The Blackboard Awards were founded over ten years ago by New York Family’s parent company, Manhattan Media, as a way of giving back to school communities in Manhattan and around the city. The Awards have two primary goals: To honor and celebrate excellence in local education, and to serve as an ongoing resource for parents. Over the years, the Blackboard Awards have evolved into two special ceremonies, celebrating schools and principals in the fall, and teachers in the spring. We honor excellence in all education sectors (public, private, charter, and parochial), and all grade levels (nursery through high school). Parents are welcome and encouraged to nominate their beloved schools and educators, and we typically hear from several thousand local families in the course of the year. We also have a board of advisers, experts in local education, who make recommendations as well. If you would like to nominate your school or principal or child’s teachers, please visit blackboardawards.com.
BASIS INDEPENDENT BROOKLYN
PRINCIPAL: ROSALIND THOMPSON
K-8 (Eventually K-12)
15 Snyder Avenue, Brooklyn (Interim)
basisindependentbrooklyn.com
AWARD: NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
BASIS Independent Brooklyn provides a Liberal Arts curriculum with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) focus. We help students reach their full potential by raising our academic standards to higher levels for each grade, and then fully supporting students by hiring teachers who are experts in their subject areas, and who often have advanced degrees and real-world experience in that subject. We encourage students to love the learning process, and to appreciate the acquisition of knowledge not just as a means to an academic end, but for its own sake.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
We have a student body that truly loves school—and thanks to our teachers, that’s been the case since the beginning of the school year, our first in Brooklyn. Our students are engaged, and have developed a strong love of learning while building from scratch a student community and culture that belies the fact that the students are all new this year, and from many different neighborhoods and schools.
What’s new?
One of the things that I am most proud of during these initial months of operation is, indeed, our faculty. Our teachers are diverse in culture, background, and professional experience—and yet they share such a passion for their students. Our teachers have come together as a high-performing team, helping each other, discussing possibilities to the great benefit of the students, and expending effort and energy to reach and teach entire classes, or individual students, ceaselessly.
What do you love about your school?
I love to be in the classrooms watching the students… What is not to love about being a principal, when you can walk into a Kindergarten or 1st grade class and be bowled over with hugs and iterations of facts-just-learned or activities-to-come; when you can slip into a 7th or 8th grade classroom and watch a spirited, high-level debate amongst students? I love the students abuzz in the morning, through the day and at the final bell. I love all of my interaction and communication, the meetings about today and the planning for the future. I love the ideas, the pedagogy, the progress. I love the pure passion about what we do. I love this job!
CENTRAL QUEENS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: ASHISH KAPADIA
5-7 (5-8 In Fall 2015)
55-30 Junction Boulevard, Elmhurst & 88-24 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale
centralqueensacademy.org
AWARD: RISING STAR
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Central Queens Academy’s educational philosophy is to provide a warm, safe environment where we personalize the academic, social, and emotional learning for our highly diverse scholars so that they are prepared with the content knowledge and skills to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. CQA opened in 2012 with a focus on English Language Learners as the first charter school to serve New York City’s most diverse neighborhoods in Queens.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
Our school is proud to have helped many of our scholars who entered middle school below grade level become proficient in English and mathematics. We credit the great work of our entire school community, particularly our teaching staff and many founding members of CQA’s team.
What’s new?
CQA just opened a second, beautiful campus for our 7th graders. It will hold grades 7-8 next school year. We are also beginning to plan out and explore CQA High School!
What do you love about your school? What do you see as its biggest challenges?
CQA scholars are wonderful. They inspire all of us to work as hard as we can every day to be the best educators and role models we can be. They are eager to learn, help each other, and become great people. To be of service to this group of scholars and families is a privilege. Our school’s biggest challenge is that there are not enough hours in the day! Another challenge that we face is communicating effectively with families and caregivers in a multi-lingual environment. CQA’s students speak more than 20 home languages, and we welcome this as a wonderful challenge in bringing everyone together in support of our students.
