform service in their school and community. Clearly, the Scholars have met these requirements, and then some.
The scholars, with their overriding concern for others in need rallied around our Cookbook project and led our creation of the Melting Pot Blog, which celebrates the great diversity of our school. Our Scholars have created their own programs as well, including Conversation Corner, providing a welcome haven to our ENLs to interact with other students in an informal setting, helping develop their conversational English skills, and Code Blue, a club for students interested in Health Care careers.
In addition to succeeding academically, they must perform a total of 24 hours of service in school and in the community per semester. Scholars and board members attend a monthly mandatory meeting where upcoming activities are discussed. The Scholars have participated in a number of events which include the Breast Cancer Walk, Trick or Treating for UNICEF, the City Harvest canned food drive, a holiday toy drive and Pennies for Patients - a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Closer to home, Scholars have hosted career forums and an international festival. Some scholars are tutoring schoolmates who are part of the My Brother's Keeper program, while others have spent afternoons tutoring at P.S. 18, a local elementary school. Through the Junior Achievement program, over seventy scholars have taught classes at P.S. 33.
The Scholar’s lounge is a sanctuary where members can go to do schoolwork, tutor their peers, participate in A.P. study groups or relax with their friends. The lounge is a comfortable space where computers and snacks are always available to the Scholars. On any given day, dozens of students visit during their lunch period and after their school day.
For seven years the Scholars Advisor has been one of our special teachers, Pam Fried, who has been an English teacher at MVB for 17 years. She has set the tone and led the scholars to achieve all of these lofty goals. Under her oversight becoming a scholar has been a coveted achievement for aspiring students. This is their place to be guided, inspired, and supported by her to push themselves to attain all their goals and more.
This month, Ms. Fried retired and as part of her sendoff, her scholars, past and present, came forward to praise her and thank her for her years of encouragement and direction. The avalanche of well wishes took place at her final Arista installation and proved the magnitude of her impact on so many MVB students over the years. We miss her already and wish her well.
ROB parker, a 2022 hall of fame inductee
Rob is well known for his long career in sports journalism and his extensive work on TV and radio. He is also highly regarded for his long standing efforts to give back to his craft, serving as a mentor for sports writers and through his teaching. What just might be as impressive as his four decade career is how it all began in good old MVB.
Back then, in 1980, Rob already had a passion for sports and saw his career path to become a writer merging when he was working on the Beeline staff. However, there was one obstacle to this near perfect assignment. The production cycle of the school paper made every article he produced obsolete by the time its was printed. He could be as eloquent as possible, but the students would read about a sporting event weeks after it took place. If only there was a way to create a daily sports newsletter. So he had the idea but the question was how to make it happen. His first move was the ask the school administrators for permission. Once he had that came the need for the money. For this he had to pitch the principal, who came back with a resounding no, as he was told, there were no funds available for such a frivolous endeavor. Not to be denied, he came up with his plan B, and wrote a letter asking for money from the three NYC newspapers and the responses were interesting to say the least. The Daily News never replied. The Times said it was corporate policy to not support a competitor which to this day makes us all laugh. The most shocking response was the note he received from the NY Post, whose publisher at the time was none other than Rupert Murdoch, and who sent Rob a check for $50, a hefty sum back then. And so SportsLine was up and running, and Rob’s thirst to share timely information and insights about sports was off to the races. It seems that for Rob, having a burning desire matched with a relentless determination, using MVBHS as a springboard to his award winning career is proof it takes a special person and a unique place to launch Hall of Fame careers.
Back then, in 1980, Rob already had a passion for sports and saw his career path to become a writer merging when he was working on the Beeline staff. However, there was one obstacle to this near perfect assignment. The production cycle of the school paper made every article he produced obsolete by the time its was printed. He could be as eloquent as possible, but the students would read about a sporting event weeks after it took place. If only there was a way to create a daily sports newsletter. So he had the idea but the question was how to make it happen. His first move was the ask the school administrators for permission. Once he had that came the need for the money. For this he had to pitch the principal, who came back with a resounding no, as he was told, there were no funds available for such a frivolous endeavor. Not to be denied, he came up with his plan B, and wrote a letter asking for money from the three NYC newspapers and the responses were interesting to say the least. The Daily News never replied. The Times said it was corporate policy to not support a competitor which to this day makes us all laugh. The most shocking response was the note he received from the NY Post, whose publisher at the time was none other than Rupert Murdoch, and who sent Rob a check for $50, a hefty sum back then. And so SportsLine was up and running, and Rob’s thirst to share timely information and insights about sports was off to the races. It seems that for Rob, having a burning desire matched with a relentless determination, using MVBHS as a springboard to his award winning career is proof it takes a special person and a unique place to launch Hall of Fame careers.
