Program News 2002
Good Shepherd Opens New School
Thursday, September 5th marked the first day of classes for students of our South Brooklyn Community High School (SBCHS), a freestanding, public high school for young people who had previously been truant or dropped out of school. Thanks to an implementation grant that was awarded to Good Shepherd under the New Century High Schools for NYC Initiative, a project of New Visions for Public Schools, this year SBCHS will bring 120 young people closer to achieving their high school diploma.
The agency's collaboration with BASIS (Brooklyn and Staten Island Schools Superintendency) is one of a select group of partnerships between school districts and community-based organizations that will take the lead in transforming New York City high schools into more effective learning environments for students. Drawing on a combination of public funds and private support from the Carnegie Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Open Society Institute, these partnerships will create new, small schools that will serve as models for replication throughout the city and beyond.
This new grant has allowed Good Shepherd to build on the model program for out-of-school youth that the agency has successfully operated in South Brooklyn for 21 years. "In an era of diminishing resources, and at a time when New York City's high school dropout rate has risen for the third consecutive year to 20.4 percent, this grant from New Visions for Public Schools offers new hope for the out-of-school youth we seek to help," said Sister Paulette LoMonaco, Executive Director of Good Shepherd. "For more than two decades, we have consistently demonstrated that young people of all backgrounds can learn, grow, and succeed in a positive and supportive learning environment that is grounded in youth development principles," continued Sr. Paulette.
With an eventual targeted enrollment of 150 students, South Brooklyn Community High School integrates a rigorous, standards-based instructional model with a support structure that focuses on leadership development, goal setting, and community building. At the core of this model is an opportunity for each student to develop a strong relationship with an advocate counselor who will support him/her in school, at home, and in the community. Regularly scheduled small group meetings will help to build positive relationships among students and create a network of peer support, while monthly school-wide meetings will promote a sense of community and civic involvement. Students will be provided with numerous activities to enhance and develop leadership skills through involvement in school, community, and citywide issues.
September 7, 2002
