J.H.S. 185Q Edward Bleeker

A large neighborhood in Flushing, JHS 185 Edward Bleeker is a traditional school that offers a Chinese−English dual language program, and three years of Mandarin Chinese instruction, as well as Spanish lessons. Sixth and 7th graders participate in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Connection, a project weaving together the arts, history and architecture into a year-long study of the Silk Road. 

An iZone school, JHS 185 has laptops and a software engineering program, in which students study computer programming, electronics, web design, LEGO Robotics and animation.

Theresa Mshar, principal since 2012, hosts cheery and informative “welcome videos” posted on the school website. She introduces the Bleeker Café, where students play old fashioned games such as Jenga, Sorry, Twister and chess, and she shows off agenda books that are given to every student, to help them stay organized. 

The school is safe and orderly. Videos show desks in rows, with the teacher talking from the front of the room, and students sitting quietly wearing uniforms. A school-wide goal is to get teens talking more in class, to “foster strong discussions that are rooted in deep questions,” according to the Comprehensive Educational Plan. 

Admissions: Neighborhood school. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, April 2019)