Turn 2 Us Celebrates St. Patrick's Day

Last week the boys and girls involved with the Turn 2 Us Basketball League participated in a special St. Patrick's Day program by Dr. Montanez and the staff at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.  This special St. Patrick's Day program included authentic Irish step-dancing and musicians playing instruments from Ireland. There were even moments when students were asked to participate with the performers! The students had a good time and were given knowledge about Irish culture.

Special thanks to Dr. Montanez, the Turn 2 Us organization and the staff at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Boys Play A Great Second Half Despite Loss

Despite the final score of 27 - 9, the PS4 Wolves left the game with their heads help up high. "You guys played better in the second half. If you would have played the first half with the same intensity as you played the second half, you would have had a better chance at wining the game.", said Referee Mr. Larry, after the game.

The winning team, PS173, started the game strong and dominated the first half. But, the Wolves played much better in the second half and did their best. Led by Jeremy V. and Derek H., the Wolves made a strong run. They showed hustle, heart and fight. They are looking forward to their next game against downtown rival PS28 on their home court. They will be ready!

The 2012-2013 Boys Basketball Team

Here are the members of the 2012-2013 Boy's Basketball Team!

Coach Harris with his new team!

Carlos H. (401)
Elijah C. (401)
Francis D. (401)
Derek G. (401)
Dave C. (402)
Wilmar W. (420)
Carlos E. (421)
Janel P. (501)
Julio R. (501)
Kedwin R. (501)
Saul H. (502)
Franly R. (502)
Isaia G. (502)
Jeremy R. (520)
Jose S. (521)


Coach Harris and PS4 Wolves took their annual trip to the Turn 2 Us Basketball clinic to meet their opponents and learn the rules and regulations of this year's basketball season. Hosted and organized by Dr. Montanez, Turn 2 Us Program Director, the clinic took place at PS 192/ 325 with all of the school's in the district present (except for PS173). There was a scrimmage, reciting of the rules and a meet and greet for the coaches and players. The emphasis was on being good sportsmen and good students. Both the boys and girls basketball teams from  PS4 that attended and were very happy to take the trip.  They are even more excited to start the season.

PS4 Boys Basketball Team (in burgundy) during a practice game.

PS4 Teams Travel to Columbia University

Last month, both the Boys and Girls' basketball teams traveled to Columbia University to see how a Division 1 basketball team practices on a university court. Dr. Evelyn Montanez, the Executive Director of The Turn To Us Program, thought that exposing the boys and girls to student athletes on a higher level would be a good model for them. "I think it is important for our kids to see how student-athletes behave on a higher level. This is Columbia University...an Ivy League school. While basketball is important, students still pay attention to their studies and maintain a high grade point average." The students were very happy to go on this trip and learned a lot by watching the practice. Who knows, said Coach Harris, "maybe one of our boys or girls will be playing basketball at Columbia University in the not so distant future."

It's Playoff Time....

Team photo with Coach Harris and Assistant Coach Adam

After tomorrow's game against PS325, the PS4 Boys Basketball team will be gearing up for their playoff run. The playoffs are different than any other game because there's only one. If you lose you are out, if you win you can move on and hopefully win enough games to get to the championship game. The Wolves will be relying heavily on team captain Armani R. and leading scorer Dermont D. to show leadership during this time. "We can win our games, but we have to focus on defense, team rebounding and not turning the ball over to the other team." Says Coach Adam, Assistant Coach of The Mighty Wolves. "In order for us to win our games we must play a great game and cut down on the mental errors that have effected us the last two games." Key players for the play-off run include Jose A., Camille D. and Alejandro M. It's now or never!

The Coach Harris Report!

Coach Harris and Assistant Coach Adam with the team.