CHILDREN’S ALL DAY SCHOOL
DIRECTOR: SUSAN BIRNBAUM
Pre-Nursery & Preschool
109 East 60th Street
cadskids.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING NURSERY SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Our school is based on a developmental, interactive approach. We believe that young children learn best by doing, and what they love to do is play. So we structure our play with goals and objectives in mind, including being able to problem-solve and critically think about the world around them. We also see approaches, such as the Reggio Emilia and Project Approach, as a way to focus our play-based activities, allowing children to have a voice and time to explore.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
One of the greatest achievements of Children’s All Day School is how our teachers stay and do not leave. The average teacher has been here 17 years. Our staff is dedicated both to the craft of teaching the youngest of children as well as to the school itself. We are truly a family here.
What’s new?
We have some exciting new ventures here at Children’s All Day School. We have a brand new, interactive website. Children can watch their favorite music teacher playing their favorite songs, or listen to their teacher read their favorite stories. We also have a visiting author program now, where published authors come and read their book to each classroom. We also have a second music program now. Our second music teacher comes to us from Church Street School for Music and Art, and she incorporates literature into her music program.
What do you love about your school? What do you see as its biggest challenges?
What I love the most about Children’s All Day School are the dedicated, loving, educated, expert teachers that care for each child as if they are their own, and the way the staff puts all adults aside, including me, to tend to the needs of the children. The staff also cares for the school in the same way they care for the children—the decorations for holidays, the Halloween costumes they make with the children, the trips to stores for materials and supplies on their own time, are all above and beyond their job descriptions. The most challenging part of my job is the feeling I need to really live up to the standards set before me. To serve such a staff requires me to work as hard as my teachers do.
COLUMBIA GRAMMAR AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: DR. RICHARD SOGHOIAN
PK-12
5 West 93rd Street
cgps.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Our outstanding core of teachers forms the foundation of our pedagogical success. From pre-Kindergarten all the way through the high school years, our talented, kind, and energetic faculty reflect our belief that personality and patience are equally valuable as intellectual strengths in educating the whole child. Immersed in the nurturing and vibrant environment of CGPS, our students excel academically, socially, and emotionally to become confident and creative life-long learners. We are also strongly committed to supporting various differences by recognizing and appreciating learning styles, interests, abilities, and personal strengths.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School has grown in dramatic ways over the last three decades, with many notable achievements along the way. We have tripled our enrollment to become, along with Dalton, the largest school in Manhattan. Our physical plant has grown from 36,000 substandard square feet to over 200,000 new or fully-renovated square feet. We are able to provide over $6.2 million in financial aid on a yearly basis, and we have the highest starting teacher salaries among all schools, public or private. We have a physical plant valued to $300 million today with no debt whatsoever! And lastly, we have had the only and oldest program within the larger school program for bright, learning-disabled children—the Learning Resource Center. None of these children, without this program, would have been able to complete a highly rigorous college preparatory program and move on to college after graduation. We have on average 65 out of 1,300 students in the Learning Resource Center each year.
What’s new?
We have just had yet another capital project approved by NYC, giving us 17,000 additional square feet of space. This building will house our new middle school.
What do you love about your school?
First and foremost, I have deeply enjoyed being part of CGPS’s growth and renewal over the past three-and-a-half decades. We were able to celebrate this past year our 250th year of continuous existence as a college preparatory school in New York City… We can all take pride in the fact that we are now one of the most successful and sought-after schools in NYC. And, as any head of a K-12 school can attest, watching children grow and develop from Kindergarten to graduation and then off to college is a uniquely rewarding and fulfilling experience.
THE CORLEARS SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: DAVID EGOLF
N-5
324 West 15th Street
corlearsschool.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING NURSERY & GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Corlears believes in partnering as a community to raise leaders in the 21st Century through an education that develops creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication… Corlears employs a pedagogical approach that views the world from multiple perspectives, and seeks to build an economically and culturally diverse community that reflects the vibrant life of New York City. We recognize that students are interested in exploring differences as well as commonality…and we strive to create an atmosphere of respect and appreciation.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
A new program that we introduced this year is Project Time, a dedicated block built into students’ schedules for interdisciplinary problem-solving across the grades 3-5. The first trimester is an elective period that allows students to focus their interest in classes like Literary Performance or News Reporting… The second trimester will be collaborative problem solving of weekly STEAM challenges… Our final trimester will ask students to work in small groups to find solutions to community-based problems.
