By Josh Rogers
Blackboard Awards, Contributing Editor

This week we close our Blackboard Award special sections for 2011 with a look at some of the city’s best middle and high schools.

It is clear from our honorees that there are many different paths to education success. One principal (at Packer Collegiate) believes in order to maintain his educational “street cred,” it is important to spend time teaching, while another (at the Telecommunication Arts High School) says that the most important thing he can do is support teachers. Some of our honored schools find that an emphasis on the arts (Mark Twain), science (Salk School of Science) or outdoor team projects (Gaynor McCown) is the key to their mission.

Blackboard Awards are Manhattan Media’s way of recognizing some of the great schools, principals and teachers in New York City. Editors with Our Town, West Side Spirit and New York Family consult with a team of education experts before making the selections.

We will be back in the spring with our annual salute to great teachers. To nominate a teacher or to find out more information, visit www.blackboardawards.com.

Sponsors:

To hear Rhonda Perry describe the Salk School of Science, it might seem as if there are no walls. Children go on field trips, scientists and doctors go into classrooms and students work in some of New York’s leading institutions.

But it’s just their philosophy to take advantage of the school’s rich location.

Doctors from the NYU School of Medicine founded the school in 1995 and named it after Jonas Salk, who created the first polio vaccine. Working with that legacy, the school often brings in doctors and Ph.D. students to teach classes.

Students of Salk School of Science on East 20th Street learn lessons from doctors as well as their everyday teachers.

“We live in New York City,” said Perry, the school’s principal. “It’s this rich place—get people in here.”

Through the Urban Advantage program at the American Museum of Natural History, Salk works with several institutions, including the Bronx Zoo, the New York Hall of Science and the New York Aquarium.

This also means that learning isn’t limited to the campus atop P.S. 40 on East 20th Street. Sixth-graders work with the Zoo to adopt an animal and analyze its behavior. The next year, students work on projects in fields like green energy or oceanography.

“We feel like we have a responsibility to really utilize all of the rich cultural institutions here in New York City that put a strong focus on science,” Perry said.

Then there’s the Exploratorium, an annual science fair held in the Museum of Natural History, in which students present their final projects based on a question they have proposed. In June, students had their projects shown after hours in the museum amid an exhibition on the brain. It’s all done to inspire.

“Each year, we expect [the students’] level of thinking and the rigors of their work to improve,” she said.

Perry, 42, has been at the school since 2001. Since then, the school’s attendance rate and Department of Education performance statistics have remained high. The school focuses on critical thinking, effective communication and public speaking. But Perry said that even though there is a science basis, language is one of the school’s main engines.

“They feel like they really learn to love writing here at the school,” she said. “I think we have a really rich curriculum around writing.”

The Salk School’s focus on scientific principles is meant to prepare students for advanced coursework in high school and college. Perry said 65 percent of the school’s graduates go on to specialized schools like Stuyvesant High School, the Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Tech.

Because of this, the school can afford to be selective about its students. Every year, hundreds of District 2 parents compete for only 132 6th-grade seats. Perry said they generally only consider applications where the Salk School is the student’s first choice.

During admissions, the school conducts interviews with a science test. Perry said potential students don’t need a prior science interest, but they have to be able to work in groups to solve problems. They’re evaluated on their writing, observations and grades.

Because of citywide budget cuts, attrition has eliminated a lead teacher and a special educator position. This cut the number of teachers to 23, Perry said.

“That hurts kids, obviously, because it’s nice to have a few extra people on staff so you can build in extra supports for kids and professional development time for teachers to plan,” she said.

But she said the loss doesn’t impede the school’s mission. Soon, the school will partner with green education center Solar One to send kids to its Green Design Lab. The school also plans to add an equipment room to the fourth floor science lab.

And Perry is making sure the sense of curiosity and scientific rigor isn’t limited to students. Perry said that when looking at potential teachers, she looks for people just as curious and open-minded as the students. She said she looks for teachers kids can look up to, because what happens in the school determines what happens outside.

“We’re remodeling a certain way of being in the world for people,” she said.