MEET MVB’S NEW PRINCIPAL, DEBORAH NETTLEFORD
I come to you with over twenty years of experience in education and I am honored to be the principal of Martin Van Buren High School. One of my greatest joys was being a Social Studies teacher. Through this I developed a deep appreciation of history and the people who help to make it everyday. Our alumni community helped create an institution that has achieved so much. What greater honor than to have those who walked our halls, studied in our library, and wore our colors, continue to stay
connected to our school. While my goal is to ensure the best educational experience for our current students, I will work to bridge the generations between those who came before and our community today. The Martin Van Buren legacy is built on the rich history of its alumni and it is my hope as principal to have our students learn from the past in order to forge ahead and be prepared to navigate the future.
With heartfelt gratitude, I thank Martin Van Buren’s alumni for their contributions. I am excited to explore the past, enjoy the present, and plan for the future, in hopes of continuing to build many more happy memories here at MVB. I hope you will join me in furthering these bonds.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
connected to our school. While my goal is to ensure the best educational experience for our current students, I will work to bridge the generations between those who came before and our community today. The Martin Van Buren legacy is built on the rich history of its alumni and it is my hope as principal to have our students learn from the past in order to forge ahead and be prepared to navigate the future.
With heartfelt gratitude, I thank Martin Van Buren’s alumni for their contributions. I am excited to explore the past, enjoy the present, and plan for the future, in hopes of continuing to build many more happy memories here at MVB. I hope you will join me in furthering these bonds.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
talk in space; the sequel
WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO TWO ASTRONAUTS, WHILE THEY WERE FLOATING ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
SO COOL! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!
SO COOL! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!
Let us all celebrate and respect each other's cultures and ethnicities by enjoying the foods that exemplify who we are as people–warm, spicy, savory and divine.
On behalf of the students, teachers, and staff of MVB,
we thank you for you support.
Tracy Martinez
Principal of MVBHS
On behalf of the students, teachers, and staff of MVB,
we thank you for you support.
Tracy Martinez
Principal of MVBHS
IN THE NEWS:
Back in the day-the mvb chronicles; chapter 1
Nine years ago, the Martin Van Buren Alumni Alliance was created to help make MVB better. Over the years, we have created the MVB Hall of Fame, produced two Celebration Days, instigated the creation of the DNA bioscience research lab, helped fund the STEM in Catalina program, and introduced a number of impactful programs including Let’s Get Ready, Summer Search, News Literacy, Girls with Impact, and You Science. More recently, we have galvanized our MVB community to support those devastated by COVID 19, by creating our Comfort Food Cookbook series and opening our GIVE HOPE TO HELP food pantry. Everyone involved in our mission is very proud of the cooperative effort that’s been so supportive of our students, staff, and families.
We are gratified to have served the school in so many capacities, but the BACK IN THE DAY project is especially rewarding, celebrating the proud history of Martin Van Buren High School. We are excited to see this book help create stronger bonds between our vast alumni network and the school community today. We have never appreciated the breadth of the global MVB community more than now, and seeing everyone come together to make this one-of-a-kind collection of great memories is incredibly heartening.
Its genesis was from an innocent conversation with Laurie Kramer, who earlier this year reached out to learn more about the Alumni Alliance. We soon learned that Laurie and Joel met in September 1962, when they entered Martin Van Buren High School as sophomores. They were in all the same classes, except that Laurie took French and Joel took Spanish. Students were seated alphabetically in rows in those days, and each teacher had a red Delaney Book with inserts for cards showing the name of each student and where in the room each student sat. None of the honor students in the class of 1965 had last names beginning with L, so Joel Kramer sat in front of Laurie Maloff for most of the class day.
