MARCH 2009 UPDATE: The Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation will move to CS 67 in District 12 in September 2009.

MAY 2007 PREVIEW : At the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, students will leave the building at least once a month to explore parks, zoos, and aquariums. "Learning doesn't just happen in the classroom. Learning happens wherever you go," said Principal Mark Ossenheimer, who has 12 years of education experience, including three years as a principal of Wildwood school in Los Angeles, which also practice the "learning by doing" model.

Opening with a 6th grade class in September 2007, students will learn how to ask questions within a scientific-inquiry method, conduct research, collect data, and determine whether their answers are right or wrong. The school is the newest in a network of schools founded by the Urban Assembly, a non-profit group that helps create college prep schools in under-served neighborhoods. It has a partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, a nationwide organization which manages conservation, research and education projects, and with the Bronx Zoo. There are plans to visit the zoo frequently for lessons, the principal said. For example, for a math/science class project, students might collect data about the zoo animals, and create mathematical graphs based on their findings, says Ossenheimer. The Bronx Zoo will also provide regular training sessions for teachers on how to create classes around students asking questions, rather than a teacher dictating facts, he said.

Students will have art class twice a week, and attend small group advisory sessions three to five times a week.

Phipps Houses, a community group that builds low-income housing, will provide an after-school program, college counseling, a community garden, and classes for parents.

Special education: In Fall 2007, the school will open with one self-contained class, for students with special needs, and will also offer supplemental special education services.

Admissions: Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation is one of three new small middle schools housed in the MS 135 building. MS 135 is being phased out and will graduate its last class of 8th graders in 2008. The other schools in the building are Bronx Green and Aspire Preparatory. Preference in admissions to all three schools is given to students from PS 76, 96, and 105 in District 11. (Vanessa Witenko, May 2007)