While middle school students around the city spend time each night reviewing history notes and racking their brains over math homework (at least we hope they do), the students at Mark Twain Independent School for the Gifted and Talented in Brooklyn do that and more. With a period set aside each day for talent, students at the middle school complement the usual subjects with art, dance, theater and other concentrations.

Since opening in 1974, Mark Twain’s rigorous application and admissions process has welcomed some of our city’s most talented youth, with many alumni proceeding to specialized high schools like Stuyvesant and LaGuardia. The administration’s dedication to demanding academics in addition to their ability to hone in on special talents has earned Mark Twain a Blackboard Award as an outstanding school.

Lab work at Mark Twain.

“This is very exciting and, obviously, we are sharing this with the former principal, Carol Moore,” said Karen Ditolla, 38, who became the school’s principal in September. “We’re all very honored to have been selected.”

Ditolla, who earned a master’s degree in school counseling and has extensive experience in the state Department of Education, first began working with Mark Twain back in 2003. She said coordinating its admissions process for a few years gave her a great understanding of how the school operates—of about 8,000 annual applicants, only 450 are admitted.

In addition to taking a traditional academic test, 5th grade applicants audition for two talent areas of their choice—dance, theater, art, creative writing, media, science, math, music or athletics. Those who make the cut are placed in one of those areas of concentration for the duration of their stay at the school. Mark Twain hopefuls only get one shot at admission, which remains closed for the 7th and 8th grades.

Jyoti Jikaria, treasurer of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, has two daughters in the school now and one graduate who went on to study at Stuyvesant. She is starting college at Georgetown this fall.

“Getting accepted was the greatest achievement in their lives,” said Jikaria, 42, whose daughters have all specialized in dance.

In addition to Mark Twain’s hard-earned recognition in the arts departments, the school ranks No. 4 in the state for reading and math numbers. Ditolla attributes this to the focus on rigorous daily instruction as opposed to test preparation. Students receive an additional period of English language arts and math skills, grouped according to their ability.

“Our responsibility is to help them progress, whether they’re on the lower or higher end of the spectrum,” said Ditolla.

Mark Twain students are divided into groups of 160 and groups are assigned the same four teachers for the duration of the year. Cluster conferences with teachers and parents ensure each student receives focused attention and parents stay involved in their children’s education.

“The transition from elementary school to middle school is a tough one,” said Ditolla. “When the children come into this model, it eases the transition because they have a team of teachers who serve them and help them be as successful as they can be.”

In addition to gearing up for high school, students at Mark Twain seize the opportunity to prepare for college, too. The foreign language department offers the choice of Italian or Spanish for two periods a week, and 8th graders can take a proficiency exam at year end for college credit. In order to prepare students for a career environment, the only bell that rings in the day is the 2:49 p.m. dismissal bell.

The school administration plans to work on three goals for the immediate future—incorporating more technology, working with alumni and continuing to build relationships with the city’s specialized high schools. In addition to the recently built computer lab, Ditolla plans to introduce iPads in the classrooms.

“My daughters love school,” said Larry Brandman, 51, of his 8th-grader and alumna currently at Stuyvesant. “That’s a great story to tell and one not often heard in today’s school system. I’m happy the school was awarded. They deserve it.”

There were a number of changes that Noah Reinhardt planned to institute upon being named division head of the Packer Collegiate Institute’s middle school in 2008. But one of the first moves he made was a purely symbolic one: He cut a rectangular window from his office door and made his deans do the same.

Reinhardt said it reflected one of the central tenets of his administration: To be accessible to students navigating a trying stage of life.

“There was a feeling of not having as open a line with students as there should be,” Reinhardt said in a recent interview. “I don’t think anyone in this school should have fully closed doors.”

Reinhardt has been in middle school education most of his adult life—he began at the Hewitt School on the Upper East Side at age 24—and at 37 he can’t imagine teaching another age range. He said his experience teaching middle school has given him an appreciation of the unique tribulations those students face.