The Wolves win again! Playing at home, at PS4's gymnasium, the team came from behind by 3 points with clutch plays made by Dermont D. and ferocious defense played by the team's best defender Camille D. The win makes it the fifth in a row by the Wolfpack.  "It was a team effort by every player." Says Coach Adam, assistant coach of the PS4 Boys Basketball team, "they showed tremendous heart and courage." Even though team captain Armani R. did not score any points in this game, he led the team courageously against the ferocious play of PS132, led by Coach Luis. Even coach Luis, after the game, admitted that the game was tough. "The game was close! I wish we had pulled this one out but PS4 is a tough team." With PS4 behind by three points, with under two minutes left in the game leading scorer Forward-Center Dermont D. scored a free throw basket and a game - tying field goal to even the score at 10 points. That took the game to overtime. Once the game went into overtime, PS4 took over and outscored PS132.  We won the game with a score of  14 - 12! Mr. Ovalle was there and saw a great game played by both teams, "that was a great game and PS4 played tough." As for PS132, even though they lost the game, they are a good team and probably will see PS4 once again in the playoffs.

1st Game of the Season

Congratulations to the members of our boys basketball team! Even though they lost by a score of 28 - 15, the boys of PS4 did show some signs of having a good season this year. Senior point-guard and newly named team captain, Armani R., showed great leadership on the court. 4th Grade forward, Dermont D., "filled the bucket" with 14 points, scoring all but one of the team's 15 points. "I really liked some of the things that I saw today on the court" said Coach Harris, "once we get our feet underneath us, we should be fine."

Throughout the game, The Wolves, PS4's new team mascot, showed great hustle and determination. But, the players from PS128 also knew what to do on the court and they got the victory in the end. "If we can stay disciplined on defense, execute on offense and play with maturity, then we will have no problems", said Coach Harris.  He thinks that once the team starts believing in one another, they will see great success. "Once they begin to trust each other and make the right plays, we will definitely see a turnaround." Although they did not win their first game of the season, they did their best.

Bears, Panthers, Knights and Wolves...OH MY!

This week, students of the Duke Ellington School will vote on a new mascot!  Voting has already begun on our blog!  Members of the Student Government will be visiting classrooms to distribute ballots for students in grades 3, 4, and 5 to vote.  If you haven't voted, please see the poll question on the left side of your screen and choose the symbol that will represent our school.

Here's what each symbol represents:

• Bear - strength and courage
• Panther - strength and grace
• Knight - honor and intelligence
• Wolf - power and strength

Panther

Knight

Bear

Wolf

Choose wisely!  Our new mascot will be announced by Coach Harris at our first basketball game on Friday, October 21st.

NOTE:  On October 21st, Coach Harris announced that nearly 75% of students voted for the wolf to be our new mascot!

PS4 Boys Baseball

Even though the boys of the PS4M Baseball Team played strong, they lost to PS 173M by a score of 4-3 in 5 innings. Juan M. pitched a good game and struck out five players and hit a double at the plate. Gabriel P. hit two singles during the game and Oscar also hit a double that started three runs in the fourth inning. "PS4 has a really good team", said Coach Goodman of PS 173M. The loss, which took place at Inwood Hill/Dyckman Field on 191st Street, evens The Mighty Dukes record with two wins and two losses. The play-off game will be played next week and the members of the PS4 Boys Baseball Team are looking forward to the challenge.

Boys Baseball Wins At Highbridge

PS4 defeated PS 192, 7-6 in their last at bat by a score of 7-6. Thanks to the work of the whole team. Raymond G. and Bryan R. made very important contributions to this winning game. PS 4's baseball team now has a 2-0 record. That means they have two victories and no losses. Starting pitcher Juan had five strikeouts as he battled the very good team of PS 192. Catcher Jean D. played a very tough game behind the plate and left fielder Alexander knocked a base hit to center field for The Mighty Dukes. Perhaps the key moment in the game was when relief pitcher and second baseman volunteered to pitch in relief and shut down the game for The Mighty Dukes. Even though he was not able to continue pitching the entire game, he was able to strike out the last batter in the inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, hitter Bryan R. was able to get on base with a walk. Then Alexander knocked a base hit into center field and Bryan was on third base. A hit could and would end the game. That's just what Raymond G. did and he scored the winning run.