What’s new?
Our school’s approach to interdisciplinary, student-centered, and collaborative learning is quickly becoming the model for 21st-Century education… We are leveraging what we have always done to reflect the interests of our students and the changing times. For example, at the start of this year, I sat with our pre-K-2 teachers to discuss how we could introduce second language learning to the daily routines of their classrooms. The teachers embraced the challenge, worked with the Spanish teacher, and found ways to bring a partial immersion Spanish program to these grades.
What do you love about your school?
Corlears embodies that love of creativity and celebrates the unique points of view and approaches to learning from all our students. It couldn’t be a better fit for me and my passions. I don’t have a classroom anymore, but I still find ways to connect with students, and these are the most joyful moments in the week. I greet families at the door every day, welcome students to our assembly, and whenever possible, meet with students to get their feedback.
EAST SIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: DAVID GETZ
6-8
331 East 91st Street
esms.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Our first goal at East Side Middle is to give each of our students the opportunity to develop the thinking skills that will be necessary for them to become successful adults and engaged citizens. Our second goal is to help our students discover and develop their “element,” which Ken Robinson defines as “the meeting point between natural aptitude and personal passion.” We believe these talents, skills, and interests will help our students lead vibrant, rewarding and creative lives. Our third goal is to help our students develop the empathy that will enable them to appreciate the lives of others and to engage with others in their communities to make the world a better place.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
Our academic program helps our children develop the habits of mind of the disciplines they are studying. Our students learn to think as members of the disciplines they are studying. They practice making decisions as epidemiologists, mathematicians, historians, professional writers, theater directors, visual artists, constitutional lawyers, archaeologists, and Spanish speakers. Our athletic program is both rigorous and inclusive and extensive, offering a wide variety of opportunities for students to develop their athletic skills, compete, and learn how to be a member of a team… We also offer a wide variety of opportunities for our students to engage with and make a positive impact upon their world.
What’s new?
Our rocket club, which is a student-run engineering program that is currently building a robotic arm; our international cookbook program, which is bringing students and their families together to share recipes from around the world; our afterschool program; and our Kenya Mom’s Alliance program, which pairs mothers from our school with HIV+ mothers in Kibera.
What do you love about your school?
I love going to work every day. I love sitting in the classrooms of our teachers and participating as a student and a coach in their lessons. I love planning with our teachers and learning from them. I love working with our student council on their various projects, and I love watching the Rocket Club members build a robotic arm and program it in my office. I love working with our terrific parents and leading our book clubs. I love facilitating our Principal’s student book club and our teacher book club. I love our weekly cabinet meetings and working together to make this school such a vibrant, creative community.
JEWISH COMMUNITY PROJECT
PRINCIPAL: SHARON SHOROFSKY MACK
Early Childhood Center: Grown Up & Me-PK; Hebrew School Project: PK-7
146 Duane Street
jcpdowntown.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
JCP Early Childhood Center is committed to supporting growth and to encouraging a love of learning… Teachers recognize “access points” in each child, respecting them and encouraging their interests and ideas. Our process-oriented approach to all aspects of education allows for focus not only on an end-product, but on the process of growing, creating and learning. Jewish values are interwoven throughout the curriculum including weekly in-class Shabbat celebrations and Tzedakah (Righteous Giving)/outreach in every class.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs—as well as its challenges.
We are especially proud of JCP’s Specialist Program, the Resource Collaboration Model, recently featured in the Parents League Review. The program is a unique approach to supporting development using a team of specialized professionals who work directly with families, teachers, and administrators… Additionally JCP offers an outstanding Arts Appreciation Curriculum with visits from professional artists throughout the year. Children converse with artists about the creative process and develop appreciation for the arts as they observe, create, and explore music, dance, drama, and visual arts. JCP recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and our greatest challenge is our growth! The Early Childhood Center is one part of our growing organization and space continues to be a challenge. We are in the process of exploring opportunities for space that will allow further growth and expansion.