“There’s a lot of complicated stuff about being a middle school kid that doesn’t get better,” he said. “I wind up holding a lot of emotion for a lot of people.”

Noah Reinhardt, principal at Packer Collegiate Institute, is co-teaching this year to make sure he stays close to students.

Nevertheless, Reinhardt said he doesn’t devote as much time to interacting directly with students and parents as he’d like due to constant administrative meetings and “assault of emails.” On a recent Friday afternoon, his to-do list, written by hand on a yellow notepad, numbered 31 items. He said that many days he doesn’t even have time to use the restroom.

To stay closer to students and faculty, Reinhardt decided to get back into the classroom this year as co-teacher of an 8th grade algebra section. “I felt like I was losing my street cred a bit,” he said.

Reinhardt, who began working at Packer as a math teacher in 1999, credited his experience at the Brooklyn Heights school with his interest in developing personal connections with students and their families. As a child growing up in the Newton, Mass., public school system, he hardly had any personal interaction with teachers. “I didn’t see it as a lack at the time,” he said.

Reinhardt said that in his first weeks at Packer, he was surprised that many of his students wanted to meet after class to review work and discuss other issues. “I was like, ‘Why?’” he said. “I would have never initiated contact with a teacher.”

Reinhardt has three children under the age of 5, and said that being a father has made him more acutely aware of parents’ needs. He said that no experience as a parent has influenced his outlook as an educator more than when he wept on his son’s first day of preschool.

“Part of parenthood is managing this enormous sense of loss,” he said. “All of adolescence is about letting go.”

Reinhardt worked at Packer for eight years, including a stint in admissions, before taking a job as director of enrollment for The School at Columbia University. He described his tenure at the young school as a formative experience, noting that it taught him to experiment and rethink conventions. Reinhardt added that the experience helped him tremendously in his current role, which he assumed the following year.

“I still felt like a 25-year-old,” he said, upon leaving Packer in 2007. “For the first time…I feel like an adult.”

Many schools strive to be part of the community, but very few are actually built by the community they serve.

After hearing complaints from neighborhood parents, Christina Reyes gathered likeminded individuals to help establish a new school. Their goal was to meet the needs she demanded for her pupils at the parochial school at which she was working at the time.

Reyes saw the lack of choice for parents in Washington Heights and Inwood and sat down with other volunteers to write the charter for the Inwood Academy for Leadership. She made sure to include a full repertoire of activities and extracurricular choices for students to partake in.

Now in its second year, the Inwood Academy for Leadership is led by Reyes, the principal, and serves 220 students in the 5th and 6th grades. But the school is more than just a place where children learn facts about mollusks and fractions; it’s a place they can go to feel safe, secure and able to be themselves.

“We offer an engaging, caring, college preparatory environment that lets the students become the people they are meant to be,” said Reyes, 33.

The school prides itself on challenging students, providing a safe haven for pupils and parents, following up on academic progress and dealing with problems both academic and social.

The free charter school offers after-school programs, youth development, a music program and even a robotics program that gives students a place to stay and learn.

“We believe that college success is absolutely vital. We give these students an academically rigorous educational environment that tests them and prepares them for college-level work,” said Reyes.

Reyes also noted that they fill the community’s needs for special education and English language learners.

“There is a lot of demand for service for these students; we have struck a chord with the population. We make sure that parents and children know they are not treated differently. We work with them to get the best out of the student,” noted Reyes.

But the students are not the only people who enjoy coming to the academy. The community has embraced the school and its student population, and local political leaders work closely with the school to ensure parents get quality services.

Reyes also likes to point out that the staff also enjoy coming to work. The principal notes the school’s turnover rate for teachers is very low; they have only lost one teacher in two years, who left because she realized teaching was not for her.

“The staff come here and know that they have the support of the administration. The students, the staff and the administration are all a family. We are here to support each other and that shows in their work ethic,” said Reyes, adding that the children see how the teachers act and reflect it in their behavior.

The school is growing steadily, and with the growth comes a demand to develop better techniques and initiatives. The staff recently received three weeks of professional development time this summer to prepare themselves for the coming school year.

