 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
February, 2003 The JSP Foundation presented two New York City Public Schools donations of $5,000 each, for the exclusive purpose of purchasing much-needed musical instruments for their ongoing instrumental music programs. Middle School 239, Walt Whitman School, at 72 Veronica Place, Brooklyn; and Mark Twain Intermediate School 239, located at 2401 Neptune Avenue in Brooklyn, are similar in size (approximately 1200 students in each school) and age of students (each school serves students in grades 6 through 8), but different in their needs to provide quality education for their children. MS 246, a school of 1,243 students, is a Title I School in Bedford Stuyvesant. MS 246 is a school with 75% of its students eligible for free lunch; over 17% of the schools' population are students who are recent immigrants, mostly from Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago. Over the period of the late 1980's and early 1990's, the school's student achievement had declined, and the school was designated by the New York State Education Department as a school in danger of losing its charter. In the fall of 1996, the school joined The Chancellor's District (#85) and a new principal, Mr. David Harris, and new assistant principals took the helm. Certified teachers, both new and experienced, joined the team, and new curriculum materials were purchased and used. The instrumental and vocal programs were rejuvenated, and extra-curricular programs and after-school programs were installed. The school has steadily improved and is still improving; student achievement in mathematics and English Language Arts is climbing, and school tone and environment is much improved. Student attendance is up, and student suspensions are down! However, the meager Projects Arts funds that schools
are allocated each year do not go very far towards the rebuilding of a music program that has so long been neglected.
The instrumental music teacher, Mr. Wilfred Hinton, took the initiative last fall to write an impassioned letter
to the JSP Foundation, providing information about the school and its dire need to purchase instruments to replace
broken ones, and its need to expand its inventory of instruments so that students on waiting lists could receive
instruction. Mr. Hinton knows the school and its needs very well. He himself is a graduate of the school! At Intermediate School 239 Mark Twain School, a school
of 1,193 students in Coney Island, the music program is well established. The school features a very fine vocal
music program, concert band and string orchestra; the school has won awards for student performances in local and
New York State competitions. Mark Twain also has a fine drama and dance program. Perhaps it is not surprising that
the student achievement at Mark Twain Intermediate School is among the highest in New York City! The school has
traditionally been in the top 10 middle schools in the City for many years, rated by student test scores in NY
State tests in Mathematics and English Language Arts, and approximately 200 eighth grade graduates each year go
on to the NYC specialized academic high schools of Bronx Science, Brooklyn Technical, and Stuyvesant. School leadership
and teaching staff is stable and well-loved by the students. Mr. Santo Zoccali has been principal for four years;
he assumed this post after servings as Assistant Principal at the school for over 10 years. Mark Twain, which serves
50% local students from Coney Island and 50% students from all boroughs in the City, will continue to thrive and
succeed, in large part through the very important music program and the assured new purchase of always-needed new
musical instruments.
|