They became friends that way, and cemented the friendship by working together on the MVB school newspaper. In their senior year, Joel was Editor-in-Chief and Laurie was Managing Editor. They didn’t date in high school, but started dating the summer after sophomore year of college and got married in 1969. They celebrated their 50th anniversary with their kids and grandkids in 2019, pre-pandemic. When we connected with them, and learned that they had met at Van Buren and served together on the Bee Line, we asked them to write about MVB back in the day. That “day” – for Laurie and Joel and their close friends – covered the years 1962 to 1966. With the help of older and younger siblings, it has now expanded its focus backward and forward, into the late 1950s and very early 1970s.
What they have chronicled is an amazing collection of stories, experiences, events and photos from MVB in the early days. Crowdsourced from dozens of alums, these amazing stories describe a world far removed from today, but one that so many of us who attended MVB can relate to in varying ways. We encourage everyone to download the book and explore all there is contained in this volume. We are also eager for everyone, regardless of when they attended MVB to share with us their own memories and recollections. It is our hope to cover the full 65 years that MVB has proudly been educating and supporting so many.
We are gratified to have served the school in so many capacities, but the BACK IN THE DAY project is especially rewarding, celebrating the proud history of Martin Van Buren High School. We are excited to see this book help create stronger bonds between our vast alumni network and the school community today. We have never appreciated the breadth of the global MVB community more than now, and seeing everyone come together to make this one-of-a-kind collection of great memories is incredibly heartening.
Its genesis was from an innocent conversation with Laurie Kramer, who earlier this year reached out to learn more about the Alumni Alliance. We soon learned that Laurie and Joel met in September 1962, when they entered Martin Van Buren High School as sophomores. They were in all the same classes, except that Laurie took French and Joel took Spanish. Students were seated alphabetically in rows in those days, and each teacher had a red Delaney Book with inserts for cards showing the name of each student and where in the room each student sat. None of the honor students in the class of 1965 had last names beginning with L, so Joel Kramer sat in front of Laurie Maloff for most of the class day.
They became friends that way, and cemented the friendship by working together on the MVB school newspaper. In their senior year, Joel was Editor-in-Chief and Laurie was Managing Editor. They didn’t date in high school, but started dating the summer after sophomore year of college and got married in 1969. They celebrated their 50th anniversary with their kids and grandkids in 2019, pre-pandemic. When we connected with them, and learned that they had met at Van Buren and served together on the Bee Line, we asked them to write about MVB back in the day. That “day” – for Laurie and Joel and their close friends – covered the years 1962 to 1966. With the help of older and younger siblings, it has now expanded its focus backward and forward, into the late 1950s and very early 1970s.
What they have chronicled is an amazing collection of stories, experiences, events and photos from MVB in the early days. Crowdsourced from dozens of alums, these amazing stories describe a world far removed from today, but one that so many of us who attended MVB can relate to in varying ways. We encourage everyone to download the book and explore all there is contained in this volume. We are also eager for everyone, regardless of when they attended MVB to share with us their own memories and recollections. It is our hope to cover the full 65 years that MVB has proudly been educating and supporting so many.
our Third career forum!
CommonPoint of Queens, in partnership with Martin van Buren High School Alumni Alliance, opens Give Hope to Help Food Pantry at MVBHS
Demand for food assistance is rising at an extraordinary rate and millions of hungry Americans are turning to food pantries for the first time. In NYC, post pandemic, more and more families who previously had stable incomes are suddenly facing dire situations. Our belief that no MVB student should go hungry was the driving force behind creating this food pantry, which will help put food on the table for those who need it.
With unemployment triple the national averages in our neighborhoods, too many families lack the resources they need to stay afloat. Many have lost jobs or wages or have been hit with unexpected expenses. Throughout all of this, the MVB community is rising to the challenge of supporting these students every way possible. Commonpoint of Queens, which already runs food pantries in 3 other locations, in December opened its newest location to assist an underserved community. This latest site was fully backed by the support of the MVBHS Alumni Alliance and the financial generosity of a host of corporate and individual contributors.