The school is also embarking on a new reading program, “The 100 Book Challenge.” Each student is asked to read for at least one hour per day; the program asks parents to encourage their children to read half an hour at home while the other half is completed during normal coursework.

This year, the school is starting its first parent council as a way to involve parents in every step of their children’s development.

“We want students to become disciplined independent learners. They will leave accomplished readers and confident leaders, but most of all they will be empowered to go out into the world,” said Reyes.

In just nine years of existence, Eleanor Roosevelt High School on the Upper East Side has earned its second Blackboard Award for Outstanding School. Since local residents rallied together for a community high school, Eleanor Roosevelt has met the challenge.

The school’s administration continues to strive for excellence and improve the school based on parent and student feedback—the very idea on which it was first founded. As its seventh graduating class prepares for their final semester, Eleanor Roosevelt has earned recognition for establishing itself as a reputable and academically challenging environment for teenagers.

A student acts out several roles from A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Eleanor Roosevelt High School.

“It really speaks to the work of the community,” said Principal Dimitri Saliani, who has worked at Eleanor Roosevelt since it first opened. “The teachers, students and myself all come here to put in our greatest efforts.”

Saliani, 42, began at the school as a social studies teacher before becoming assistant principal in 2004. Now as principal and the school’s sole administrator, he runs a tight ship and stresses the school’s motto acronym: ACE, which stands for academics, community and ethics. Faculty stress the importance of community service and making ethical decisions, hoping the students will excel beyond the classroom as distinguished people and community members.

“There’s a real intentionality about the ACE approach,” said Matthew Haiken, a school board member whose daughter is currently a sophomore. “It’s not all about the academics; it’s very well-rounded.”

Recently, students participated in a charity design program called CANstruction to help feed the city’s hungry. Their structure built from food cans stands at the World Trade Center as the first entry in the program by a city high school.

Parents are happy to find that academics don’t have to suffer to maintain this balance. Students who succeed at Eleanor Roosevelt demonstrate a strong dedication to learning and, according to Saliani, take home about two hours’ worth of homework each night.

“Our kids are committed young learners,” he said. “They expect to be challenged.”

Of the 6,200 students who listed Eleanor Roosevelt as one of their top choices on their high school applications last year, 125 were granted admission. Enrollment now exceeds 500 students—a big jump from the 105 when the school first opened. The school continues to grow, but class sizes remain between 20 and 30 students for core subjects.

The school day ends at 3:30 p.m., but doors often stay open until 6 p.m. Roosevelt offers an extensive selection of after-school programs, the most popular of which is Model UN. Saliani often grants students permission to start their own clubs, including the cheerleading squad (which made headlines for participating in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk) and the upcoming Asian Appreciation Club.

“The high school experience goes beyond the classroom,” said Saliani, citing a two-thirds participation rate in after-school programs. “We really want the kids to be able to explore other interests. Success breeds success.”

Susan Carr, co-president of the Parent-Teacher Association, said Saliani’s efforts to respond to the student body have exceeded her expectations.

“When a junior last year suggested we weren’t preparing our students enough in grammar, before you know it, the principal got it all together,” said Carr, whose daughter is now a senior. “Every freshman and sophomore now has to take a grammar course in addition to the English course.”

The school relies heavily on parent and student input. A monthly newsletter started by Haiken last year, as well as the principal’s weekly letter to the school community, keeps parents informed and appreciative.

“We feel like we won the lottery in a lot of ways,” said Marybeth Walsh, who shares the PTA presidency with Carr.

The faculty strive to provide focused attention for each student through the school’s advisory program, where students stay paired with an advisor for all four years. Ninth-grade advisory meetings focus on adjusting to high school, sophomores focus on community service and juniors on looking ahead to college. The college preparation continues well into the 12th grade, with counselors guiding students through the application process.

“My daughter’s relationship with her teachers is incredible—they really know her,” said Carr. “It’s bittersweet that she’s graduating. I just don’t know how to separate myself from the school.”

