Feature Stories
A recipe for success
CTE Award-winning baking teacher Shamel Donigan provides his students at Food and Finance HS with the tools to find success in the culinary industry and in life.
A transformative experience
A group of high school juniors taking college-level biology at the Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School have a transformative experience working with fluorescent jellyfish proteins during a class trip to the DNA Learning Center in Brooklyn.
The importance of being ‘seen’
Educators' extra efforts working collaboratively and leading their students at Francis Lewis HS in Queens paid off with an extra special Black History Month celebration featuring a number of high-profile speakers, including film director Malcolm Lee and actor Siddiq Saunderson.
Queens swim coach saves drowning student
“Twenty eyes are better than two” is a refrain that swim team members at John Adams HS in Queens hear from their coach, physical education teacher Alex Navarrete, encouraging them to watch out for one another’s safety. They found out how true it is one afternoon in December 2023 when their attentiveness helped Navarrete save a teammate’s life.
A ‘sense’ of what some students need
The Sensory Exploration, Education and Discovery (SEED) program at PS 171 in Queens takes place in a special room with a rock-climbing wall, a brightly colored tunnel to crawl through, a swing and trampoline. These components are powerful tools to address sensory needs in children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD or other sensory and self-regulation issues that qualify them for occupational therapy.
'Giving control to the people doing the work'
The Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program, which affords schools the freedom to experiment and innovate, is marking its 10th anniversary this school year. Nearly 300 teachers, chapter leaders and principals from the now 217 PROSE schools citywide gathered at union headquarters on Dec. 12 to celebrate.