Danielle Ellman, CEO of Commonpoint Queens stated, “Our organization is grateful and excited to partner with the Martin Van Buren High School Alumni Alliance to provide this new food pantry at the school. This partnership will help us fulfill one of the key components of our mission: ensuring that children are healthy and ready to learn by providing greater access to healthy food.” Heather Liverpool, our Commonpoint Community School Director is the driving force behind the creation of the Food Pantry, and we congratulate her on this amazing accomplishment.
Steve Wilson, head of the MVBHS Alumni Alliance said, “Our goal was to find a mission that would reconnect our community and to overcome the suffering caused by the pandemic. We needed to find a way to support our most vulnerable families. That is the inspiration behind our Give Hope to Help Initiative, The MVBHS Comfort Food Cookbook, and now this fabulous Food Pantry”.
Tracy Martinez, MVBHS’ principal shared this observation. “Community is always important, but even more so during such a devastating crisis like so many of our families are experiencing today. To see everyone, unite during these tough times and do something so important for those so deserving is comforting. We are proud of everyone who has made this a reality.”
Since opening our Give Hope to Help Food Pantry at MVBHS, the word is spreading, and families are finding nutritious food to share as they navigate this most challenging period. In addition, corporate donations of food have begun to arrive, allowing us to serve an even larger population, making this a tremendous success already in such a short time.
With unemployment triple the national averages in our neighborhoods, too many families lack the resources they need to stay afloat. Many have lost jobs or wages or have been hit with unexpected expenses. Throughout all of this, the MVB community is rising to the challenge of supporting these students every way possible. Commonpoint of Queens, which already runs food pantries in 3 other locations, in December opened its newest location to assist an underserved community. This latest site was fully backed by the support of the MVBHS Alumni Alliance and the financial generosity of a host of corporate and individual contributors.
Danielle Ellman, CEO of Commonpoint Queens stated, “Our organization is grateful and excited to partner with the Martin Van Buren High School Alumni Alliance to provide this new food pantry at the school. This partnership will help us fulfill one of the key components of our mission: ensuring that children are healthy and ready to learn by providing greater access to healthy food.” Heather Liverpool, our Commonpoint Community School Director is the driving force behind the creation of the Food Pantry, and we congratulate her on this amazing accomplishment.
Steve Wilson, head of the MVBHS Alumni Alliance said, “Our goal was to find a mission that would reconnect our community and to overcome the suffering caused by the pandemic. We needed to find a way to support our most vulnerable families. That is the inspiration behind our Give Hope to Help Initiative, The MVBHS Comfort Food Cookbook, and now this fabulous Food Pantry”.
Tracy Martinez, MVBHS’ principal shared this observation. “Community is always important, but even more so during such a devastating crisis like so many of our families are experiencing today. To see everyone, unite during these tough times and do something so important for those so deserving is comforting. We are proud of everyone who has made this a reality.”
Since opening our Give Hope to Help Food Pantry at MVBHS, the word is spreading, and families are finding nutritious food to share as they navigate this most challenging period. In addition, corporate donations of food have begun to arrive, allowing us to serve an even larger population, making this a tremendous success already in such a short time.
COMFORT FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MVB HS Launches Give Hope to Help Global Initiative
MVB HS Launches Give Hope to Help Global Initiative
'We have all witnessed the devastation to our community as the pandemic blanketing Queens. Many of the families of Martin Van Buren High School students were hit especially hard. So, in response, we rallied the students, teachers and staff, alumni and friends of the school to help our own overcome the hardships.
Our goal is to raise awareness of these families' plight and generate donations to support those families who were suffering in the aftermath of Covid. We also wanted to galvanize our community and that is the inspiration behind our Give Hope to Help Initiative and our MVBHS Comfort Food Cookbook.
We have students whose families have been pushed to a point of crisis due to the pandemic, as they deal with unemployment, eviction, mounting unpaid bills and hunger. But we also want to find a way to spread joy into our lives and share something special to reconnect with everyone else we know and love. So, we created a schoolwide effort to accomplish something that could also brighten our spirits during such a trying time.
The result is an exceptional collection of 168 special recipes, representing 60 different countries, contributed by our incredibly diverse community, from both here in Queens, the melting pot of the world, and from all around the globe.