On a recent Thursday in the lobby at Trevor Day School’s upper school on West 88th Street, students readied themselves for a film shoot. They checked camera settings and positioned actors. Their teacher stood off to the side, asking occasional questions about workflow, but for the most part, the students ran the show.

It was an example of Trevor’s approach to experiential learning, which the school says is summarized by a Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may

The Center at Trevor Day School is a place where high school students consult individually with an adviser every week.

remember. Involve me and I will understand.”

The Trevor Day School, overseen by Pamela Clarke, teaches a traditional skills-based curriculum but focuses on creating independent learners and fostering social and emotional development. Founded in 1930, it has grown from a nursery program at the Church of Heavenly Rest on East 90th Street into an institution that offers pre-kindergarten through high school classes and embraces new approaches to education.

Academic life revolves around an innovative classroom setup known as the Common Room in middle school and the Center in high school. It’s an open workspace meant to encourage collaboration and respect among students and faculty. Students gather here for discretionary time, an hour-long period when they’re expected to manage their own studies. During this period, they might work on group projects or seek tutoring from a teacher.

Daniel Feigin, the middle school division director, said the approach gives students ownership of their studies and affords them independence. “We think that, even at this age, it’s something they are capable of. In fact, they’re yearning for it,” said Feigin, 41.

The Common Room and Center also support the close relationships that teachers build with students. Beginning in the 6th grade, teachers serve as advisors to the students. They coordinate advisory groups and meet in weekly one-on-one sessions to discuss anything on the children’s minds, whether academic or personal. There are few times in the day when teachers aren’t in contact with students, said Feigin.

Whether in the classroom or Common Room, students are immersed in technology. Classrooms are outfitted with SmartBoards, and all students work on laptops beginning in the 5th grade. This year, Trevor piloted an iPad project in the early childhood program, using apps to complement children’s books. Students can check their grades on a program called Moodle, which also allows teachers to coordinate the curriculum. Feigin said the web-based curriculum allows students to learn anywhere and anytime.

“We’ve never shied away from innovation or change,” said Feigin. “The students are always at the center of that change.”

One of the biggest changes was the overhaul of the high school science program 10 years ago, said Feigin. Rather than focus on one branch of science at each grade level, students study a mix of biology, chemistry and physics. Math teachers coordinate with science faculty to give students the skills they need to complete lab work. The school believes the program gives students a holistic understanding of scientific concepts.

About 50 percent of its students attend Trevor from kindergarten through 12th grade. In the lower school located across town on East 95th Street, teachers begin the work of developing students’ social and emotional well-being. Students get specialized attention in small group study sessions while their classmates take enrichment classes.

Lily Shum, 40, the assistant director of the lower school, said strong relationships built on ongoing communication are the foundation of learning at Trevor.

“It’s knowing where the child’s comfort zone is and stretching the child just beyond the comfort zone—because that’s where the risk-taking and the learning happens,” Shum said.

Teachers constantly assess the children and avoid making assumptions about a student’s understanding of a topic, said Shum. When a student asks a question, a teacher will often reply with a question. In an art studio in the elementary school, a 4th grader told his teacher that he wanted to do origami. Instead of giving him a lesson on it, she asked if he had done origami before and whether he’d like to look at a book on it.

In the fall of 2013, Trevor will enter a new era: The upper school will move from its current location on West 88th Street to a new campus on East 95th Street and the lower school will take over the West 88th Street building.

On the morning of Nov. 10, Brother Tom Schady woke up to some difficult news: His mother had passed away. Heading into work, he knew he could count on support at Archbishop Molloy High School, the Queens prep school where he is the principal. As he walked the school’s hallways that day, he was stopped by students, teachers and administrators offering their condolences.

A strong sense of community is a defining trait of Molloy, a prestigious Catholic Marist school that has produced alums like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Founded in 1892, Molloy is known for its selectivity and rigorous academics.

But for Schady, it all comes down to the students.

“I say this humbly, but we really do have the most spirited group of kids,” he said. “They all believe that this is their second home.”

Richard Karsten, the president of Molloy, echoed that sentiment. “Our students are outstanding, and are hands down our best spokespeople,” he said.

