MARCH 2009 UPDATE:   Gil Cornell became principal, replacing Steven Farina

APRIL 2005 REVIEW: Most city high schools offering instruction in architecture don't make it available it until students' junior year, but at the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design, students dive into the subject as freshmen. They start off learning how to draw with tools like t-squares, and by the time they graduate, will have had mastered sophisticated computer design programs widely used by professional architects.

The school, which opened in September 2004 with just 100 9th graders, will grow to its full size of 400 students in grades 9-12 in September 2007. One of a burgeoning number of new, small high schools throughout the city, the school benefits from small classes and a well-developed "theme." The principal, Charles Pomaro, was formerly an assistant principal for engineering and technology at Brooklyn Tech, and the school's architecture teacher is a licensed architect from Pratt Institute. "That's my whole thing: the design process," said Pomaro, who added that each student is expected to leave the school with his or her own portfolio of work. "It's a way of thinking. We want students to develop the eyes of design."

Pomaro has big plans for the school, including refurbishing the shop so that students can carry out large-scale construction projects, among them building a structure in the school's yard. He says that juniors will volunteer with Habitat for Humanity to build low-income houses.

While we saw some strong teaching on our visit, we visited the school in the afternoon, and some students seemed less than completely engaged in their lessons. In a few classrooms students had their heads on their desks, and there were one or two stragglers in the hallway. But lessons had substance: in one classroom, the architecture and social studies teachers were collaborating to teach kids about the Taj Mahal in India; in a physics class, kids were learning about the differences between series and parallel circuits; and in an English class students were "translating" the dialogue in Romeo and Juliet into modern-day English.

Because the school is small, it lacks the extensive offerings available at larger high schools. There is no music instruction, for example, and students can't take a foreign language class until 10th grade. Students may, however, enroll in "Math A," and for advanced students, a class in the "Math B" curriculum is available. The school has a partnership with CUNY's New York City College of Technology, and students may use the libraries there. Two college students from Tech act as mentors in each of the school's math classes, providing teachers with an extra hand and students with extra attention.

Students who want to participate in sports may join the teams at Harry Van Arsdale, the large high school in the process of "phasing out" within which Williamsburg High School of Architecture and Design is housed. Students who need special education services likewise receive them from Harry Van Arsdale.

Students must pass through metal detectors to enter the school. Located in the heart of Williamsburg, which has developed and gentrified rapidly over the past decade, the school feels very safe, both inside and out. (Deborah Apsel, April 2005)

1) There is a new principal, Gill Cornell (as of March 2009). 2) There is a new Parent Coodinator, Lai Sin Chu. 3) Students now take foreign language starting in 9th grade. 4) We offer a wide range of AP classes. 5) This fall we are rolling out a new, unique program in historic preservation, team taught by 3 teachers: one in art, one in engineering, and one in art history and humanities. 6) There has been a significant increase in the extracurricular activities available to students, including a Drumline, dance teams, video game club, student government, etc.

"Ok most people here keep saying that our school is horrible. While it does suffer quite a few setbacks, its really the students that make the school what it is. We have a bunch of people that think the school sucks, and this spreads to everyone. Its a friendly place, and most of the teachers care about us."

"i got a friend that go to this school and she says that it's 1 of the worst schools she's went to in her life , that statement alone says a lot ......."

"OOOH MAN WHAT CAN I SAY...THIS SCHOOL IS THE WORST SCHOOL EVER!! SO MANY STUDENT DO ALOT OF STUFF THAT NOT ALLOWED IN SCHOOL AND THEY DO'NT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!...WE NEVER HAD ANY FUN ACTIVITIES AND I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S SCHOOL BUT WE NEVER REALLY WENT ON TRIPS...I USED TO BE A STUDENT AND I TRANSFERED BECAUSE THEY DON'T TEACH WELL AND IT'S VERY HARD TO FOCUS...SECURITY IS THE WORST AND THE BEST THING OF ALL THEY DESIDED TO PUT UP CAMARAS DURING MY JUNIOR YEAR AND THAT SCHOOL USED TO BE 1 OF THE BADDEST IN BROOKLYN SOOO WHY PUT CAMERAS NOW ?? FUNNY THING IS THAT THEY DO NOT RECORD SO WHAT EVER EVIDENCE THEY NEED WON'T BE FOUND IF THERE WAS A FIGHT TO BREAK OUT."