The High School for Health Careers and Sciences was established in 1999 when the George Washington High School was divided into four small high schools. A decade later, the founding principal remains dedicated to the school and its students, and both the small-school culture and the focus on science and health are well-developed.

“This was a true redesign,” Principal Harris Marmor said, as he proudly showed off the quiet hallways and greeted students by name. “And I am a very active principal.”

Building and location: The school occupies a floor of the old high school building, which is located on the highest point of Manhattan and has commanding views of the Hudson River, the New Jersey cliffs, and the Bronx. The building is old, but relatively well-maintained so that it feels more grand than rundown. The entrance foyer of the 1923 building has striking black and white floor tiles, a Tiffany-style chandelier, and polished brass handrails on a curving staircase. The school shares the auditorium, cafeteria, two swimming pools, and state-of-the-art track and athletic fields with the other three schools in the building: High School for Media and Communications, High School for Law and Public Service, and High School for International Business and Finance.

“We all know what it takes to make a campus school,” said Marmor. “We work well together. We have a school-wide prom, for instance. These are like four little private schools. Kids feel safe and like being in school.”

School environment and culture: The school environment was intimate and respectful. As soon as the bell rings, students are expected to be in class and the administration makes sure the hallways are clear. During a free period, however, several seniors sprawled in a corner of the hallway, quietly working on the yearbook and planning for a dance. The principal believes that ethical and moral education should be key components of a high school curriculum and that students must learn to be self-motivated above all.

“You can eventually make up your credits,” he said, “but if you aren’t motivated, it will be impossible to succeed.”

Many of these lessons are imparted in an established 9^th and 10^th grade advisory program, he said. The upperclassmen help teachers facilitate advisory, so the whole school is involved. Harris hires 9^th grade teachers who have experience teaching in middle schools, and the friendly atmosphere carries over into the classrooms, many of which are decorated with student work and bright posters made by the teachers.

Teaching and curriculum: The school has a large population of students learning to speak English; even the students who are not technically classified as English Language Learners speak Spanish at home. Many of the students struggle with high school English, particularly with analyzing what they read, the principal explained, so all teachers are instructed to incorporate reading skills into every lesson. The teachers praised the reading program, saying that it has allowed many students to make up for skills they didn’t learn in elementary and middle school.

The teachers we saw were dedicated and hardworking. A couple of the adults were spending their Friday lunch period with students-in one case, helping three students study for a Regents exam, and in another case, just having a friendly conversation.

In a lively 12^th grade English class, the teacher was filling a chart on the wall with students’ thoughts on the similarities and differences between the 1950s and 1960s, based partly on their readings of the Catcher in the Rye and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. “What were they so paranoid about in the 1950s?” the teacher asked. “Communism,” the students answered.

The focus on science and health is realized through several classes, including advisory and elective classes like pharmacy and anatomy and physiology. The school’s partnership with Columbia Presbyterian allows students to shadow doctors and witness surgeries.

Teachers who taught at George Washington before it was divided into four separate schools told that the smaller environments were much more nurturing but that the individual schools’ budgets felt more constraining. “We don’t have the resources to do everything we would want to,” one teacher explained. “Because we have a small staff, electives and all the extra stuff suffers. We used to have a cooking program. It was so great. And a band, but the music program was lost to the budget.”

Another teacher was quick to point out, however, that with the smaller schools, the faculty was able to know each student individually and make sure that all of them have adult advocates.

After school: Students take part in a host of school-wide athletic teams including sports such as swimming, rowing, and volleyball. There is also afterschool tutoring and clubs, including a school newspaper, book club, and debate club.

Special education: The school offers "collaborative team teaching" (CTT) classes, in which a general education and special education teacher work together as well as a self-contained class for special students.

English Language Learners: The school has a large population of English Language Learners and offers a variety of services including bilingual classes, since the students have different levels of English proficiency.

College Admissions: After graduation, 45% of students move into 4-year college programs, according to the Deparment of Education's 2007-2008 Comprehensive Information Report.

Admissions: Priority is given to District 6 students and then to the rest of Manhattan. Applicants are chosen via educational option, in which half of the students are selected by computer, the other half by the school according to a formula designed to attract a mix of high and low-performing students. (Lindsey Whitton Christ, November, 2008)

"They care about your education," a senior said. "It is good here. We love it."

“We have kids who come here and find some solace, find some steadiness in their lives,” one teacher told us.

Principal Harris Marmor received a 2009 Cahn fellowship, a 15-month program at Teachers College designed to recognize outstanding principals. Cahn fellows attend workshops at Teachers College and mentor an aspiring principal while continuing to serve as principal at their school.