What’s new?
JCP continues to work very closely with all of our families as they research opportunities for Kindergarten in ongoing schools. Our goal is to help families find the right match for their child and we feel fortunate to have been continually successful in those partnerships.
What do you love about your school?
I love the respect that is part of our school culture. Walking into a classroom, the respect that the teachers and children have for each other is obvious. I love having worked with my colleagues to build a place that is making a meaningful difference in the lives of so many families. When our school comes together for our
all-school events there is a magic
that is palpable. Siblings, cousins,
and friends wave from across the room or spontaneously hug in delight. Likewise, our children learn to greet each other at our weekly Shabbat celebrations and turn to one another offering a handshake wishing each other “Shabbat Shalom.” These moments of affirmation of enjoying each other’s presence are truly touching.
MILLENNIUM BROOKLYN HIGH SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: DR. LISA GIOE
9-12
237 7th Avenue, Brooklyn
millenniumbrooklynhs.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
The mission of Millennium Brooklyn is to create a rigorous academic program with a strong emphasis on writing across disciplines, critical thinking skills, and project-based learning fostering college and career readiness. Our vision is to facilitate a community-centered environment that fosters achievement for all students through rigorous academics and college preparation; cultivates a community of learners and leaders; and builds dynamic partnerships with all members of our community.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
We are proud of our school’s Research and Internship Program, designed to support students in acquiring the ability to apply real-world skills in various workplace settings. Tasks assigned will support students’ understanding of the multi-dimensional efforts that go into making a workplace effective and the necessity of synthesizing several skill sets for the creation of a quality work product. …We are [also] proud of our ASD Nest Program, created for higher functioning students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), based on the successful ASD Nest elementary and middle school (MS 447) inclusion models. [The program’s] goal is to teach students how to function well academically, behaviorally, and socially, both in school and within
the broader community.
What’s new?
This year our founding class of students will be graduating. At this point we have received notice of two early decision college acceptances, and are knee-deep in the application process. So far, all seniors are on track for graduation.
What do you love about your school?
I guess the one challenge in creating a new school comes with the growing pains of being in transition with faculty and increasing facilities needs over a four-year period as you add on a new grade each year. The tone and the feel at Millennium Brooklyn is truly unique. We are like one big family…I have put a lot of pressure on myself as the founding principal to make sure that our founding class had as many opportunities and positive experiences as students in fully-established high schools had. Our founding faculty really gave 200 percent towards providing a well-rounded high school experience… Our founding class provided a lot of feedback to faculty—they paved the way for future Millennium Brooklyn graduates. It’s an amazing feeling to see your vision come to life.
PS 51M – THE ELIAS HOWE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: NANCY SING-BOCK
PK-5
525 West 44th Street
ps51manhattan.com
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
PS 51, the Elias Howe School, is a small public elementary school with 350 students grades pre-K-5, located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen in a beautiful new state-of-the-art building. We strive to provide a holistic education, ensuring that every student is successful academically, artistically, and socially. We are a family of learners that provides a safe and nurturing environment where we provide a wide range of meaningful learning opportunities enabling students to shine in many ways through the rich arts programs we offer, inquiry-based learning modeled after Reggio Emilia, and integrated project-based learning.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
We are fortunate to have many arts partnerships that we offer our students. Though a partnership with Rosie’s Theater Kids Foundation, all students are provided with tap dancing instruction for grades pre-K-3 and Musical Theatre Instruction for grade 5. Through a new partnership with ING Financial, students receive creative writing experiences from the Teachers and Writers Collaborative in grades 1-2, and ballet instruction from the New York City Ballet in grades 3-4, and Art Farm for all students.
What’s new?
In 2013, PS 51 was recognized as Inside Schools’ Pick. In 2014, PS 51 has been recognized as having a stellar arts education that will be highlighted in the Annual Arts in Schools Report.
What do you love about your school?
