Big Picture Academy students presented final exhibitions on their internships for the 2015-2016 academic year to the Superintendent

[Newark, NJ – May 20, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf visited East Side Big Picture Academy (ESBPA), an academy within East Side High School, to observe ESBPA students make their final exhibition presentations to the East Side community. The exhibitions focused largely on the projects students have completed and the skills they have mastered in their internships throughout the year, as well as reflections on their learning and growth.

“It was inspiring to see how excited the East Side Big Picture Academy students are about their education,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “These exhibitions represent all of the hard work that the young men and women at ESBPA have dedicated to their studies and illustrate how much they have grown over the last year. It is so important to encourage our young people to pursue their academic and career interests so they can apply everything they are learning in the classroom in real world scenarios.”

Approximately 100 students from grades 9 to 12 are enrolled in ESBPA, and each student is required to complete an internship over the course of the school year. Students work with their advisor to find an internship that lines up with their interests. This year, student internships ranged from working in Jenkinson’s aquarium (marine biology) and the Newark’s Municipal Prosecutor’s Office (criminal justice), to working for Summit Medical Group (medical) and Seton Hall’s Pirate Radio WSOU 89.5 FM (communications).

Monica Ocasio, currently an 11th grade student enrolled in ESBPA, has an internship with Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “My internship experience has been life changing. I’ve learned that I not only have a passion for marine animals, but I would like to study all animals in general,” Ocasio shared. “I also learned to be more mature, independent and professional. As for Big Picture Academy, I had a really rough start and was getting all the wrong attention. But I learned my teachers cared about me and they would not be going away. They saw the inner leader in me and pushed me to do positive things. Now I see that I can be a positive leader. If it wasn’t for Big Picture and the internship experience, I would not be who I am today.” Monica is one of 40 students from across the country selected to attend Big Picture Learning’s International Conference ‘Big Bang’ in Orlando this July. The conference will focus on student-centered learning.

ESBPA’s student-centered learning approach is made possible by relating students’ classroom learning with real-world experience at an internship associated with their area of academic or career interests. Students are evaluated in their mastery of content through multiple methods outside of traditional standardized testing assessments. Each student works closely with his or her advisor to develop personalized learning plans and rigorous interdisciplinary projects at the internship site.

“East Side High School is very proud of the continued success that the East Side Big Picture Academy has had over the past seven years,” said Dr. Mario Santos, Principal of East Side High School. “In order for our students to be college and career ready, it is vital that our young men and women are exposed to real world situations that they can continuously apply their learning to. The Big Picture model allows our students to meet professional industry standards and solidify their passion at an early age which will set them on a path for success.”

Exhibitions, which are presented both at the middle (midterm) and end of the year (final), are assessments through which students are expected to demonstrate the mastery of skills they have developed as a result of their year-long interdisciplinary projects. Additionally, students share reflections on their academic and personal growth, as well as their strengths and weaknesses with fellow peers, advisors, teachers, family and school community members.

“Today, the reality is that our education system requires much-needed innovations so that our children are equipped with the educational resources and experiences necessary for them to compete and be successful in our constantly shifting 21st century society,” said Dr. Sonn Sam, Chief Innovation Officer at East Side High School. “The Big Picture model has been a successful innovation to the status-quo in the U.S. education system and allows our students to take ownership in their work and be at the center of their learning on a daily basis.”

ESBPA is one of over 65 Big Picture Learning schools across the United States. Big Picture Learning, which was established in 1995, is an innovative program designed to ensure that students are at the center of their own learning. In 2001, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported the expansion of the Big Picture model nationwide and the school design has been lauded by President Barack Obama as a highly effective innovative school model.

---

About Big Picture Learning

For over 20 years, Big Picture Learning has worked to put students at the center of their own learning. Today, hundreds of BPL network schools in the United States and around the world work together and in their communities to reimagine and reshape education. Big Picture Learning designs innovative learning environments, researches and replicates new models for learning, and trains educators to serve as leaders in their schools and communities. At the core of Big Picture Learning’s mission is a commitment to equity for all students. Over two decades Big Picture network has served over 26,000 students in 20 U.S. states and another 5,000 students in 6 countries around the world.

The Malcolm X Shabazz Marching Band and Roberto Clemente Elementary School Chorus performed for thousands of Newark community members to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the city’s founding

[Newark, NJ – May 17, 2016] – The Malcolm X Shabazz High School Marching Band and the Roberto Clemente Elementary School Chorus performed during the Newark 350 Founders Weekend Festival this past Saturday at Military Park. The Newark students performed along with Grammy-award winning singers and local Newark artists to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Newark’s founding. Thousands of community members were in attendance.

“The Malcolm X Shabazz Marching Band and Roberto Clemente Chorus delivered two outstanding musical performances for the Newark community this weekend,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of Newark Public Schools (NPS). “As we commemorate Newark’s 350th anniversary, we celebrate our amazing community and culture. The students who performed this weekend, along with all of our young people here in Newark, are a great example of the talent and diversity that makes this such a vibrant and exciting community.”

Newark 350’s Founders Weekend Festival began this past Friday, May 13th and continued through the weekend at Military Park. During the three day celebration, thousands of community members came together to participate in a variety of arts, entertainment, cultural and community events that celebrated the city’s 350th anniversary.

In addition to the Malcolm X Shabazz High School Marching Band and the Roberto Clemente Elementary School Chorus performances, several Grammy Award-winning artists performed, including Faith Evans, Naughty by Nature, and India, as well as various local Newark artists. Additionally, students who completed several winter and spring assignments, through which they shared their love and admiration for Newark, were recognized by Roger León, Assistant Superintendent of NPS.

