Barbeque concludes “Community Talks” meetings which focused on providing access to summer enrichment opportunities and information about other NPS initiatives.

[Newark, NJ – June 6, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) hosted a citywide barbeque on Thursday at the NPS Family Support Center to educate families, students and community members about the various enrichment opportunities the district is offering this summer and to introduce them to the many community partners and family organizations who offer programs throughout the city. The barbeque marked the conclusion of the district’s five “Community Talks” meetings throughout the month of May, which were designed to provide academic-based information sessions about NPS initiatives and summer enrichment programming.

“I want to thank all our community partners for their hard work and collaboration in our ‘Community Talks’ meetings and for this barbeque. It’s been very exciting to see the active role community members are taking in these events,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “These meetings have allowed families to learn more about different initiatives and opportunities available for children throughout the district, especially our summer enrichment programs, internships and jobs which will further prepare our students for college and a future career.”

Approximately 250 community members attended the citywide barbeque, which was a festive occasion that included food, face painting, and music on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Over the course of the month of May an additional 200 community members participated in the five “Community Talks” meetings, which were held at different schools in each ward.

“The Newark community came out to celebrate this past school year, and show that they are excited about the many programs and opportunities that are available for our students to explore throughout the summer,” said Margarita Muniz, the Executive Director of Family & Community Engagement at NPS. “The summer months are a great time for our children to enhance their education and enrich themselves through real world learning opportunities. I am confident that all the different partnerships and programs available in Newark will provide wonderful educational experiences for our students this summer.”

The “Community Talks” meetings are part of a larger effort by NPS to emphasize and highlight the educational opportunities for Newark’s children throughout the summer months. NPS has enhanced and expanded its Summer Plus program, a free district-wide initiative to curb summer learning loss and provide enrichment experiences for students that will help advance their academics.

Additionally, the district has partnered with Newark Thrives!, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve access to and participation in extended learning opportunities for Newark children. Together, the district and Newark Thrives! have created an online summer program catalogue to help families identify summer activities and enrichment opportunities across the city of Newark.

“We are very excited to partner with NPS to give students access to educational opportunities throughout the summer months,” said Dr. Traymanesha Moore, Director of Newark Thrives!. “It is vital that young people are able to explore their passions outside of the classroom, and by utilizing different resources, connecting with families and NPS community members, Newark Thrives! makes it possible for these opportunities to be accessible to youth throughout the city.”

For the summer program catalogue, please visit: newark.apppresser.com/summerprograms/program.

For more information please visit Newark Thrives!

High school students participated in year-long business and entrepreneurship program

[Newark, NJ – May 25, 2016] – High school students throughout the Greater Newark community showcased their custom-made glass art products at GlassRoots’ annual Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair last Wednesday, May 18, at Science Park High School. Newark students presented their products to a panel of judges and community members. Students created a wide variety of items including vases, centerpieces, jewelry, wind-chimes, candlestick holders and picture frames which were available for purchase.

“I am very proud of our students for the entrepreneurship and creativity they demonstrated at the GlassRoots Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of Newark Public Schools (NPS). “The GlassRoots Business and Entrepreneurship Program is a valuable program that allows our children to express their creativity through art and learn the essential skills they need in order to become a successful leader in today’s society. The program continuously challenges our students to be innovative and creative thinkers; and to utilize skills they have developed in the classroom in a real world scenario.”

The Business Plan Competition and Trade Fair marked the end of a year-long after school program that Newark students participated in, known as the GlassRoots Business and Entrepreneurship Program. The local program is modeled from the curriculum of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an international non-profit organization that focuses on providing children around the world with important information about starting a business. Over the course of the academic year, program participants learned the vital steps that are needed to create, manage and maintain a business by receiving 30 hours of direct instruction. Additionally, students received 40 hours of instruction on glassmaking techniques in a GlassRoots art studio, where they created their own business products.

GlassRoots is a Newark non-profit organization that was founded in 2001. The initial mission of GlassRoots was to ensure that youth throughout the City of Newark were able to reach their potential by displaying their gift of creative self-expression. Over the course of the organization’s first 15 years in existence, its mission has transformed, now focusing on ensuring that all members of the Newark community have the opportunity to express their creativity through the arts.

The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) announces the selection of Andrew Teheran, instructor at East Side High School’s Media Arts Magnet Program to complete a pilot of a Model Cornerstone Assessment in Media Arts.

The project is partially funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs), a component of the new National Core Arts Standards, were created by the five discipline-area NCCAS writing teams at the benchmark grades of 2, 5, 8 and the three high school levels (proficient, accomplished, advanced) to demonstrate the type of evidence needed to show student achievement aligned to targeted performance standards.