We have built this Cookbook around the concept that during this pandemic so many are staying home, spending more time than ever with their families, having exhausted their own repertoire of familiar recipes, looking to be challenged in the kitchen and open to visiting the world through a culinary lens. And we are proposing to do all this while helping our struggling families.
The MVBHS community is intent on spreading a dose of much needed hope, so necessary when everything has been so bleak. Our objective is to share this eBook with one million people around the world and since our recent article in The New York Times and features on WCBS Radio, NY1, and yes, Israeli Radio, we are well on our way.
We have been overwhelmed by the global support we are receiving, as we have garnered donations from 34 different states and kind and caring people from four continents.
Our intent from the very beginning was to provide the only hug possible in a period of social distancing, one of comfort and reassurance for eating cherished dishes. This is a Cookbook Like No Other, so please join us, as we help let everyone travel the world without leaving their kitchen! Enjoy the recipes, the stories, the spirit that is Martin Van Buren High School. We will always be Beelievers, so please if you can, help us help others in need and obtain a copy of this wonderous Comfort Food Cookbook
The reaction to this fabulous collaboration has been amazing-here is one reply:
“I can't wait to try the recipes. Thank you for sharing this especially during this time. My husband and I have been health care providers in NYC and have has some rough months. This was a particularly difficult time with Covid, especially with the loss our beloved father.
I personally feel like I have just started to process all the feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness now. I know I need something new and refreshing to help me through this. I don't consider myself a "cook"... but I am excited to take this on! I am inspired by what you have all put together. Please know that all of this work you put is truly inspiring and will be put to good use by me and my young kids.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Wishing you all the very best in your journey of healing”.
Our goal is to raise awareness of these families' plight and generate donations to support those families who were suffering in the aftermath of Covid. We also wanted to galvanize our community and that is the inspiration behind our Give Hope to Help Initiative and our MVBHS Comfort Food Cookbook.
We have students whose families have been pushed to a point of crisis due to the pandemic, as they deal with unemployment, eviction, mounting unpaid bills and hunger. But we also want to find a way to spread joy into our lives and share something special to reconnect with everyone else we know and love. So, we created a schoolwide effort to accomplish something that could also brighten our spirits during such a trying time.
The result is an exceptional collection of 168 special recipes, representing 60 different countries, contributed by our incredibly diverse community, from both here in Queens, the melting pot of the world, and from all around the globe.
We have built this Cookbook around the concept that during this pandemic so many are staying home, spending more time than ever with their families, having exhausted their own repertoire of familiar recipes, looking to be challenged in the kitchen and open to visiting the world through a culinary lens. And we are proposing to do all this while helping our struggling families.
The MVBHS community is intent on spreading a dose of much needed hope, so necessary when everything has been so bleak. Our objective is to share this eBook with one million people around the world and since our recent article in The New York Times and features on WCBS Radio, NY1, and yes, Israeli Radio, we are well on our way.
We have been overwhelmed by the global support we are receiving, as we have garnered donations from 34 different states and kind and caring people from four continents.
Our intent from the very beginning was to provide the only hug possible in a period of social distancing, one of comfort and reassurance for eating cherished dishes. This is a Cookbook Like No Other, so please join us, as we help let everyone travel the world without leaving their kitchen! Enjoy the recipes, the stories, the spirit that is Martin Van Buren High School. We will always be Beelievers, so please if you can, help us help others in need and obtain a copy of this wonderous Comfort Food Cookbook
The reaction to this fabulous collaboration has been amazing-here is one reply:
“I can't wait to try the recipes. Thank you for sharing this especially during this time. My husband and I have been health care providers in NYC and have has some rough months. This was a particularly difficult time with Covid, especially with the loss our beloved father.
I personally feel like I have just started to process all the feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness now. I know I need something new and refreshing to help me through this. I don't consider myself a "cook"... but I am excited to take this on! I am inspired by what you have all put together. Please know that all of this work you put is truly inspiring and will be put to good use by me and my young kids.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Wishing you all the very best in your journey of healing”.
NYC School is giving away One Million Cookbooks!
