The Academy for Careers in Television & Film (ACTvF), located near the hub of TV and movie studios in Long Island City, offers a strong production program which engages students and prepares them a range of careers. The school's big-name partners allow students to get experience in the field even as its small size helps it maintain an intimate environment.

Building and location: ACTvF occupies one long hallway in the basement level of IS 204 in Long Island City, and will expand in the building as it grows into a full high school, adding an in-house production studio. It shares a gym, cafeteria and auditorium with IS 204, and the two schools maintain a cordial but separate relationship. The building is an old but well-maintained yellow brick structure, and ACTvF's spaces are freshly painted, clean and get plenty of natural light.   The quiet neighborhood is populated by duplexes, single-family homes, and small industrial buildings and is close to many subway and bus lines.

 School environment and culture: Principal Mark Dunetz, formerly with New Visions for Public Schools, a not for profit school reform organization, says  ACTvF unites students with a common interest in the school's theme. Opened in 2008 with a 9^th grade class of 100 students, the school fosters a sense of community where students and teachers are on a first name basis, and the principal and assistant principal greet each student outside in the morning  with a handshake and a hello  Small advisory groups led by teachers meet four times each week, giving students a go-to person for academic troubles, personal issues, and college preparation.  School attendance  - at 95% - is exceptionally high.

The integrated production curriculum informs everything at ACTvF, from academic classes to class field trips to nearby production studios; from the impressive film library to professional-grade audio and visual equipment available for students to check out for home use. Teachers use films to illustrate lessons, students create shorts for class projects, and, with a one-to-one student-to-laptop ratio, students submit essays, update academic goals and maintain a college prep portfolio online. Class periods are longer than the standard 45 minutes allowing for extended work sessions in production classes.

Adults and students say said they thrive in the small-school environment. One teacher said that ACTvF administrators allow her try new approaches to curricula and in-class learning,  integrating media into the classroom and spending more time teasing out student discussions. Students say they enjoy the freedom to pursue their individual interests within television and film. 

Teaching and curriculum: Every student takes a production course three times per week with an additional weekly production lab. At the end of the 10th grade, each student chooses a major: screenwriting and directing; financing production; production crew; or post-production. Most students will complete their academic courses by the end of junior year, and take electives such as Mandarin language or acting, explore additional production courses, or pursue professional internships.

We saw lively, engaged, and passionate teachers. Teachers used a class laptop and projector to present the lesson. From there, they helped students build their ideas and encouraged them to debate and comment on each another's contributions, whether it was in a lesson about inferring river flows from topographical maps, or thinking about the powers of persuasion in a lesson about "Twelve Angry Men." Students sit in groups around 8-foot long tables, and teachers weave in and around them.

Most teachers teach three sections; with the average class size at 22 or 23 students, this means they only have 70-95 students. Every student is tracked through a Google Documents-supported system that tabulates student absences, grades, and even aggregates students' academic goals, assignments, and teacher conversations. Much of this information is available to parents.

Partnerships and programs: ACTvF benefits from a partnership between New Visions for Public Schools and the New York Production Alliance, an industry advocacy organization. Other partners include: the Mayor's Office for Film, Theatre and Broadcasting; nearby Silvercup Studios; Tribeca Film Institute; Panavision; and IATSE Local 52. Partners host field trips, provide guest lectures, and donate materials and equipment.

Special education: Students with special needs account for 15% of the student body. There is one Collaborative Team Teaching class per grade and no self-contained classes. Students with special needs also have resource room support, physical and occupational therapy, counseling and speech therapy.

English language learners: Very few students are English language learners. The principal, a former ESL teachers, provides support in the classroom and anticipates hiring a fulltime teacher as the school grows.

After school: ACTvF has a student government, a dance committee, and a production collective that produces commissioned television work and public service announcements. There are club teams for basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball and softball.

Parent involvement:  Parents are invited to all school events, including public screenings of students' work. Monthly PTA meetings are attended by 15 to 35 parents.

Admissions: Preference is given to students who attend an open house. In 2009 ACTvF received 10 times the number of applications as there were spots available.

After graduation: The first class will graduate in 2012.  (Hannah Berson, November 2009)