Roy H. Mann - I.S. 78

JHS 78 Roy H. Mann is an orderly supportive school, where members of the school community respect one another. Its building has been upgraded so it now features a dance studio, culinary arts kitchen, new science labs, and technology upgrades in computer labs and classrooms. 

The school is divided between a Center for Intellectually Gifted Program (CIG) and general admissions. CIG students may take three Regents exams, as well as an advanced English class, in 8th grade. They must maintain a 90 average in all their classes.

The school has an engineering program, which reflects principal Anthony Cusumano’s belief that students should “make things with their hands and create things.” It includes bridge building, robotics and rocket building. 

Under JHS 78’s Schoolwide Enrichment Model, every semester students select a non-academic class they take for two periods a week. Classes have included cooking, wood design, fitness and fine arts. All are linked to a charity, such as Habitat for Humanity or Ronald McDonald House.

In a Department of Education survey, students praised their teachers for being clear, supportive and helpful and their fellow students for being generally well-behaved. Teachers expressed good opinions of their students, reporting they were well-behaved, respectful and involved in class discussions.

Test scores are below average and in January 2019 the state named it a Targeted Support and Improvement School, a designation for low-performing schools. 

JHS 78 shares its building with Success Academy Bergen Beach, a charter elementary school. 

Although it is a district-wide school, JHS 78’s demographics are different from those of the district as a whole, with a far higher percentage of black students and a lower proportion of white and Asian children. 

Special education: JHS 278 has a large number of students with disabilities. Although it offers team teaching classes with a mix of general and special education students, a significant number of students with special needs are in self-contained classes.

Admissions: All District 22 students may apply. Applicants to the CIG program are selected on the basis of their 4th grade records, including test scores and grades. Students in the Roy Mann zone have priority for the general education program. That program does not fill all of its seats. (Gail Robinson, from web reports, May 2019)