Adrienne, a Molloy senior from Flushing, was initially attracted by the school’s stellar academic reputation and selectivity. After visiting Molloy and witnessing the school’s familial atmosphere, she committed.

“When I first came to see it, it just felt so comfortable,” Adrienne said. “It’s small enough that you feel like a close-knit community here.”

Molloy’s motto is “Not for School but for Life,” and the school’s comprehensive approach prepares young men and women not just for college but for adulthood. The school offers 21 college-level courses, and 99 percent of Molloy’s graduates go on to attend four-year colleges.

Sister Elizabeth Bickar, an assistant principal, has been at Molloy for 33 years. “I came planning to stay for five years but absolutely fell in love with the place,” she said. “Our teachers are superb; they teach well and genuinely care about the students.”

Pauline, a senior from Elmhurst, recently read The Clan of the Cave Bear in her advanced placement literature course. To her, the approach her teacher took in studying the novel was typical of her experience at Molloy.

“My teacher is inspiring in the way she goes above and beyond,” Pauline said. “Instead of just reading the book from a literary angle, she made us think beyond that and we looked at the book from the perspective of anthropology and archaeology.”

Stephen, a senior from Fresh Meadows, remembered the support he received when his aunt passed away. Distraught over the loss, a guidance counselor consoled him.

“Brother Norton just let me cry it out,” Stephen said. “The support he gave me inspired me to become a peer group leader.”

The peer groups are part of Molloy’s effort to foster cohesion in the student body and help them through the challenges of growing up. The program carefully selects sophomores and matches them to seniors with similar backgrounds and personalities. The groups meet every other day to hold rap sessions where they discuss the full range of challenges young people face in their daily lives.

Molloy also fosters strong ties within the student body by holding regular retreats in Esopus, N.Y., an upstate community where the Marist brothers maintain an estate. One of the traditional activities at these retreats is a team-building game called “Flag.” The game is unique to Molloy and involves offensive and defensive lines working together to grab a flag in the middle of a field.

“It’s basically Steal the Bacon on steroids,” said Karsten, the school president. “It’s an activity that teaches the students teamwork and exertion.”

Karsten graduated from Molloy in 1981 and is proud that so many of his fellow alums have a strong attachment to their high school. “We have terrific alumni support and host events that keep drawing them back,” he said. “We have many people who step up to help us out. Because of this we are financially healthy and fiscally sound.”

Bickar is not surprised by this generosity. “Our students leave here understanding that the character they build by the education here is a lived experience and not just an intellectual one.”

If you had asked Philip Weinberg as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, he most likely would not have said a school principal.

“As a kid, I wanted to be quarterback for the Giants,” he said with a laugh.

Yet, as he grew older, Weinberg discovered he was better suited for the classroom than the football field.

“When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to have very fine teachers,” he said, “and I was able to do some work in our local junior high school. Teaching was always something I had considered. It seemed like a very natural place for me to go.”

Weinberg, who joined the New York City public school system in the 1980s, was an English teacher and assistant principal at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and

Philip Weinberg, principal of the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology, says the best advice he got was from his predecessor, who said, “Everyone’s going to tell you your job is about the kids, and that’s not necessarily so. Your job is about the staff.”

Technology in Brooklyn before becoming its principal in the middle of the 2000-2001 school year.

Though Weinberg, 51, said he enjoyed teaching, being a principal offers a unique opportunity to impact the lives of students in a bigger way.

“In some ways, I have the least specific job description of anybody in the building,” he said. “I get to wander into different rooms and activities and just see what’s happening.”

A major part of Weinberg’s job is to make sure that teachers are effectively communicating material to their pupils.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than sitting in on a lesson and seeing a child’s eyes light up when he understands something a teacher just explained,” he said.

Weinberg said the best piece of advice he ever received about being a principal came from his predecessor.

“He would say, ‘Everyone’s going to tell you your job is about the kids, and that’s not necessarily so. Your job is about the staff. They have to be able to take care of the students and you have to be able to take care of them.’”