We knew we had to work fast to raise as much money as we could to help the many MVBHS families in dire need of support. As we worked to spread the word on this amazing project, we quickly realized we needed help is getting the message out and get the cookbook in the hands of as many people as possible as quickly as possible. So, we created our Million Cookbook Giveaway effort and worked to enlist as many companies, large and small to join us for this great cause. We have been amazed at how powerful our quest has resonated with companies near and far. Many of these enterprises have shared our cookbook with their employees around the globe and to date colleagues in over 50 countries have been given access to our story and our recipes. Here are some of the logos from our corporate partners. We are eager to add more so let us know if your company is interested in working with us to share some hope and joy with all your coworkers.
Just email us at mvbhsaa@gmail.com
To become one of our corporate partners please contact Steve Wilson at mvbhsalumns@gmail.com
Just email us at mvbhsaa@gmail.com
To become one of our corporate partners please contact Steve Wilson at mvbhsalumns@gmail.com
MVB in space
A Special Conversation with Astronaut Jessica Meir
Here's a short segment from the local news about our "Day In Space" event-where the kids got to talk to an astronaut while she was on the International Space Station. This was a unique opportunity, and MVB was the only high school selected to do this! Congrats to MVB and much thanks to Ms. Carol Wang for making this happen!
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Science Day at MVB- A Celebration
On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, Martin van Buren High School in Queens Village with have a day celebrating science. Science is always pushing into new frontiers and creating breakthroughs that impact and improve our daily lives on so many levels. We at MVB are on a mission to equip our students with the passion along with the tools and the skills to help REDEFINE THE FUTURE through exploring the many pathways of science.
The festivities will begin with the dedication of our new DNA/Biotechnology laboratory. This lab is a very special addition, featuring the capabilities that exposes our students to the forefront of medical research. We are immensely proud to have a state-of-the-art facility, courtesy of the efforts of Carol Wang, our AP bioscience teacher and the Alumni Alliance of MVB supported by the gracious generosity of the Casper family. As part of the dedication ceremony our honorees and guests will see our students in action performing experiments in the lab and presenting on their upcoming marine biology research program as participants in the University of Southern California/Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies on Catalina Island.
Then we will have our MVBHS Hall of Fame induction ceremony, honoring two of our most accomplished Alumni, Marc Casper ’86 and Natalie Achong ‘85. They will be joining an already impressive roster of MVB alumni in our Hall of Fame including two Nobel Prize winners, Frank Wilczek, noted MIT physicist and Nobel prize recipient in 2004 and Alvin Roth, the 2012 winner of the Nobel prize in Economics.
Marc Casper is a President and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Its mission is to help customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. It offers an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services. Marc joined the company in 2001 and after a series of promotions became CEO in 2009.
He began his career at Bain & Company as a strategy consultant and later joined Bain Capital.
He serves on the Board of trustees of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Wesleyan University. He is also Vice Chairman of the U.S. - China Business Council and serves on the board of U.S. Bancorp and Zimmer Holdings . Marc received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Wesleyan University. Later, he received an MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School.
Natalie, after graduating from Van Buren, was accepted to several Ivy League universities but instead enrolled in a prestigious, accelerated B.S./M.D. program at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City University of New York, which enabled her to become a doctor by age 22 — when most of her peers were just finishing college.
During her medical training, Achong solidified her commitment to social justice and public service. Although she had never before lived away from home, the then-20-year-old medical student initiated a protest that took her to the Deep South to work with teen mothers at a health clinic in the Mississippi Delta.
This experience convinced her that she could make a difference in the lives of young women by specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. Today, in addition to working full time as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine and as an attending physician at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, natalie has served as the president of the Connecticut society of the national medical association and their national board of trustees.
She also finds time for numerous nonclinical duties: volunteering at a health clinic, joining church-sponsored activities, publishing original research in peer-reviewed medical journals, and volunteering with overseas medical missions that have taken her to the Dominican Republic and Ghana, where she’s helped set up free clinics for local residents. Truly, a proud example of the impact our graduates are making on the world at large.
Joining our two inductees will be a guest speaker, Josh Levine, Chief Executive Officer of Accuray, a leading innovator and global producer of critical cancer radiaition therapy equipment. Josh will be sharing his inspiring story of growing up in New York.
