The Norwood News spent the past six weeks calling our local public schools to see what’s going on this year and get a glimpse inside our varied campuses. Many are introducing new programming and faculty. Many are dealing valiantly with overcrowding problems. All are trying to challenge the minds of our youth.

These are the schools we were able to get in touch with. If your school isn’t included, feel free to give us a call and fill us in, (718) 324-4998. We will get to the private and parochial schools in an upcoming issue.

PS/MS 20 (3050 Webster Ave.)

Through a balanced partnership of teachers, students, staff, parents and the community, all of PS 20’s students are guided to take responsibility for their own learning, Principal Carol Carlsen says. The school is focused on developing independent and responsible children.

Carlsen says “The school had an exemplary school opening and they are moving seamlessly from last spring into the new fall work,” and introduced one new faculty member. Already, the school held a fall festival Oct. 23, followed by a fall dance for the middle school students on Oct. 24.

The school received a B on its progress report grade for last year and Carlsen is determined on getting that grade to an A for the next report. Even with this goal in mind, Carlsen says, “A school grade is only a portion of what really goes on in a building.” Education, she says, is “a collaboration between the child, the parents, the community, and our school.”

    —Jorge Manana

IS 206 (2280 Aqueduct Ave.)

Principal David Neering, who came to the Bronx from Michigan a few years ago, said his fourth school year at IS 206 is going along swimmingly so far. The primary goal, which was set upon his arrival, was an improvement plan to move kids ahead in all subjects. Specifically, Neering said the aim is to help kids achieve more than a year’s educational growth for each year of instruction.”

IS 206 received an A on its progress report for the ’07-’08 year. Neering says this means “the school improvement plan is working.” The school is currently at capacity but Neering claims “enrollment is down in the 5th grade level.” This year, IS 206 has introduced new teachers to the staff and is looking forward to maintaining their progress report success.

Neering is also excited about the after-school STEM program dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The program extends the school day and continues the learning experience for many interested students.

Neering is also pleased with how the school is managing its resources including the addition of new SMART (technologically enhanced) white boards, courtesy of a grant from the “Children to Children Foundation.” Neering is “looking forward to the day a smart board is in every classroom.”   

—Jorge Manana

MS 80 (149 E. Mosholu Pkwy. N.)

MS 80 on Mosholu Parkway North is working this year to get parents and the community involved with the students and the school. Parent Coordinator Miriam Alejandro says, “Parents have to be the driver in their child’s life.” A survey has been sent to parents to find out what interest or hobbies the parent is willing to share with the students and any activities they would like to participate in.

Other attempts at getting the parents involved include the Parents as Art Partners Grant from The Center for Arts Education. This allows parents to partake in art activities in the school with their children.

—Falon Perez

IS 254 (2452 Washington Ave.)

At 500 students, Parent Coordinator Edwin De Los Santos admits space is “a little tight.” But at the moment, the only overflow IS 254 is concerned with is managing a tidal wave of resources.

This September, in association with SES (Supplements of Education Service Providers), the Belmont area school supplied free computers to the 180 students of the incoming 6th grade.

TOS, which stands for “Time Outside of School” offers both academic and recreational activities such as photography, arts and crafts, basketball, volleyball and football. The ACDP (Community Association for Progressive Dominicans) will provide entertainment after classes end. On the weekends, The Saturday Academy helps students get in shape for the three statewide tests (in literacy, math and science). Also on Saturdays, at Bronx Community College, IS 254’s Talent Search Program plans to offer “positive” experiences to widen students’ vision of the world. The program, which in the past led students to Africa, Hawaii and Washington D.C., “shadows kids from the sixth grade all the way to college.”

And finally, the Astor Program will provide free screening of students’ mental health.

—Ariel Elghanayan

H.S. OF AMERICAN STUDIES AT LEHMAN COLLEGE (2925 Goulden Ave.)

  The High School of American Studies at Lehman College was recently named one of the top 100 high schools in the country; the only school from the Bronx on the list. Principal Alessandro Weiss proudly admits “We always want to be outstanding at everything we do,” and with an enrollment of 350 students, the program remains strong.

The school is at full capacity and its overall goal is to prepare students for admission to highly competitive colleges. Currently, the school is trying to expand its science curriculum and has also introduced four new teachers to the staff.

All students engaged in the three-year chronological study of American History benefit greatly from using the Lehman College’s vast resources, Weiss says.

—Jorge Manana

DISCOVERY HIGH SCHOOL (2780 Reservoir Ave.)  

Discovery High School continues to provide a unique educational environment for its students, fusing regular academic subjects with life lessons. The goal for Discovery Principal Rolando Rivera is to provide students with a chance to learn through the arts and about the arts. Teachers are encouraged to use visual art, music, theatre art or creative writing in all classes. Art courses are taught each year to stimulate creativity and provide an alternative to dry lecture classes. Each year at the Walton Campus School, students will “discover” various aspects of themselves, their peers and the world around them.

    —Jorge Manana

P.S. 51 (3200 Jerome Ave.)    