I love that we provide a small safe and nurturing learning environment where we are truly a family and close-knit community. We have families from around the world! I love that we instill a passionate love of learning through our creative approach to teaching, where students have meaningful, engaging experiences to excel at what they are, can, and will be in the future as citizens of our society and the world. Children do shine in so many ways. Coming to school every day and seeing a child excel in reading, writing, math, singing, playing an instrument, creating an artwork, dancing or acting, collaborating with other students on a science experiment, or a project on Native Americans, or an inquiry study on parks, or the pride a student has from being a member of the student council, or a peer mediator, and doing community service brings joy to me as an elementary school principal. We are helping students build their self-confidence and helping them realize their own strengths, abilities, and talents.
PS 89
PRINCIPAL VERONICA NAJJAR
PK-6
201 Warren Street
ps89.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
At PS 89, learning is infused with inquiry and collaboration. This emphasis encourages independent thinking and a respect for differences and traits that nurture both life-long learning and social responsibility. Social Studies form the core of PS 89’s project-based learning, with each grade engaging in two extended studies during the year. The integration of all areas of study, including our art, music, and dance programs, creates a rigorous curriculum. The administrators and teachers at PS 89 work with the students to create a socially and emotionally supportive community.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
[One achievement is in] Special Education. Our philosophy on inclusion and diversity is reflected in our Integrated Co-Teaching program. PS 89 was one of the first NYC public schools with an Inclusion program, which started in 1999. We teach a diverse population of learners, whose needs are met by our experienced pedagogues, who are always reflecting on and improving upon their practice. A model for inclusion, PS 89’s program is visited by educators from around the city and as far away as Holland and Denmark. [Another achievement is our] social studies curriculum. Social Studies form the core of learning at PS 89. Students engage in extensive project-based studies that teach them to construct an understanding of the world around them.
What’s new?
A few years ago, the PS 89 School Leadership Team initiated the Liberty Walk as a way to involve the entire community—students, staff, and parents—in a service project. This all-school walk-a-thon is a one-mile walk around nearby Rockefeller Park, often accompanied by music and/or dance performances. For the first couple of years, the donations for the Liberty Walk supported an elementary school in Haiti, which had been hard hit by an earthquake, through Partners in Health.
What do you love about your school?
I love ringing the bell every morning in the schoolyard. I’ve been doing it since the school opened in 1998—same bell. I love greeting the parents, watching the students line up, and seeing my team of dedicated educators come through the doors, eager to begin the day. PS 89 would not be the school it is without the expertise, professionalism, and passion that the staff brings to their work every single day… A school should serve as an anchor in the community, and I believe that PS 89 has achieved that.
PS 126 – MANHATTAN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY
PRINCIPAL: JACQUI GETZ
PK-8
80 Catherine Street
ps126mat.com
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Within a nurturing, safe environment, PS126/MAT staff members actively engage all students in the learning process and teach students to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and life-long learners. Our theory of action is centered on creating a school where teachers feel free to take risks, share student work, and open up their practice. We use the phrase: “Assign work that matters,” as we design units of study with the belief that cognitive challenges can be met by all students given appropriate supports.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
Our community embraces diversity, and our families and children build relationships that are strong, deep, and caring. Our project-based social studies work in grades pre-K-8 has changed our academic landscape completely. Our students are being challenged and engaged through curricula that includes deep research, problem solving, purposeful writing, focused reading, and response through art, drama, and music.
What’s new?
The staff is working very hard and with great collaboration to design CCSS aligned Social Studies units of study. From the in-depth study of apples in Kindergarten, through the remarkable and sophisticated study of urban parks in second grade, and ending with an unbelievable 8th grade study of the Lower East Side—our school has been remaking itself academically… Our MAT staff hosted the staff of the Smiodden School for two days. The teachers from Norway prepared presentations of current units they taught. Our staff advised them in three areas: Differentiation, Assessment, The Why (Purpose) of the Study, and Close Reading opportunities. We also presented our units of study and then hosted the teachers in the classrooms to observe instruction. Bad Bunnies, a kids’ rock-and-roll band and chorus, is an example of the creativity and devotion of our teachers… The 50 students write and perform songs! The teacher in charge has a friend who is a musician and volunteers to compose the music with the students.
