WHAT'S GOING ON NOW:

2009: New and Noteworthy Public Middle School

Prepped for High School
Fueled by young teachers, school arms kids with real world connections

“West Prep Academy” conjures up drills, buzz cuts and crisp salutes. But this new middle school, helmed by Emily Noto, a poised 29-year-old blond, offers a warm atmosphere, lots of administrative and teacher support for students and creative, hands-on assignments.

One recent Friday afternoon, Noto could be seen darting in and out of the purple doors that distinguish West Prep’s classrooms from those of Junior High School 44, a school that will be phased out by 2011. Energy was high, but under control, among a group of sweaty kids returning from gym. The principal consulted with a colleague about a child’s confiscated cell phone before settling into a chair in her bright, lilac-colored office to talk about her school. Just then, a student popped his head in to ask her about basketball practice, a teacher had a question and the phone rang twice. So it goes for five minutes in the life of a middle school principal.

West Prep opened this September with 75 6th graders in five classrooms; one is for special ed students. At capacity, the school will serve 325 students in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment is “limited unscreened,” meaning administrators prefer families who buy into the school’s mission, which emphasizes “cultivating strengths,” “real world connections” and “21st century skills.” There is a commitment to serving English language learners and special education students, but academic, cultural and economic diversity is the goal.

The young teaching staff bonded for two weeks last summer at orientation.

“It was awesome,” said Natalie Harvey, the math and science teacher, who, as an eight-year veteran, is the most experienced teacher at the school.

Class size is small, between 17 and 20 students. Students also meet in advisory groups of approximately eight students up to three times a week.

“What drew me was the size,” said Dan DeSantis, the art teacher, who goes room to room with an art cart, and is helping kids design a school T-shirt. “A good number of us are newer teachers. We’re looking for extended support. We really all hang out together.”

In Harvey’s science classes, “There are very few days we sit with a textbook.” She wants kids “to participate in the design process, so they can say, ‘I had this idea, I designed it. I built it. I tested it.’” Recent projects were wind vanes and anemometers (something that measures the force or speed of wind). The projects also help with the hands-on stations in the science portion of the New York State assessment given to all 8th grade public school students.

Self-assessment and reflection are also important. A stack of “Reflection Sheets” sat on the principal’s desk; the top one was filled in by a child caught running in the hall.

West Prep staff gets guidance from the Academy for Educational Development, a national leader in middle grades reform. A network leader helps them identify problems, set goals and shape the climate and culture of the school.

Down the line, Noto would like her teachers to reflect on their own practice through observation and feedback of each other’s work. For now, she sees encouraging signs in her fledgling school: a cohesive staff, teachers who take time to confer with students one-on-one and the approbation of a boy who chose West Prep so he could be smarter.

“It’s happening a lot more quickly than I thought,” she said.

–
West Prep Academy
100 W. 77th St.
New York, N.Y. 10024
718-935-3621
Emily Noto, Principal
–

— Lydie Raschka