(Enjoying lunch at Ippudo ramen restaurant!)
By Sam Bendinelli

Near the end of fall, 10 of us went to the Museum of Modern Art and finished the day with a late ramen lunch in midtown. The major draws of the trip were a retrospective of the African American artist Charles White, the museum’s permanent collection with its household name pieces, and—surprisingly perhaps—a survey of cold war Yugoslavian architecture. Of course, there was the ramen, too.
 
On our visit to MoMA, we made the mistake of rushing to the top floor and working our way down to save the exhibits we were most interested in last. The students were great sports with a challenging collection of modern pieces by an artist who won’t be named, and whose work both represented and literally conveyed feelings of alienation and misunderstanding.
 
Our mouthwash was Starry Night and a plentiful serving of Picasso. I talked with a small group of students about the move from representation to the abstract in painting, and they immediately started making connections with other works on the floor. We later enjoyed black and white photography and scale models of stunning Soviet architecture. In this exhibit, we gave students some breathing room to peruse maps, models, and photos at their leisure.
 
The highlight of MoMA was the fantastic exhibit on Charles White, a virtuosic painter known for his stirring images of African Americans. One of the students, Jabez, merged with a tour group and proceeded to offer a spot-on interpretation of a painting that the group had stopped at.
 
All of this browsing left us a little tired and very hungry, so we went to Ippudo, a buzzy and acclaimed ramen restaurant, and somehow squeezed the 10 of us into a table within 15 minutes. Many students had not had ramen or any type of the Japanese appetizers we sampled, and all were willing participants in the meal (and once they took a bite, they didn’t need any convincing to fill up). Midway through the lunch, Jabez had his second memorable quote of the day, saying that this had been the best Saturday in a long time, because he got to “see art [he’d] wanted to see, and try food [he’d] always wanted to try.”

By Sam Bendinelli

This past fall, Ignite took Thalia, Derek, and Jyheem to Storm King Art Center in upstate New York. It was the perfect time for a visit: sunny and warm, but late enough in the year that there were hints of color in the trees.
 
Storm King is a sculpture garden that spans hundreds of acres. The sculptures are made of every imaginable material and range from human-scale to colossal, and the size of the grounds themselves makes for a unique type of art adventure. Sculptures become visible in the distance, and we would decide together which ones were worth the trek. Along the way, there was time for imaginary games with the giant works, questions about where the ideas come from to build such giant works, and musings about how one fashions together mammoth sheets of metal. It felt a bit like writing a sequel to Where the Wild Things Are.
 
After a couple of hours with the sculptures, we spotted a trail on the grounds. Deciding to act on the discovery, we followed it down to a creek below, hopping from rock to rock in the bed of the stream. For being only an hour’s drive from Manhattan, Storm King feels a world away.
 
Later, we headed into nearby Cornwall for lunch at Prima Pizza, a cottage-like pizza parlor. We ordered some pies to share, and played a few games of Uno. After explaining the rules to us (I hadn’t played in years), the students beat us round after round. As you might imagine, the losers wound up picking up the tab.

​One of the best trips I’ve led in a long time was a tour of Chinatown and Little Italy in Manhattan a couple weeks back. The day began with Rita, myself, and six middle and high school students exploring the recently-completed World Trade Center Oculus. The space, while magnificent, also feels somewhat familiar, perhaps because it’s been in the works for so many years now.
 
That same feeling of familiarity could not be extended to Chinatown, which we walked to afterwards. Although we had several set destinations, many of the day’s best finds were unplanned, discovered by a curious student’s “what’s that?” We sampled sweets at Aji Ichiban, an Asian candy purveyor, before turning down Doyer’s Street, nicknamed “Bloody Angle” for its one-time notoriety as America’s most dangerous road.
 
We walked by a pagoda roof, hucksters peddling cheap goods, and fish sellers who displayed fish—both living and dead—on the sidewalk. Before stopping for some morning dumplings, we walked into a specialty chopstick store, where the manager gave us a free tutorial and allowed us to try our newfound skills using some of their custom sets.
 
Nowadays, the shift from Chinatown to Little Italy is gradual, at least until you get as far north as Di Palo’s Fine Foods. Inside, as a woman interviewed customers for an oral history of the longstanding Italian market, employees cut slices of prosciutto and parmesan for us to nibble on. Our next stop was Lombardi’s Pizza, which claims to be America’s oldest. The crust was thin and crackly, and the students said the Italian sodas were on point, too.
 
Our final stop was Caffe Roma, where those who were not yet stuffed bought cannolis and other treats. On our long walk back to World Trade, I began thinking about how adventurous the students had been when trying new foods. There wasn’t anything, from Chinatown to Little Italy, that the students refused to try. It’s this type of curiosity that will keep students asking questions and wanting to learn more—a trait that will no doubt help them in the classroom. And, as we learned that day, it can also lead to some incredible finds. 