What do you love about your school?
Where do I start? If I start with the staff, I must explain how hard they work, how much they respect and love children, how collaborative and intelligent they are as they design curriculum. I must brag about the time they give on their own at lunch and afterschool to support struggling learners. I must brag about how they create a safe and caring environment—how we are a family. If I start with the children, I must explain how resilient and determined they are to learn and to achieve… I must brag about how they blend together in a diverse and beautiful community. If I start with families, I must explain how they come together in easy and hard times to support our school and children and staff… This is a remarkable school and I am lucky.
PS 166M – THE RICHARD RODGERS SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
PRINCIPAL: DEBRA MASTRIANO
K-5
132 West 89th Street
ps166.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Our core educational philosophy is to shape a vision of academic success for all students based on high standards. We aim to cultivate leadership in our teachers so that they can be an active part of the instructional process. We believe in frequent professional learning opportunities that will increase educator effectiveness for all teachers, and in turn, our students… We want students and staff alike to approach each day with a growth mindset, ready to take on new challenges, and to learn and grow.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
We are a Teachers College Reading and Writing Project School. As a TCRWP school, we ensure that we are meeting Common Core Learning Standards across all grades, and that students are writing and reading in range of genres. Our teachers engage in data-driven instruction that targets students’ specific strengths, and growth areas. In math, teachers are provided with weekly staff development to grow their conceptual understanding of the Common Core Math Standards and Common Core Shifts.
What’s new?
We are really excited about our Math Centers! In grades K-5, students are engaged in Early Childhood Assessment of Mathematics centers. Teachers use an assessment to identify students’ independent level in several math topics. Once their level is determined, students engage in math centers to practice the skill that they need work on so they can move to the next level. Students play games to help them practice, and teachers confer with students giving feedback.
What do you love about your school?
I love that I have a committed faculty. They have risen to the challenges of learning a new curriculum in both English language arts and math so as to meet the needs of our students, and the rigor of the Common Core Learning Standards. We enrich their lives of our students daily through meaningful curriculum… Walking into classrooms and viewing the great work students are doing daily is one of the joys of this job. It is amazing to see firsthand the quality of instruction that goes on in classroom, and to interact with students in an academic setting. Our students are so insightful, and speaking with them always brightens my day.
STATEN ISLAND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: MARK ERLENWEIN
9-12
485 Clawson Street, Staten Island
siths.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Staten Island Technical High School, established in 1988 as a magnet school for students interested in pre-engineering, was granted status in 2005 as one of New York City’s eight Specialized High Schools (joining Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School) in serving the needs of New York City’s most gifted and talented young men and women. SI Tech is a nationally renowned liberal arts high school with one of the most highly acclaimed college preparatory experiences across the curriculum, with an emphasis in STEAM, parent engagement, and premier college and career readiness programs, producing the nation’s finest scholars, problem solvers, innovators, and athletes.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
This school year we roll out year two of the 1:1 iPad Digital Education Initiative with both 9th and 10th graders participating, in an effort to continue in SI Tech’s tradition of providing students with the most current and cutting-edge technology education advantages. Our schools is transitioning away from textbooks and traditional education materials to a methodology that allows for digitized curriculum and resources that are engaging, interactive, collaborative, differentiated, and provide measurable feedback in real-time. [Also], our school’s new Career and Development Center is buzzing with numerous opportunities, offering students of all grade levels the opportunity to explore career pathways, via our “Backpack to Briefcases” series, featuring daily presentations from guests, as well as job shadowing and internships.
What’s new?
This past summer SI Tech launched our first summer internship program, funded by the Summer Youth Employment Program. Over 125 Students who identified “career interests” were matched with internships that closely matched the experiences and necessary skill sets related to the careers they indicated. Other students were placed in camp sites and school settings that provided challenging and exciting work experiences,while also building important soft and professional skills while earning an income.
What do you love about your school?
