April 1, 2009

Long lines at supplementary round high school fair

Written by Catherine Man @ 1:27 pm

mar2009hssupplfair1.jpgWhile thousands of parents and students showed up at the supplementary round high school fair on Tuesday, many of the schools on the Department of Education list of available seats were not represented. We asked a few schools how many seats they actually have available. This is what they reported:

-The new, long-awaited Sunset Park High School has 25 seats left.

- The new, selective Cinema High School has only filled 15 out of their 80 seats. They will not hold another audition for applicants but will instead consider grades and test scores. The principal said they would look at applications with fresh eyes, so students who applied in the first round and didn’t get a seat at Cinema can apply again.

- The acclaimed Dual Language and Asian Studies High School has only 10 unfilled seats.

- Manhattan Business Academy has 58 seats left.
mar2009hssupplfair5.jpg

Some families at the fair were hopeful that they would get a good match in the second round, others remained very angry. Several families protested the process outside, refusing to enter the building.

A family from the Bronx said their son has good grades, but his middle school counselor “isn’t competent at all.” They described the process as “disappointing. It’s a public education- why all the rejection?”

Families have until Friday, April 3 to hand in new applications to their school’s guidance counselor. Those unhappy with the match they get in this round may appeal.

January 29, 2008

8th Grader Izzy: The wait continues, but not for long

Written by Admin @ 8:08 am

Hey everyone! It’s been quite some time since I last blogged, mainly because all has been quiet on the high school frontier for a while now. I am currently waiting for the results of the specialized high school exam, which are due back next week (somewhere around Feb. 6), to tell me whether or not I made it into my first-choice specialized high school.

At the same time that I’m pretty jazzed about those results, I’m also anticipating the results of my application to non-specialized high schools. At this point, I will, quite frankly, be happy no matter where I get in. I have confidence that I made it into the small school in my neighborhood, and my excitement concerning acceptance to that school has only risen since I finally decided to put it first. Although I’ve heard rumors that it will be backbreakingly fast-paced, I’ve also heard wonderful things about the rich curriculum and able staff.

My one concern is that, if I do somehow make it into both the specialized high school and the regular school, which will I choose? Both schools are overachieving and will undoubtedly get me many places in my future career as a student, but I would have to make certain sacrifices in order to succeed in both places. One will allow for shorter travel time, but more club participation; the other, immense travel time, but possibly less competition among the student body. Only the test results (and some good thinking time!) will tell.

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