“The Newark community has so much to be proud of and the work that our students created to honor the 350th anniversary of our great city displays the strength of our community’s pride,” said Leon. “Newark’s history is rich and its future is bright– the amazing achievements that our children and members all across our community continue to make on a daily basis are proof of that.”

Newark Celebration (NC) 350 is a year-long celebration of unique events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of the city of Newark’s founding. NC350 was the vision of the late Dr. Clement A. Price, a leading historian of the City of Newark, who worked tirelessly to ensure that citizens were able to understand the important story of Newark.

Student artwork will be displayed at the NPS Central Office

[Newark, NJ – May 13, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) is displaying student artwork in the main lobby of its Central Office headquarters as the city celebrates its 350th anniversary this month. The displays are a result of assignments students were given over the winter and spring breaks to share birthday wishes to the City of Newark or personalized videos detailing what they love most about their hometown. The district received hundreds of submissions from thousands of students.

“I am truly proud and inspired by the incredible artwork our students created to honor and celebrate the City of Newark’s 350th anniversary,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “This is a special moment for our community and we are honored to join the larger Newark community in commemorating this important milestone. Our students’ artwork not only reflects Newark’s rich and storied history, but the bright future we believe is in store for our great city.”

Newark Celebration (NC) 350 is a year-long celebration of unique events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of the city of Newark’s founding. NC 350 was the vision of the late Dr. Clement A. Price, a leading historian of the City of Newark, who worked tirelessly to ensure that citizens were able to understand the important story of Newark.

After-school program at LMM encourages young women explore fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

[Newark, NJ – May 13, 2016] – The Luis Muñoz Marin School for Social Justice (LMM), in partnership with the Liberty Science Center (LSC) and the Prudential Foundation, hosted its second annual “Girls in Technology” project showcase on Thursday. Family members, school leaders, students, educators and Prudential technology professionals were in attendance to see the projects the young women of LMM’s Girls in Technology program completed this year.

“The Girls in Technology showcase demonstrated the exceptional work that our students at Luis Muñoz Marin completed this year,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “It’s vital that our students, and especially our female students, are inspired to pursue opportunities in the STEM fields early on in their academic careers so that they can be college and career ready. Girls in Technology is an excellent example of a successful program that allows young women to engage in subjects they are interested in and apply their lessons in real-life scenarios.”

Girls in Technology is an after-school program that was designed to expose more young women and minorities to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Twenty-five students participated in the program this year and learned about application software, used robots to explore computer programming and developed their own video game.

“Girls in Technology has been a huge success in its first two years of operation,” said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center. “The young women of Luis Muñoz Marin are our future explorers, scientists, and innovators. Liberty Science Center is proud to provide them with hands-on educational programs designed to show them how truly exciting the world of technology can be.”

Girls in Technology is led by two female role models who are active in the STEM fields, Katie Gardner and Christina Lee. Ms. Gardner is a STEM educator with a background in instructional technology, while Ms. Lee is an electrical engineer and computer scientist. A recent survey of Girls in Technology participants found that 90 percent of their students expressed an interest in continuing to explore the STEM fields and learn more about computer programming. Their example will inspire more young women to become engineers, computer scientists and software developers in the future.

“The reality is that we do not see as many female leaders, especially women of color, in the engineering and technology fields. This program allows young women to become familiar with technology, coding and computer software so that they can pursue career paths available to them based on their interests in this field,” said Katie Gardner, Teacher Programs Developer at Liberty Science Center and program instructor. “Having female mentors helped me so much as I pursued my career in the STEM fields, and I hope that my work with Girls in Technology will help some of my students see that they can do whatever they want if they set their minds to it.”

Latita McReynolds, a fifth grade teacher at Luis Muñoz Marin who works with LSC to recruit students into the program, noticed the impact the program has had on her students. “It has been wonderful to see the growth our young ladies at Luis Muñoz Marin have had while participating in the Girls in Technology program,” said Ms. McReynolds. “Their growth is evident in the work they displayed to their peers, instructors and school leaders at the showcase, and I look forward to seeing what our students will accomplish next year.”

Girls in Technology was developed in 2014 by educators at LSC in partnership with LMM to expose more young women and minorities to STEM education programs with a focus on technologies. It is supported by a generous grant from Prudential Foundation.

District will host events in all wards throughout May

[Newark, NJ – May 10, 2016] – Today, Newark Public Schools (NPS) and community stakeholders will host the first of five “Community Talks” meetings throughout the month of May for parents, family and community members to attend.

“Community Talks” is the convening of various offices within NPS to provide academic-based information sessions for parents and guardians. At each ward meeting, parents, guardians and community members will be able to learn more about the following offerings throughout the district: Summer Plus, Summer Learning, Secondary Education, Newark Enrolls, and Water Quality among other topics. The final meeting will be a citywide barbeque held at the Family Support Center.

All meetings are free and open to the public, and one will be held in each ward in order to be accessible to all community members. Refreshments will be provided, and attendees who show a student ID will be eligible to receive a free hot spot device, with 3GB of usage each month.

“Community Talks” meetings are supported by the following organizations: Newark Public Schools, the City of Newark, Newark Enrolls, Newark Thrives!, the Newark Housing Authority and My Brother’s Keeper.

For those interested in attending, please see below information about the upcoming “Community Talks”.

Media planning to attend should RSVP to Dreena Whitfield at 908-209-2314 or via email dwhitfield@nullnewark.apppresser.com.