Mr. Teheran’s class was chosen from the over 260 applications received by NCCAS to be one of 15-18 pilot sites in Media Arts. Pilot sites were chosen based on the strength of their application, the teacher’s credentials and experience, and the support of the school’s administration. Additionally, as part of the selection process, the professional arts service organizations and members of the NCCAS Media Arts leadership committee considered how to best create a diverse cross section of urban, suburban, and rural schools from across the nation.

Participating educators began professional development training in the Core Arts Standards and the MCAs in January 2015, in order to prepare them to pilot the tasks in their classrooms in February. Student work will be collected and benchmarked during the summer for archiving on the NCCAS website.

Individuals and organizations interested in the project can follow the work or obtain more details as it unfolds, including a list of the states participating by geographic region, on the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards wiki at http://nccas.wikispaces.com.

Other highlights this year from Mr. Teheran’s Media Arts classroom at East Side High School:

• ESHS Media Arts students and alumni premiered their film “Flight of the Arrowhead” at the first annual Newark Comic Con at the Robert Treat Hotel.
• ESHS Media Arts students served as interns for the Kobold Press gaming company from Seattle, Washington where they helped create a promotional animation.
• Students from East Side High School Media Arts program win both first place in New Enrolls School Spirit Film and People’s Choice Film Award.
• Advanced media arts student Anthony DaLuz created a text and media based computer game soon available to play online. The game allows the player to take a virtual tour of East Side High School and solve puzzles.
• Advanced media arts student Juan Carlos Ortiz created an environmental justice motion infographic for the Ironbound Community Corporation. The animated short is designed to raise awareness concerning the environmental condition of the lower Passaic River. This film will be released at the end of May.
• Mr. Teheran was appointed to the Board of Directors at Newark’s City Without Walls gallery (cWOW), New Jersey’s oldest not-for-profit alternative art space.
• Mr. Teheran served as an arts education grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Andrew Teheran is a New Jersey based sculptor, educator, filmmaker, and media artist. He was born in New York City to parents of South American and Scandinavian descent. He holds a degree in Art History from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went on to study sculpture and art education at Montclair State University where he earned his teaching credentials and has recently received his MFA in Creative Practice with Transart Institute in Berlin, Germany. Mr. Teheran has been teaching at East Side High School in New Jersey’s Newark Public School district for over eighteen years. Within the district and throughout the state, he has been decorated for his work in arts education. In 2009 Andrew received the Apple Computer Distinguished Educator Award. His pedagogical career continues at East Side where he created and developed its award winning, internationally recognized Media Arts Magnet Program. Andrew Teheran currently serves as a grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and as a member of the board of directors for City Without Walls Gallery, along with his sculptural, media and educational work.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that Bard College is among a select group of colleges and universities invited to test an idea with enormous implications for early college high schools. The U.S. Department of Education’s Dual Enrollment Experimental Site will enable approximately 10,000 income eligible students, including a cohort at Bard High School Early College Newark, to use their federal Pell Grants to access college courses in approved programs while they are still in high school.

Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Newark has been in operation since 2011 as a partnership between Bard College and Newark Public Schools. This early college, like the other Bard High School Early Colleges, allows students to earn 60 transferable college credits and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard during high school, tuition-free. In the inaugural class, 72% of students at BHSEC Newark earned an Associate’s degree alongside a high school diploma.

The experimental site and availability of Pell funds will allow Bard to add more seats to its college program at BHSEC Newark. The experimental site also enables Bard to strengthen the argument that Pell funds could be put to extremely good use in high-quality early colleges like the Bard Early Colleges, and it allows policy makers to identify the best approach for doing so. This is a sign of real momentum for early colleges. Through advocacy and engagement with public policy, we have seen the use of Pell Grants to fund eligible students taking college coursework in high school become an increasingly viable proposal; now it is a pilot project with the support of the federal government. This sets the stage for ongoing federal support that can make these transformative opportunities available to young people across the country.

While not yet a lasting solution for supporting and scaling early colleges, the experimental site is an important step in that direction. And it demonstrates the need for Bard to continue making the case – through our advocacy and our example – for excellent early college opportunities to be accessible nationwide.

For further details, read the U.S. Department of Education’s Fact Sheet and Bard’s press release (and view this news story from Cleveland featuring Bard and the experimental site).

Thank you for your support and engagement, which has made so much progress possible.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Tremaine
Vice President for Early Colleges
Bard College