J.H.S. 014 Shell Bank

Shell Bank Middle School in Sheepshead Bay has a multi-ethnic student body with children who speak Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Urdu, and Haitian Creole, among other languages. The only barrier free building in District 22, Shell Bank serves children with physical handicaps as well as other disabilities. It has an honors track, called the Center for Intellectually Gifted, for strong students.   

Shell Bank, also known as IS 14, was the first school in New York City to use specially trained dogs to teach children empathy and compassion through carefully structured lessons. The “comfort dog” program has since grown to 60 schools.

Students with special needs, including children on the autism spectrum, can sometimes relate to dogs more easily than to people. For example, a child who was very sensitive to touch learned to stroke a dog. A child who was a selective mute learned to say simple commands like “sit” and “stay” to a dog named Brody. “Brody brought this boy out of his shell,” said Principal Teri Ahearn.

For children who are still learning English, lessons on how to care for dogs help expand their vocabulary. A child who is reluctant to read aloud to an adult may be willing to read to a dog. A child who is having a temper tantrum may calm himself by stroking a dog.

“We can reach children that others schools don‘t,” said Ahearn, who has spent most of her career at Shell Bank and has been principal since 2014.   

The school serves many new immigrants, some of whom have had little formal schooling in their home country. Staff members speak a wide range of languages—Arabic, Urdu, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Russian, Polish and Hebrew—to help parents communicate with school officials.

The school’s test scores are below the citywide average, reflecting the fact that many children arrive with weak academic skills. More than one-third of students miss more than a month of school, according to city data. Ahearn said some students with medical issues miss lots of school. The school is working to boost attendance by giving rewards, such as special trips, to children who attend regularly.

The school's red brick building is across the street from Sheepshead Bay Educational Campus and near public housing developments where many students live.

Special education: The school offers a wide range of special education services, including team-teaching classes, self-contained classes and a Horizon program (extra-small classes for children on the autism spectrum). Some students have significant health issues and multiple disabilities.

Admissions: Zoned school open to children from across District 22. (Clara Hemphill, June 2019)