 Principal Paul Smith says his school’s opening for the 2008-2009 academic year was “extremely smooth. One of our best ever.”

The Bronx New School received a B letter grade (up from a C last year) on the Department of Education’s latest progress reports. They also increased enrollment. Up 20 percent since last June, Smith admits that at 291 students, PS 51 is “close to capacity,” but assures that the expansion of the student body has not created issues with overcrowding.

Smith is more concerned with incorporating its new music and sports programs. Financed by a grant from the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, the Bronx New School band will look to make its inaugural performance this spring under the direction of third-year music teacher Caroline Barnes.

The new tennis club, made possible through a gift from an anonymous Bronx resident, gets under way soon.     

—Peter Mullin

PS 246 (2641 Grand Concourse)

Principal Beverly Miller is starting this school year with a few new teachers and a positive attitude. “It was a smooth opening, not much complications,” Miller says. According to Miller, the main goal for this year is getting the ELL (English Language Learners) population in the school to perform at grade level. Miller says the school’s recent progress report grade of a B “accurately reflects the school at the moment.” Still, Miller says, the program looks forward to a better grade on the next assessment.    —Jorge Manana

PS 56 (341 E. 207th St.)

Priscilla Sheeran, the principal of PS 56, the Norwood Heights elementary school, doesn’t let any of the difficulties of work get her down. “We have the usual issues,” Sheeran says. “We’re always overcrowded.”  But, she says, it’s also “always going great” at PS 56.

The music program plays a significant role in the daily activities of the school’s 550 students. That program, Sheeran says, will expose her students to both string and wind instruments by the time they leave. Using Bronx Arts Ensemble members as instructors, first graders are taught recorder and second graders learn keyboarding, before moving on to more advanced instruments. In addition, the school’s choral program, with help from the Metropolitan Opera Guild, will have two concerts this year, starting with their holiday event this winter.

With two new assistant principals this year, PS 56 should be better equipped to provide more structure and efficiency within the classroom for its ever-increasing student population. But for Sheeran, it comes down to only one thing: “You always need to challenge the children,” she said. “The most important thing is [for the students] to do better than their last best.”    —Peter Mullin

PS 94 (3530 Kings College Pl.)

“This year’s been going well,” says Diane Daprocida, principal of Norwood’s PS 94, with an enrollment of over 1,000 students.  The school just opened up a new computer lab and, through the nonprofit New York Cares, will see its hallways painted, flowerbeds planted, and a wall cleaned for a mural the students will paint come springtime.

While these renovations continue to improve the school, construction of the Early Childhood Center on the site of its former playground is under way and set for completion by September 2010, says Daprocida. Not only looking to improve physically in the upcoming months, PS 94 has set its sights on improving the reading scores of its students. As Daprocida explains, the goal for students is “not only to decode more of what they’re reading, but also to improve their comprehension strategies.”

Improving their reading scores could improve the school’s progress report letter grade in next year’s assessment. This year, the school scored a C, but Daprocida stressed that improvements had been made. “We have made progress in these areas. Just not enough to get out of the C grade range.”    —Peter Mullin

PS 8 (3010 Briggs Ave.)

Every Thursday morning, the smells of seasonal dishes exude from the first grade classrooms of PS 8. Inside, students engaged in Cook Shop learn how to make a good applesauce, and more importantly, the values of eating healthy. For Principal Rosa Maria Peralta, Cook Shop is one of the many programs and workshops taking place at the school that make it “a very positive place.”

The new Learning as Partners workshop is another program that extends to parents also. The Saturday program invites parents to come with their child and engage in different workshops centered on science, math and reading. “It’s really a lot of fun for them,” said Peralta. “It’s a different way for a parent to enjoy quality time with their student. And, what better place to do it than in your community school?”

With over 1,100 students in a building built for 800, there is no denying that overcrowding is an issue at the Bedford Park school. “We try as much as we can, but it is overcrowded,” says Peralta, who is quick to credit her staff for any of the school’s success. “We have a lot of dedicated people working here, trying to give the students the best that we can,” she said. “We’re all working to the same purpose and it shows.”

—Peter Mullin

Bronx Academy of Health Careers (800 E. Gun Hill Rd.)

For Bronx Academy of Health Careers at the Evander Childs Campus it is business as usual, says Assistant Principal Rog Thruce. The goal for this year is making sure students pass their classes and the Regents state examination needed for graduation.

Tutoring, credit recovery and workshops are only some of the programs that will help students achieve their goal. School administrators will not only be focused on student instruction but also on the assessment of teachers and students, Thruce says.    —Falon Perez

Bronx Theater High School (99 Terrace View Ave.)

“We have had a beautiful beginning of the school year,” says Principal Deborah Effinger of Bronx Theater High School at the Kennedy H.S. Campus. The school is working as hard as possible to get students ready for the SAT.

While keeping up with academic standards, there have also been a handful of new additions to the faculty.

As a theater school, performances highlight the school season. Students are working on “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”     —Falon Perez