Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation will open next fall in East Harlem in a building occupied by Manhattan East, and the Academy of Environmental Science Secondary High School Modelled after the popular Renaissance Charter School in Queens, which is a K-12 school, the new school will serve high school students only.

School founder Nicholas Tishuk, who was a teacher at the original Renaissance Charter School, said he decided to open a high school because charter schools “haven’t been pulling their weight” and founding enough high schools.

Following the example of its sister school in Queens, the emphasis in instruction will be on experimentation and “learning by doing”, with students encouraged to get out in the community, study abroad, or set up a business. Each year, students will identify a subject they are passionate about and develop a year-long project about it.

The founding principal is in conversations with neighborhood organizations such as Musel del Barrio, The Museum of the City of New York, and the East Harlem Tutorial Program about forming partnerships to help support the students.

Admissions: Citywide by lottery. If there more than 125 applications in the first year, priority will go to students in District 4. Applications must be received by April 1. In its first year, the school will incoming accept 9th graders only. In the 2011-12 school year, the school will have 9th and 10th grade. For additional information contact the school at info@renaissanceinnovation.org. (Pamela Wheaton, February 2010)