Though Weinberg said he enjoys the time he spends with the students, direct involvement with them is not his main priority.

“The hard work with the kids, the teaching, is being done by people other than myself,” he said. “My job is to help set the direction for how that happens.”

Weinberg emphasized, however, that his door is always open to students, teachers and staff to discuss any problems or concerns that may arise.

Over the last 10 years, Weinberg has seen many successes at the school, including a “College Readiness” grade on the most recent Department of Education high school progress report that was double the New York City high school average.

Weinberg’s favorite day of the year is at the end of November, “Professional Day,” when the seniors hand in their college applications to the guidance office. Dressed in suits and professional attire, the students line up in the main hallway and receive “I applied to…” stickers to wear all day.

“It’s really turned into a schoolwide celebration of what is the culminating activity of their time with us,” he said.

However, Weinberg said he is always trying to find ways to improve the overall quality of the school.

“I spend time every day talking with my staff about ways to make the school better,” he said. “What are we doing that we could do better? What are we not doing that we should do in order for the students to have a better experience? Those are conversations that if we don’t engage in, I think we’ve failed.”

It’s not often you encounter an educational institution with the label “expeditionary” attached to it. What does this mean, and how does it reflect Gaynor McCown’s special citation for special needs?

Hint: It has something to do with camping out.

Located in the New Springville section of Staten Island, Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School is one of a growing network of small college preparatory schools—now numbering 11 in all five boroughs—jointly operated by the city Department of Education and Outward Bound.

These schools harbor students who are fully engaged and committed to developing both their academic and leadership skills. There are currently more than 165 of them across the country. The Outward Bound expeditions tend to have a transformative effect on students who aren’t doing well in class; they learn to take personal responsibility for their work and their performance improves.

At McCown, each 9th grade student is assigned to a crew of about 15, which meets daily with a teacher/adviser. Members are selected for social diversity—that is, kids are matched with others from outside their usual social orb. Beyond academics, crews discuss a wide range of topics including “teen issues,” with the goal of nipping potential problems in the bud. Entering freshmen go on a five-day wilderness trip called “crew orientation.” Many return surprised at the fact that they succeeded in activities and exhibited traits they never would have imagined of themselves.

The school, which opened in 2008, is named in honor of renowned educator and outdoorswoman the late Rosemary Gaynor McCown. The school follows Outward Bound’s motto, “High achievement through challenge and support;” it has also adopted McCown’s favorite saying: “Make a mark. Make a difference.”

Students tackle real-world problems, do fieldwork, consult with professional experts and write extensive reports, which are often presented in public forums. A drama class analyzed traditional fairy tales, went to see a Broadway production and for their final project wrote and produced Twisted Fairy Tales for a schoolwide performance. A 10th grade global history class studying the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages hosted a lecture by an epidemiologist and wrote final projects incorporating comparisons to modern epidemics such as smallpox and swine flu.

“It’s not just chalk and talk,” said Traci Frey, McCown’s principal since 2009. “It’s about putting the learning in the kids’ hands and taking the classroom outside of the school. Last year, we brought in one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen to talk to a U.S. history class. He said everything was fine when they were soldiers—they could die for their country just like everybody else. Then, when they came home, they were still black men who had to fight for their civil rights. The kids were riveted; he really made it come to life for them.”

Of McCown’s 400 students, 25 percent are in special education, and the entire school community has made a great effort to provide them with the extra services they need. In addition, the school’s tone is on the upswing. The newly created student government has spawned initiatives in volunteer work, peer mentoring and enrichment. McCown students now wear their school uniforms with pride, which was not always the case early on.

Frey attributes McCown’s success to her staff’s hard work and dedication to professional development, their team approach to reviewing student work and intervening to help struggling individuals and their commitment to a partnership with parents. McCown’s Regents Exam results have exceeded both peer-school and citywide ranges and, Frey noted, it has received “additional credit for exceptional gains.” The school won’t receive its overall grades until it graduates its first senior class next June, but all signs point to an excellent report card on the way.