I vividly remember 26 years ago starting the 1988-1989 school year as a freshman in SI Tech. Therefore, it was surreal and the absolute deepest honor for me to be named the principal in 2013… Now serving as our school’s Educational Leader and Lead Imagineer, I’ve been working over the past many years with an incredible team of teachers, students, parents, and community leaders in building the framework necessary to continue soaring skyward in all of our school’s future endeavors.
SUCCESS ACADEMY BRONX 2
PRINCIPAL: VANESSA BANGSER
K-4
450 St. Paul’s Place, The Bronx
successacademies.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING GRADE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Success Academy Bronx 2 embodies joyful rigor. The high bar for academic expectations our teachers have for scholars is balanced with a true love of learning and sense of fun and possibility. We strive to develop the whole child and help all scholars meet and exceed their potential in every aspect of schooling. We value their ability to strategize as mathematicians just as much as their ability to engage in meaningful conversations with each other, and as much as their love for playing in the snow during recess! We believe in making school a magical place—so much so that we constantly ask ourselves: If school were not mandatory, would all our scholars still attend?
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs—as well as some of its challenges.
Our scholars are among the highest-achieving students in the state of New York! They ranked third in the state for math scores with 99 percent passing and 82 percent achieving the highest score of level 4… Success Academy Bronx 2 scholars work hard, and often have many challenges to overcome: 88 percent of our families are poor enough that their children receive subsidized lunch; 7 percent are English Language learners—yet another 5 percent were ELL, but have achieved proficiency since joining us!
What’s new?
This year SA Bronx 2 expanded. We now have a middle school, and we are already looking ahead to high school! We are also very excited about the joint student council between SA Bronx 2 and our co-located school PS 55. The two student councils are joining together to form a building council, which we think will lead to many exciting programs for both schools.
What do you love about your school?
At SA Bronx 2, we are a family. As parents and educators, we are collectively raising beautiful, brilliant children together and inherently that makes us family. I truly love not only the children but also the adults I get to interact with every day. They are passionate, dedicated, fiercely intelligent people who push the school to be better tomorrow than it is today. I walk the hallways feeling energized and challenged in a way that I can’t even explain. We laugh together, cry together, and love together. I wake up every morning both thankful and humbled by the fact that I have a job that inspires and excites me every single day.
TOMPKINS SQUARE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL: SONHANDO ESTWICK 6-8
600 East 6th Street
tsmsonline.org
AWARD: OUTSTANDING MIDDLE SCHOOL
Describe your school’s core educational philosophy.
Tompkins Square Middle School is a progressive public school serving a diverse community of students on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Our central vision is that students learn best by working closely with others who are different from themselves…We choose our student body with an eye toward a range of different learners from a mix of educational backgrounds.
Tell us about a few of the school’s achievements or distinguishing programs.
The depth of collaboration across the school, be it student or staff, is something that is particularly noteworthy. Students are digging into inquiry-based work in groups or partnerships throughout their day. The staff is deeply collaborative as well, across grade levels and departments, in team teaching partnerships, and via the TSMS model of authentic shared
decision-making, in which all our school stakeholders are involved
in school initiatives.
What’s new?
This year we have widened our inter-grade connectivity, bringing together 6th and 7th graders several times already to discuss reading notebook skills and share personal memoir projects…I am excited about the Growth Mindset work that the math department is piloting as a focus this year. Students are being taught explicit connections between making mistakes and neuroscience, helping to support students in their risk-taking and perseverance.
What do you love about your school? What do you see as its biggest challenges?
I feel so lucky to be the principal of TSMS. Professionally, I have never worked with a group of people as brilliant, dedicated, and caring as the staff at TSMS. Something that has always struck me about TSMS is how happy the students are to come to school. I not only witness it in their faces, but also hear about it from parents and guardians outside the school at dismissal every day… A major challenge built into the structure of the school is how to meet and push students academically in heterogeneous groupings across such a wide range of learners. This requires a great deal of attention from the staff in order to craft curriculum with multiple entry and exit points. We also put a substantial amount of work into processing and meeting the social-emotional needs of our early adolescents, as we believe that, without this crucial piece, middle schoolers are not able to fully engage academically.
