It’s not just a rumor anymore. Millenium 2, a replicate of the very popular and successful Millenium High School in Manhattan is coming to Park Slope’s John Jay High School building. What’s more: the principal will be Lisa Gioe-Cordi, who currently runs MS 447: The Math and Science Exploratory Middle School.
I heard the rumor last Friday from a VERY reliable source but didn’t want to irresponsibly spread it around before it was confirmed. But minutes ago, Joyce Szuflita of NYC School Help reports that an announcement was made last night by Principal Gioe-Cordi at a parent’s meeting at MS 447.
New High Schools are always coming online and are usually announced shortly before the New HS Fair in Jan. but news of Millennium II has leaked so Lisa Gioe made an announcement to her parents at MS 447 Math and Science District 15 last night.
Millennium 2 will be opening in the John Jay HS complex on 7th Ave. and 4th St. in Park Slope in Sept. 2011 with Lisa Gioe as principal. It will be a replication of the popular Millennium HS with the addition of an ASD NEST program like the one that has been instituted at 477. I believe that this may be the first program of its kind in a HS. It will also be an “advanced Exploratory Program supporting internships”. It will not be a choice on the Main Round application. If you would like to add the school to your list of HS you can do it during the short period after the New HS Fair in January when you are allowed to resubmit the application and add new programs that will be starting in fall.
For clarification, the ASD-NEST program means that five children with autism spectrum disorder are placed in a class with general education students. The students with autism have their own special education teacher, who travels with them from class to class and assists them with a range of therapies and support services. This program was innovated at MS 447 New Explorations in Math and Science and was the first middle school program of its kind in the city. Millenium 2 will be the first high school program of this kind.
This is an abosolute ridiculous idea. Its completly not fair and really racist. I find it pointless to built another school when they are 3 schools present. What is going on with the DOE? So unprofessional.
This is not fair.So in September 2011 there is gonna be 4 FUCKING SCHOOLS IN ONE GODDAM BUILDING.IF MILLENIUM IS SOO GODDAM GREAT WHY DONT THEY MAKE THEY OWN FUCKING MONEY AND BUY THERE FUCKING BULDING.THEY REALLY TRYING TO KILL US!! FUCK THAT SCHOOL..JOHN JAY SHOULD ONLY HAVE 3 FUCKING SCHOOLS…MILLENIUM PEOPLES COULD GO CROWD UP TILDEN OR SOUTH SHORE….
First of all, I attended John Jay High School back in 1986. Was John Jay a tough school? Yes, it was. Did you have student’s that shouldn’t have been there at the all, of course. But doesn’t every school in NYC have those issues as well. But as a student you take what is giving to you and you make the best of it. That means going to your classes and doing what is necessary to graduate and move forward in your education.
We had students that came from all over Brooklyn, John Jay wasn’t a school just for students who last resort was John Jay High School. John Jay had a very good law program; programs offered to the students was; College Bound Programs which prepared you for college, Co-op program, where you work one week in a Corporate Sector and earn your credits and learn about the business world and the following week you attended your regular clasees. What happen to all these programs, I tell you what happen, you can thank the DOE for cutting back on our students!
The problem here is not so much the school, does the school need improvement , yes, it does, but what is the DOE doing to improve on it? Our children that attends Secondary for Law, Secondary for Reserach and Secondary for Journalism not good enough? Why not put more resources into the school? Instead you (DOE) are going to lied to our faces and say its a “PROPOSED” let me explain something right here when they said those words, I knew there were lying the word “PROPOSED” in corporate term means it is going to happen but we are going to sugar coated for you, but pull the rug right from underneath you!
The problem here is that “PARK SLOPE” has changed so much thru the years and now the people that “LIVE” in the neighborhood are not happy with the fact that the school has primarily Latinos/Africian American in the school. The people that live in the area feel they have a right to say who should attend and shouldn’t attend this school. Which is crazy to me. ANY student should have the RIGHT to attend any school of there choice. This to me makes me sick that we still live in an era that people STILL have issues dealing with other ethnicity and culture. Seriously, we are going into 2011, get over it.
The fact that they are putting a new Millenuim school with three school already in place really makes no sense. That they would want to “separate” it from each other is so ridiculous. But, I am happy that parents who child doesn’t attend the school right now feel that this is a good thing. Are parents afraid that there children will interact with the other children from three school? My son attends Secondary School for Law, what makes him different then any other student going to Secondary right now or who will be attending the new school? I am insulted that people assume Secondary schools are failing and is inadequate for Park Slope’s children. We have dedicated teachers and staff memeber in the school right now.
Have any of you that live in “Park Slope” taken the time out to visit the school/classrooms? The school is definitely underfunded and DOE doesn’t care about the education of our children that are attending Secondary Schools right now. They are going to do what they want too. They lied all the time that we as parents and students have a voice in the education system bottom line is we don’t!
Hey, God Bless.
I’m a student from Secondary School for Research (wow, just writing that name out is tiring)
But… about this subject it’s pretty… how could you say it, downright horrific.
I didn’t know how corrupt the D.O.E is, but man… they are really good at lying.
