By Cynthia Koons
The average SAT score for the 30 percent of the student body that takes the standardized test is a combined 879 out of 1600 for the mathematics and verbal college entrance exams.Enter Amir Sultan.He runs the Champions Club, an after-school program that offers students the chance to practice hip-hop break dancing, computer programming, documentary filmmaking, art, basketball, tennis, chess and football. There is only one requirement: work first, play later.Sultan ask that the students do at least an hour of focused homework after school as well as commit to three days a week of tutoring and optional SAT preparation courses, depending on their age and interest in attending college.”The thing that we're most proud of is our academic success, it has been outstanding the last three years,” Sultan, the program's executive director, said. After school Monday, students were diligently buried in math textbooks during one of two study sessions held in classrooms that day. Tutors from Queens College wandered through the rows of desks to offer support for club members.”Mainly Math is the hardest for them,” said tutor Sabrina Anderson, a junior at Queens College. “The thing with these kids is they really want to get better, they want to graduate.”The program assistant director, Terrence Gibbs, stopped in classrooms to ensure students were focused on their work. “It's a nice cross-section. You have some students in here who are accelerated, who want to advance,” he said. “There are a lot of students who need academic help.”Sahil Kapoor, a graduate of the program who has since returned to oversee the summer internship program, said he first enrolled in the club because it was the only place he could get help with his advanced placement calculus homework.He was also an intern through the Champions Club and worked in the city's Human Resources agency.”I was just 18 years old with no experience at all and I was given the chance to work in a really nice business environment,” he said. “These internships make you believe that you really can do it.”This is the program's fourth year at Flushing High School and it has an enrollment of 200 students. It has also been introduced in nine city middle schools, but Flushing is the only high school that has a club. Flushing sets the stage for a unique association because it is so multicultural, , Sultan said, “Our program reflects the diversity of the high school,” he said. “The chemistry is good.”Evans said some of the students applied for a Channel 13 grant to create a documentary about an issue close to the heart of the school community.Members of the Champions Club drew up a proposal about human rights and won a $1,000 grant to make a short film about the diversity of their student body, which is comprised of Chinese, Korean and Ecuadorian immigrants to name a few. Flushing High School is 22 percent black, 45 percent Hispanic and 25 percent Asian, according to the latest statistics from the city's Department of Education. Participants in the program speak 27 languages and the staff is versed in 17 of those.Phil Evans, who is overseeing the production of the documentary, and Sultan take the students on about seven field trips to colleges throughout the year to show them what educational opportunities are available after high school.”That's the thing we're trying to drive home is we're doing this studying for a reason,” Evans said.The immediate rewards for studying are dance, art and sports lessons with professionals with New York City resumes.In the gym Monday, boys were spinning on their heads, twisting while doing splits before stopping to hold themselves up in yogic poses to the beat of a homemade DJ compilation CD.”They've done already videos, rap videos, they've done competitions,” instructor and choreographer Yosvany Prado said. “They're staying out of trouble. Instead of being out on the street, they're doing something positive.”The older, stronger students on stage did solo “breaking” moves – the term they used for their hip-hop street and club dancing style – while younger boys practiced choreographed dances in the aisle with Prado.”This helps build discipline, it keeps you fit and it helps with mental elevation,” said club member Ronald Santos, a junior from Corona. “A lot of people think you're just spinning on your head, but it takes discipline. You have to set a goal to accomplish it.”Because dancing is intertwined with schoolwork, Santos said he is driven to perform well both on stage and in the classroom.”This is something we love to do, we adore so much that we will keep up good grades,” Santos said. “They're like fathers to us,” he said about his instructors. “They're more than just our teachers.”The dancers, including the hip-hop break dancers, perform at nursing homes throughout the Flushing area.”Could you imagine seeing – I don't want to be stereotypical,” Sultan said cautiously. “Could you imagine Asian people doing the merengue?”Reach reporter Cynthia Koons by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 141.