The team celebrated at home plate and congratulated Raymond when he came off the field. The PS 4 team was happy and after they shook hands with the tough team from PS 192, they walked off baseball field 1# at Highbridge-West Bronx Recreation Center victorious and headed back to the school. Congratulations to Coach Harris and the boys baseball team!

PS 4 Beats PS 28!

PS 4 beat PS 28, with a score of 28 -27. This is yet another win for The Mighty Dukes! Thanks to some great playing by Gabriel P. and Antonio C., PS 4 was able to finally defeat the Turn To US champs from PS 28. "Gabriel did a lot of the small things that helped our team. He did not turn the ball over and he even called an important timeout", said Coach Keys, Head Coach of the PS 4 basketball team. Played at PS 28 on April 15, the game was very close from start to finish. According to Coach Keys," if Antonio C. had not played so well, PS 4 would never have had the chance to win the game at all." Antonio had 18 points and he even made the game winning shot with 5 seconds left!

Things are looking good for The Mighty Dukes! Despite losing the game before this one, Coach Keys believes his basketball players are now working together at the right time. "After about a year of playing basketball, this team is really beginning to come together and play the right way", he says. "When they play this way, I don't think there is any team they can't beat."

Coach Harris and the PS4 Boys Baseball Team Salute Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson's legacy was memorialized on April 15, 2010, by fans, players and Major League Baseball, marking the 63rd anniversary of the Hall of Famer breaking baseball's color barrier. For the second consecutive year, every baseball player at the 12 different ballparks where Robinson played, were asked to wear his retired number; 42.

Click here to see video clips by professional baseball players discussing this historic moment.

Baseball Season Officially Starts!

Baseball Season is here! Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is time for the boys to get their bats and gloves and play the sport known as America's Pastime. Sponsored by Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Us Foundation, there are seven teams that will compete against each other for the baseball championship. According to Dr. Montanez, director of the program, sports are a great way to bring out the best in the students. "These programs are intended to make our students know that school work and sportsmanship go hand in hand", she said. "That is why we check with their teachers throughout the season to make sure they are taking care of business in the class room before anything else." She reminds each student that participation in this program is a privilege, not a right. The students our looking forward to this season of hitting, catching and throwing. "They are enthusiastic, energetic and willing to do what it takes", says Coach Harris. "We want to bring home a championship to PS4".

Click here to see a story about last season's boy's baseball team.

Coach Keys: Man On A Mission

Coach Keys wants another championship! Those are before a crucial game between his team, The Mighty Dukes, and P.S. 92. "I think we have a good shot at making some noise in the playoffs." His players are feeling confident after a 28 -6 victory over P.S. 173 before the Holiday Break. But Coach Keys urges whoever roots for The Mighty Dukes not to get overconfident. 'The best team is P.S. 28" he says. "In order to beat them, we are going to have to play our "A" game. Anything less than that and we can forget it." But, this veteran coach is very confident that his team can win the next game being played on the home court. "We are good and definitely capable of winning the next game."

P.S. 4 Boys Baseball Team Wins Their First Game!

After winning the first exhibition game, P.S. 4 continued their winning ways by beating their arch - rivals from P.S. 128 in a 4-3 nail biter. Led by starting pitcher Adrian R. and catcher Edwin R., the Mighty Dukes from P.S. 4 came back from an early 2 - 0 deficit with timely hitting and clutch fielding. "They played a good game", said Commissioner and umpire of the game, Frank Mercado. Clutch hitting by Jordyn D. and Freddy R. also helped to contribute to the victory for The Mighty Dukes. This victory has even led to some of the players dreaming about what can happen later on down the road, Martin Garcia is already thinking about the championship. "Only 5 more games and then we are off to the championship", says Garcia. But the boys need to take it one game at a time if they are to going to make their dream of winning the last game of the season come true.