To be told to my face “Hey, you have a voice… you can make a change”
Then, 10 minutes later… we receive an E-mail from the new principal of the “proposed” school stating that she will step down as the principal at her school to be the principal of this new “proposed” school.
Now…look at this, but you guys didn’t know this.
Our building, which is in horrific conditions, will ONLY be repaired if this school is allowed to be built.
Did’ya also know, that my principal, Jill Bloomberg, asked the DOE for money to get a PA system, and what happened?
My principal had to pull money out of her pocket to pay for it.
This isn’t including our huge cut in the school budget…
There’s more details but, i’m too lazy to write about them (seriously, I feel like I’m writing an essay for Ms. Siegel or Ms. Miller)
The DOE are probably be the biggest sugarcoaters I’ve ever met in my 17 years of life.
:)
Why build a school in a school wtih 3 schools already?
Is this a business, where the DOE attaches itself to what’s new (Millienuim)?
Some times people, IN PENCIL, draw a picture on a piece of paper, then throw it because it’s not how they pictured it then they get a new piece of paper and continue the same process. Why throw out a drawing you did in pencil when you can still edit it and fix it? Is this their process of creating and destroying schools?
I use to remember sitting in elementary school doing that. Thought only kids my age would do that. Now it’s a metaphor to how the DOE runs their “education (business) system”.
:)
Have a good day Folks.
:)
God Bless.
As a teacher in the building for many years, I can recount many stories of students, parents, and teachers commenting on the high quality of teaching that exists across the building. I am deeply insulted by all of the insinuations that our schools are failing and inadequate for Park Slope’s children. My guess is that many judgments have been made and perpetuated by those who have never even visited a classroom within the building. We have definitely been underfunded and abandoned by DOE administrators who made promises they have never followed up on.
http://lab.wgbh.org/open-call/ghosts-of-john-jay-high
Ms. Henning’s assumption that the building could use a higher quality school is erroneous. At least one of the existing secondary schools is making excellent progress serving its current population. I would encourage you to visit the Secondary School for Research’s the web sight at http://www.ssfr.org where you can here students speak and where the schools most recent quality review is quoted as saying
“Led by a committed and exceedingly talented principal, the school is a true learning community where the needs of all students are targeted at an intensely granular level.”
“We believe that all of our students should not only graduate, but that all of our graduates should go on to college. This is the extraordinary level of expectation that defines the instructional focus of The Secondary School for Research.”
“Both the teachers and the administration of the school demonstrate an in-depth, firsthand knowledge of each and every student that defines the school’s nurturing and supportive culture.”
“Enrichment and support activities are consistently synchronized with the school’s holistic view of its students’ needs and the universally shared goals, resulting in partnerships and collaborations that enable students to improve their skills and take greater ownership of their own education.”
Furthermore, the DOE’s Office of Portfolio Development claims that capitol funds for building improvement are only available if the new school is introduced to the building and they have been clear that the new school will serve only students from the neighborhood where the school is housed. The acknowledgment that the building needs work but will only get it if the white kids come in is blatantly racist, not an effort at integration and improvement. Ms. Hennings is correct though. “It’s possible for one school to offer a high-quality education to an economically and ethnically diverse group of students.” Look again at Research.
My son, like many others, was trapped last year by Millennium. We both loved the school and believed that they would be letting in a number of kids from Brooklyn, as they had in the past. So he listed it first and even tried again on appeal and was intensely disappointed when he (and nearly all other Brooklyn applicants) was not accepted.
In terms of the inequities within the school system, yes, they are there and they are criminally unfair. But are you so sure that having a higher quality school at John Jay will not improve the other schools in the building, the climate of the building at large, and the opportunities for all the kids there? The best example of INTEGRATION and equity within the schools that I have seen is at Brooklyn New School. It’s possible for one school to offer a high-quality education to an economically and ethnically diverse group of students. And it’s great for everyone there. Perhaps the new Millennium can make that one of its top goals.
Holy good news and bad news, Batman!
The good news is another high school option — and one in Park Slope — is good. There should be more choices.
The bad news is that Mr. Beans is absolutely correct.
Worse still is that the choice of principal for the new school — especially for a school with an ASD room — is VERY bad news.
As you know (Louise) before I became a mom of three, I was a teacher for 14 years. I am now writing a book about education and plan to write about this!
I would be interested in hearing from parents who have opinions about this new school and experiences with Lisa Gioe-Cordi. (mmsnypoet@gmail.com).
I hope parents will do their research carefully before enrolling children in this school and that those who do so monitor the situation carefully.
The first ASD Nest room was established not at #447, but iat PS #29 (in 2001). It existed for five years under the expert care of Melanie Raneri Woods.
I am glad you are happy. You may also be happy to know that the DOE came to John Jay last night and lied to all the black and latino parents when they swore that the new school is ONLY a proposal; that there would be a chance for the parents to discuss the IMPACT the PROPOSED school would have on the John Jay HS students. I am glad you are happy that the DOE had to set up a segregated school for you to send your kids there. I am glad you sat and watched this school be criminally underfunded for years.