Paul Robeson High School

Some of our students have been making posters at Crown Heights Mediation Center. Click here to check them out:

http://crownheightslivepresents.blogspot.com/

Our first PSA deals with the responsibilities of being a witness.

Who am I? This I may never know.

Maybe my culture lives in me.

A culture I may never know.

I feel lost in a world so cold,

and filled with darkness.

A world so dark I can not

see clearly who am I.

This same question gets stuck in

my head everyday.

I’m in need of light in this

struggle’s fight I’m losing.

I don’t know who I am.

I have different personalities.

In search of my reality.

Migraines, pains, and aches trying

to answer the question that got

me here in the first place.

Soon I will have the answer

To this question.

It is in my final destination.

Again I ask myself the question: Who am I?

—Amin Abdullah

Back to that lonely place

You are the only one that can see the truth in a face,

No make believe,

Just give her space

Cause women find it very hard to win a race.

And tell me how this nikkas never get a break

You don’t see the streets

You don’t check the pace

It’s like dropping out of school,

it’s considered fate.

But we don’t give a f**ck

we just light it up

and blow kush non stop till we wake-up.

My father told me focus

but a nikka kinda doubtful

Cause this shit on my mind

got my dreams looking awful.

Y’all don’t see what I see.

Y’all don’t know what I feel.

Cause when I write my story,

y’all just read the f**k’n summary.

She told me what it is

I told her what it was

Now my baby riding solo cause she can’t find my love…

Love just tell me what you want,

I got that ‘D’ card let’s get discovered at the mall.

–Fernando Pottinger

How I wrote this poem:

This poem is a reflection of what was going on in my life at the time. I wanted to express the personal feeling in a relationship. It was going down hill and I couldn’t work it out. It’s about life, period. I’m so doubtful about certain things. I never know what is right, so many influences in my environment. I hate being influenced.

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I saw something one day that was very funny and i wanted to make a scene with the same situation as I saw it

Over 20 students worked on our banner for the entrance of Robeson’s Peace Lab. The Peace Lab was named by Jonathan because “it’s a place of experimentation, where lots of things are going on–like a laboratory.”

Come wine and dine

While I smoke on this pine

I am doing quite fine

As long as you remain mine

Please don’t deny me as we watch

My favorite movie nine

I like to speak slang

I got that thang

So sweetheart don’t plan

Don’t picture me designed

since you are my soul desire

I like sugar, ice cream, and vanilla

I understand your name is Tinna

Very well then honey let’s have dinner

I forever remain a winner

While you be my spinner

As we play in the blender.

By Bless, Robeson HS

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Last year, only 40 percent of the students at Paul Robeson graduated in four years, and the Department of Education says that’s the primary reason the school should be closed. In 2007-08, the graduation rate was 56.7%. In 2008-09, the graduation rate fell precipitously to 40.1%.   Credit accumulation rates are also low:In 2008-09, only 58.4% of first-year students accumulated 10 or more credits. Low expectations, low attendance rates, and low graduation rates are all reasons the Department of Education cites for why it wants to close the high school. Twenty-one schools have been told that the Department of Education will begin their phase out in September 2010. Fifteen of those schools — a completely disproportionate number — were high schools. They will phase out in 2013.

Paul Robeson’s Peace Lab filmed at the high school in December.  This is an excerpt of our documentary about the phasing out of Robeson.

Researched by Celeste

Nixon as the teacher who can't control his students

Ferdinando filming the "making of" documentary

Leading actor and actress listening to directions

Filming scene 2

Here at Robeson High School we are working on a safe sex PSA, written by Quinten during our PSA writing workshop. We’ve shot Scenes 1, 2, 5 and 7 in the past week. 

Tony operating the boom mic

Donovan directing Scene 1