ESI Update – Week of April 7

 

ESI Update

Week of April 7

 

 

Principals and ESI Team Members,

This week, Research Alliance released “Promising Opportunities for Black and Latino Young Men: Findings from the Early Implementation of the Expanded Success Initiative.” The report examines challenges schools experienced during Year 1 of the Initiative, as well as changes in school practice that hold promise for reaching ESI’s goals. Once again we thank schools for opening their doors to work with Research Alliance and their research team as we all, as a community, continue to investigate, strategize, and implement what we are learning.

Please note, the ESI Update will not be published while schools are closed for Spring Recess. We will resume publication after schools return, the week of April 28. The ESI Team wishes you a safe and happy Spring Break!

In this issue you will find the following features:

  • News and Updates: Conference Travel Reimbursement Reminder!
  • Opportunities: All Star Code and CSTUY!
  • School Spotlight: East Bronx Academy!
  • ESI in the News: High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology and Channel View School for Research in the News!
  • Inside ESI Schools: Central Park East High School!
  • Shout Outs: High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety!

ESI students from East Bronx Academy on their way to Baltimore for a college visit.

News and Updates

*This feature is intended to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in ESI. 

Conference Travel Reimbursement

A number of schools are planning to attend conferences within the next few weeks. As a reminder, please be aware of the conference travel reimbursement policies.  Failure to adhere to these policies may result in a delay or denial of your reimbursement request.

 

Opportunities

For Students

All Star Code: Application Deadline Extended!

All Star Code is a non-profit initiative that prepares qualified boys of color for full-time employment in the technology industry by providing mentorship, industry exposure, and intensive training in computer science. They are dedicated to closing the opportunity gap between young men of color and the tech industry.

All Star Code selects 20 smart, talented, and driven high school juniors and seniors to participate in the program. These young men receive hands-on, project-based instruction in computing concepts, programming fundamentals, mobile phone development, robotics, web development, and design. They provide 200+ hours of intensive instruction with high-touch mentorship and exposure, led by mission-aligned engineers and entrepreneurs in the tech industry.

NOTE: School team members, if you think your school could benefit from a visit from an All Star Code representative to speak more about the program with students, please contact David Noel, Jr., Operations and Program Coordinator at All Star Code, to coordinate.

The deadline to apply for summer 2014 has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 20.

For more information, click here. To apply, click here.

Computer Science and Technology Program for Urban Youth (CSTUY) Summer Hackers Program

The Computer Science and Technology Program for Urban Youth is currently recruiting 9th to 11th grade students for its 4-week summer computer science program taking place this July. The program was developed by the same teachers that developed Stuyvesant High School’s CS program and the same team that created and ran Google’s CAPE NYC program – and will involve both classroom education and immersive experiences in NY’s technology scene.

CSTUY is looking for students with the potential to excel in technology–smart and driven with a wide range of computer science backgrounds, both those with CS experience as well as students who might not have been interested in CS before.

WHEN:        Monday – Friday

July 7 – 31

9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WHERE:     St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn

For more information about the program, click here. To apply, click here.

CUNY Assessment Prep Test Workshops

Learn about the CUNY Assessment Tests and how to prepare in a 90 minute free workshop.

Choose your date, time, and location!

Eligibility Requirements 

To attend, you must be 19 years of age or older; a citizen or eligible non-citizen; live in NYC, and not currently be in college. You do NOT need to be a current or past Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC) student.

What to Bring 

Attendees must bring a printed copy of a CUNY acceptance email, a completed CUNY Application Summary Package, OR a CUNY pre-college program ID. If you did not yet apply to CUNY, click here to contact the College Connections Project at the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center for assistance in doing so.

Click here to register for a workshop.

 

School Spotlight

*This feature is intended to give you insight into what is happening in ESI. We hope you enjoy your “visit”!

East Bronx Academy

Location: Tremont, Bronx

Principal: Sarah Scrogin

Total student enrollment: 628 

Percent Latino/Latina: 68% 

Percent Black: 29% 

On April 3rd, ESI gentlemen from East Bronx Academy invaded Baltimore, Maryland for their annual overnight trip. On the first night of their trip, the ESI gentlemen went to see the Baltimore Orioles play the Boston Red Sox. The stands were filled with a sea of blue and grey as the boys wore their ESI cardigan sweaters.

The boys were bombarded with questions about what ESI was and what did it mean to be a part of ESI from other spectators. The boys handled the questions very well stating, “It’s an all-boys program that helps us stay focused on graduating high school and furthering our education.” “It’s a support system.” “We’re family!” As if getting special attention from other spectators wasn’t enough, during the game’s seventh inning stretch, the Jumbotron flashed “The Baltimore Orioles welcomes the ESI gentlemen from East Bronx Academy.” The ESI gentlemen cheered and were so proud to be a part of ESI.

The excitement of the game carried on into Friday. The ESI gentlemen woke up ready to take on the day. The gentlemen visited Morgan State University. Morgan State University had their annual open house. The ESI gentlemen attended seminars on the majors they were interested in. They participated in a campus tour of the academic buildings, dorm, and sports gymnasium. They asked important questions and took in the college experience by speaking to current students. As the ESI gentlemen left the campus, they were curious about which college they would go to and whether Morgan State University was the right college for them. After their trip, the ESI gentlemen returned to EBA thankful for the unforgettable experience.

 

ESI Schools in the News

High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology named one of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools”

The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology (EBT) landed on the list of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools,” Washington Post’s annual ranking of high schools where students take the most rigorous and challenging courses. EBT was one of 10 schools identified in NYC.

Maine High School Students Visit Rockaways to Work on Sandy Documentary

Some high school students from Maine took their lessons out of the classroom and into Queens by visiting the Rockaways to work on a documentary about the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The students were hosted by one of our ESI schools, Channel View School for Research.

 

Inside ESI Schools

Inside Central Park East High School.

 

Shout Outs

Shout out to the students at the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety!

On Saturday, March 29th,  48 students along with four chaperones and the school’s ESI Liaison participated in the ”SPLASH” program at  YALE University. Splash is an educational outreach program in which university students teach classes to 7th through 12th graders. Topics range from Introduction to Particle Physics, to The Study of Kafka, to Introduction to Japanese, to Survival Skills 101. The students were extremely thrilled to visit Yale and extremely grateful for the opportunity. The students took seven classes each; some were single and some were double periods.

Shout-Out to the following schools attending the 2014 Annual COSEBOC conference!

  • Transit Tech Career and Technical Educational High School
  • El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice
  • High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology
  • School for Human Rights
  • Eagle Academy for Young Men
  • ACORN Community High School
  • Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change
  • Channel View School for Research
  • High School for Sports Management (ESI Liaison and Assistant Principal Derek Cradle will also presenting a workshop)

The ESI Central Team will also be attending COSEBOC and members of the team will be presenting at the conference. For those that are interested, Paul Forbes will be delivering the workshop “New York City Expanded Success Initiative: Innovation in Service of Our Young Men” with ESI School Design Fellows Darius Mensah and Paul Perry. In addition, Hector Calderon will be presenting “The Sankofa Curriculum: From Self-definition to Self-determination. How to create a youth-centered, humanities curriculum that affirms the identity of Black and Latino young men.”

Do you have a strategy, teacher, or program at your school that you wish to highlight? If so, send an email to rhaynes6@schools.nyc.gov for inclusion in our ESI Weekly Update.

 

“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”–Michael Jordan

 

 

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