    On a crisp Fall morning Teresa and I had the opportunity to take six students from three different schools to tour the Google Office in New York City. We met Aditya, a volunteer with us who works for Google, in their 8th Avenue office. First, the Aditya took us up to his workspace. There he gave each of the six students, including Teresa and I, a cardboard viewer and a mobile device that turns a smartphone into a virtual reality device. Aditya proceeded to demo the new Google Expeditions app, walking us through a few virtual field trips. The trips varied from the depths of the oceans with sharks to the inside engine of an airplane. The students were very excited to engage with these, getting out of their seats and turning every direction they could with the cardboard device as they freely roamed through the panoramic image. Aditya described to them how he was working to develop these types of experiences more for students in schools.
    After that, we continued on a tour of the mostly empty Google facility (it was a Saturday after all). The students found the multiple kitchens and snack rooms very intriguing, and truly enjoyed seeing what the office spaces, dining halls, and, most importantly, the game room with various video game consoles, pool, table tennis, and more. Although Aditya confessed that in the months he has worked at Google, he maybe had ventured down to the game room once. To which, many student groaned, and wondered aloud how he could ever be so busy.
    Later in the tour we stopped in one of the classrooms employees use to engage in various professional development opportunities showing students that even the most seasoned employees continued to learn past traditional schooling. Here, students asked Aditya questions about his experience as a Google employee and the experiences that led him to his current position. During this discussion Teresa, Aditya and I were able to push students to think broadly about the outcomes of doing well in school, going to college, networking, and fighting for an opportunity. We took the time to talk about the privileges of working at Google, but also the high expectations and independent motivational needs that come with it. Aditya stressed the fact that he is given a lot of autonomy, but has to rely on his work and motivation habits he began building back in high school. These are the skills we push students to develop in order for them to achieve their goals.
    After seeing some other very interesting parts of the office -- including a Jackson Pollock style painting replica of a Google Doodle -- we took a photo in front of the Google sign and headed out for a late lunch. On our way to lunch, we walked through Chelsea Market, where Aditya pointed out this was the original Nabisco factory and the first Oreo was ever made! We then headed to The Meatball shop and had a wonderful meal before heading back to Newark. Overall, it was an action packed day, where both the students and I were able to learn a lot about working at such an innovative company, including the hard work it takes and the habits necessary to continue to work at a place like that. I think the smiles on all of the students faces in the picture in front of the google sign tell it all. We all had a great time.
- Colin

IGNITE traveled to The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in early December.  A couple of students began their day-long excursion in Newark Penn Station and traveled to New York via the PATH train making stops at the newly renovated World Trade station, French Cafe Gourmand, and of course MoMA.  

Once arriving at the museum, students planned their museum tour.  We began our tour with the American artist Jackson Pollock.  Students were intrigued by Pollock’s large range of materials and techniques.  Students were able to be present in the same space as Pollock’s famous One: Number 31, 1950.  

Soon after the students walked to another floor of the museum in which they discovered technical art.  Students were able to interact with the art, playing video games.  In particular, one student was able to play an interactive videogame in which the walls were the screens where their character was projected.  The students were able to hear, see, and be within art.  

While visiting MoMA, students were able to observe two famous artists' works.  Students saw the original Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.  Also, students saw Picasso’s original sculptures.

Most of the work by Van Gogh was familiar to the students from their history and art classes.  The students were amazed to be standing just feet away from the work.  Students were particularly drawn to the unique brush strokes and techniques that Van Gogh used throughout his different pieces.      

A special exhibit was dedicated to Picasso's sculptures.  The students were able to observe different techniques that Picasso used throughout the years.  For example, Picasso was known for his work within the cubism movement.  Students saw Guitar and compared his different pieces within cubism.  

After walking through the museum for a few hours, students and volunteers worked up an appetite for lunch.  Taking a subway back to World Trade, students walked through the grounds at St. Paul’s Chapel, the oldest church building in Manhattan.

We arrived at French Cafe Gourmand.  Students experienced traditional French sandwiches and listening to conversations in French.  The students enjoyed buttery croissants and paninis while chatting about the artwork at the museum.

Soon after, we were on our way back to Newark Penn Station.  Overall, students enjoyed another successful excursion into New York City at the Museum of Modern Art.  

Rita and Paige

IGNITE  delivers yet another incredible experience to a group of high school students from Newark and Passaic. Last month,  Allan and I had the honor of leading an excursion to volunteer at the St. Peter’s Chelsea Food Pantry and tour its surrounding Manhattan neighborhood. Over the course of the morning we distributed food to over 100 families and helped set up the pantry for the busy week to come. The kids enjoyed interacting with the patrons and the staff was impressed with how personable they were. 

After a  rewarding morning the pantry staff invited us to experience lunch at the Meatball Shop, an iconic neighborhood restaurant. Skeptical at first, the kids wanted to just get pizza instead of trying new cuisines. However, after some convincing and taking their first bites, the kids were impressed and regretted their reluctance. The pantry staff even rewarded them for their hard work with ice cream sandwiches.

Following the dining experience we proceeded to the High Line Park where the students got to take in breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty. After walking a few blocks on the converted elevated rail line, we ended the trip with mini rosemary donuts from Doughnuts at Chelsea Market. On the PATH train home, the kids reflected on a day full of all types of new experiences; strange foods, foreign neighborhoods, and serving a community.