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RISING STAR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL

The Classics, Modernized
New Brooklyn Latin school draws from historic model in Boston

When the Brooklyn Latin School opened its doors in September 2006 with 63 9th-graders, the selective, competitive learning facility was following in the footsteps of greatness. Housed on the top floor of P.S. 147 in east Williamsburg, the institution is modeled after the historic, prestigious Boston Latin School. Founded in 1635, Boston Latin is the oldest public school in the United States, and counts Benjamin Franklin and five signers of the Declaration of Independence as alumni.

Although Brooklyn Latin is public, students must pass the specialized high school entrance exam to be accepted. This year, the school has 93 students in 9th and 10th grade, but Headmaster Jason Griffiths said that number will grow each year as the school eventually expands to 12th grade. The first class of seniors will graduate in 2010.

“We’re a small community that’s really focused on student growth, and since we’re small, we really pay close attention to individual student needs,” said Griffiths, 31. “Our teachers are able to spend lots of time in after-school tutoring to help our students progress with the rigorous curriculum. Students have a huge advantage because we have that small student-to-teacher ratio.”

In preparing for his headmaster role at Brooklyn Latin, Griffiths spent four months at Boston Latin last year, and his class spent three days at the school as well. Some of the initiatives that Griffiths brought back to Brooklyn include students taking four years of Latin; declamation, where students memorize a poem, speech or piece of literature and present it to their classmates, or in some cases, the entire school; and the Socratic seminar, where students enter a classroom having read a text or examined a problem, and have dialogue with fellow students before defending their evidence. Brooklyn Latin also adopted the use of Latin terms, so Griffiths is called a headmaster instead of principal, and teachers are referred to as magistri (“magistra” for women and “magister” for men).

“Our curriculum is unique,” Griffiths said. “It’s a classical liberal arts curriculum. We have a very strong relationship with Boston Latin. Once you walk through their doors you can absolutely ?sense what’s special—high expectations and a commitment to excellence. The challenge for us is how do we do that here in Brooklyn, and what specifically leads to that type of culture.”

Griffiths would also like Brooklyn Latin to adopt Boston Latin’s parent involvement (the parent organization there has nonprofit status), and he is applying for Brooklyn Latin to become an international baccalaureate school.

Brooklyn Latin doesn’t have a gym yet, but the school does have a partnership with the famed Mark Morris Dance Group. Members come to the school twice a week to teach modern dance to students. In addition to basketball and soccer, students can also take yoga or Pilates.

“We have a very intellectual culture, but also many outlets for our students for their creativity and volunteerism,” said Alexander Nazaryan, who teaches English. “We have things like Reading Buddies, which is a volunteer program where many of our students read to elementary school students.”

The overall goal, he said, is to offer students the best education possible.

“As we grow, we’re going to also hopefully have very good admissions records with colleges,” Nazaryan said. “I’m really looking for us to be the best school we can be and one of the best schools in New York.”

— Mark Allwood