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January 2010 Newsletter
G2G launches student talent contest
New Visions’ Good to Go college and career readiness campaign is in full swing.
We have launched a student talent competition asking students what being good to go means to them, their school or their family. They can answer in any one of six ways: through song, dance, skit, video, essay or artwork. Entries will be uploaded to the new G2G Web site, www.nycg2g.com, where the public can vote on its favorites by Feb. 12. Then professional judges will select the first-, second- and third-place winners from among the top 10 vote-getters. In each of the six categories, first prize is $1,000, second prize is $400 and third prize is $200. Winners will perform or have their work displayed at a G2G kickoff event in late February or March.
The talent contest is one of many G2G initiatives rolling out for 2010. School hallways are lined with bright, youth-friendly G2G posters about attendance, college readiness benchmarks, college access and the importance of ninth grade. The campaign gave away movie tickets to the first 100 students who friended G2G on Facebook or MySpace. Students who take an “RU G2G?” quiz for their grade level on one of the social networking sites are being entered into a drawing to win one of five $100 prizes.
While nycg2g.com is currently just a contest site, it will soon unfold into a clearinghouse for information and public engagement on college and career readiness. Freshmen at two New Visions high schools, FDNY and the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem, will be blogging about their journey to college at BloG2G, hosted on the Web site.
Several upcoming events are also associated with G2G: a school partners convening at New Visions Feb. 4, a college resource fair for ninth-grade students and parents March 13 at Hostos Community College, a mass ninth-grade college visit day in April.
The G2G campaign strives to reach all New Visions students this year and instill in them the message that college is possible.
Bronx Theatre A.P. honored by alma mater
Jean Ellen Gismervik began teaching at Bronx Theatre High School in 2005. Just two years later, she became the youngest assistant principal in school history at age 26, while continuing to teach A.P. English.
Jean teaches Bronx Theatre students, holds them accountable for their actions, and serves as their mentor and role model. She is constantly working to make the school better and help students thrive in a supportive learning environment.
To those who know Jean, then, it was no surprise that on Dec. 11, she was awarded the Villanova Young Alumni Medal. Each year, the award is given to one Villanova alumnus who has reached a significant level of achievement in his or her profession and who is a model of the quality and caliber of today’s Villanova students.
It was a surprise to Jean, though. She went to the auditorium believing she was attending an assembly on college readiness, only to find representatives of the Villanova Office of Alumni Affairs, there to honor her in front of her students and colleagues.
Jean’s dedication and love for her students was abundantly clear in her acceptance speech. “I always thought – before, when I was younger – that the great moments of my life were going to be the moments I achieved great things…it was going to be all about the things that I did,” she said. “When Janay [a student at Bronx Theatre] got in to Villanova, it showed me that the greatest moments in my life were going to be the things that you did. To this day that’s the proudest I’ve ever been… I look at you guys and know…it’s you guys that are going to be the next great moments of my life and the things that I am most proud of.”
During Jean’s time as assistant principal of Bronx Theatre, the school has nearly tripled the amount of scholarships and grants graduating seniors have received to almost $1 million. Much work has gone into this accomplishment: SAT prep, college trips, increased personnel in the college office, the incorporation of college prep and application support into the four-year English curriculum, and marketing campaigns to expose students to different colleges. The school has also increased the number of A.P. classes it offers by 50 percent and seen the number of students taking A.P. courses nearly double. In addition, there has been an increase of 500 percent in students taking College Now courses at Lehman College their senior year.
Prospect Heights opens modernized library
The Prospect Heights educational campus unveiled its $1 million, state-of-the-art library and media center at a celebration in November hosted by all four schools in the complex. The library renovation was part of an initiative by New Visions to provide modern resources to small schools within large, often neglected facilities.
Support for the two-year project was made possible with funding from the New York City Council — allocated by Councilwoman Letitia James — and the Heckscher Foundation for Children. Councilwoman James and the foundation were honored at the opening celebration for the library, which houses the Heckscher Center for College and Career Exploration, a space with new computers and a collection of print resources to support college and career exploration.
The Prospect Heights campus is home to four high schools: Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE), Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre, High School for Global Citizenship and International High School at Prospect Heights. All but International High are New Visions schools.
New Visions’ Library Media Centers for the 21st Century (LMC21) initiative is revitalizing libraries and providing modern resources to the small schools that New Visions serves. Supported by the New York City Council and the Astor Fund for Public School Libraries, LMC21 has resulted in four renovated libraries in the past 10 months, with three more on the way.
Like so many libraries across the city, the Prospect Heights library suffered from a lack of consistent support, resulting in outdated collections, inadequate technology, and a cramped, uninviting space for teachers and students. A rehabilitated space was created through a participatory design process involving school staff, students and community. Now, with a new collection of books and improved lighting and design, it will be a hub of learning. Modern furniture enables to flexible use of space for large group lessons, small group work and independent research. New computers are equipped with Internet access and an electronic card catalog.
For N.V. students, a lesson in global investment
In December, 25 students from Bronx School of Law and Finance took a field trip to the midtown Manhattan offices of Silver Lake. This global private investment firm has approximately $13 billion in assets under management that also has offices in Menlo Park, London, San Francisco and Hong Kong. The students and their principal, Evan Schwartz, were hosted by Glenn Hutchins, co-founder and co-chief executive of Silver Lake. Mr. Hutchins, who earned an A.B., an M.B.A. and a J.D. from Harvard, thoroughly engaged students from the school’s International Law and International Business classes.
Mr. Hutchins intrigued students with details of his career. He spoke about the recent companies that Silver Lake has acquired, including Skype. He also told students about his visit to the White House for President Obama’s job summit, and he encouraged them to give back to their communities. While they learned a great deal about the business world, the global economy and public service, the highlight for many students was the opportunity to see Mr. Hutchins’ 2008 NBA Championship ring, which he earned as part owner of the Boston Celtics.
The students were so excited after the visit that they invited Mr. Hutchins to be the school’s graduation keynote speaker on June 24. He gladly accepted.