Afterwards, our guests along with our principal Sam Sochet, will be meeting with our top students, the scholars of MVB, in an informal Q & A session discussing career options and opportunities in science and medicine.
The day will indeed be a celebration of both the rich accomplishments of two of Marin van Buren’s most notable alumni involved in science and medicine and the opportunities that lie ahead for our rich population of inquisitive students as they embark on their own futures.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, Martin van Buren High School in Queens Village with have a day celebrating science. Science is always pushing into new frontiers and creating breakthroughs that impact and improve our daily lives on so many levels. We at MVB are on a mission to equip our students with the passion along with the tools and the skills to help REDEFINE THE FUTURE through exploring the many pathways of science.
The festivities will begin with the dedication of our new DNA/Biotechnology laboratory. This lab is a very special addition, featuring the capabilities that exposes our students to the forefront of medical research. We are immensely proud to have a state-of-the-art facility, courtesy of the efforts of Carol Wang, our AP bioscience teacher and the Alumni Alliance of MVB supported by the gracious generosity of the Casper family. As part of the dedication ceremony our honorees and guests will see our students in action performing experiments in the lab and presenting on their upcoming marine biology research program as participants in the University of Southern California/Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies on Catalina Island.
Then we will have our MVBHS Hall of Fame induction ceremony, honoring two of our most accomplished Alumni, Marc Casper ’86 and Natalie Achong ‘85. They will be joining an already impressive roster of MVB alumni in our Hall of Fame including two Nobel Prize winners, Frank Wilczek, noted MIT physicist and Nobel prize recipient in 2004 and Alvin Roth, the 2012 winner of the Nobel prize in Economics.
Marc Casper is a President and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Its mission is to help customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. It offers an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services. Marc joined the company in 2001 and after a series of promotions became CEO in 2009.
He began his career at Bain & Company as a strategy consultant and later joined Bain Capital.
He serves on the Board of trustees of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Wesleyan University. He is also Vice Chairman of the U.S. - China Business Council and serves on the board of U.S. Bancorp and Zimmer Holdings . Marc received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Wesleyan University. Later, he received an MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School.
Natalie, after graduating from Van Buren, was accepted to several Ivy League universities but instead enrolled in a prestigious, accelerated B.S./M.D. program at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City University of New York, which enabled her to become a doctor by age 22 — when most of her peers were just finishing college.
During her medical training, Achong solidified her commitment to social justice and public service. Although she had never before lived away from home, the then-20-year-old medical student initiated a protest that took her to the Deep South to work with teen mothers at a health clinic in the Mississippi Delta.
This experience convinced her that she could make a difference in the lives of young women by specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. Today, in addition to working full time as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine and as an attending physician at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, natalie has served as the president of the Connecticut society of the national medical association and their national board of trustees.
She also finds time for numerous nonclinical duties: volunteering at a health clinic, joining church-sponsored activities, publishing original research in peer-reviewed medical journals, and volunteering with overseas medical missions that have taken her to the Dominican Republic and Ghana, where she’s helped set up free clinics for local residents. Truly, a proud example of the impact our graduates are making on the world at large.
Joining our two inductees will be a guest speaker, Josh Levine, Chief Executive Officer of Accuray, a leading innovator and global producer of critical cancer radiaition therapy equipment. Josh will be sharing his inspiring story of growing up in New York.
Afterwards, our guests along with our principal Sam Sochet, will be meeting with our top students, the scholars of MVB, in an informal Q & A session discussing career options and opportunities in science and medicine.
The day will indeed be a celebration of both the rich accomplishments of two of Marin van Buren’s most notable alumni involved in science and medicine and the opportunities that lie ahead for our rich population of inquisitive students as they embark on their own futures.
MVB has been featured in the news for the progress it has made. See the links below for some of the news items.
“I learned how powerful we can be when we stand together.”
Brandon Wong
Brandon Wong
“This event showed that students of all ages, no matter how young, can unite to fight for a cause we all believe in.” – Ann Gbollie
On March 24th, 2018, Principal Sam Sochet, faculty, and 38 students went down to Washington DC to protest gun violence.
