Members of the District 22 family logged onto Zoom on Tuesday evening, November 1st for the monthly meeting of Community District Education Council 22 (CEC 22), led by its recently-appointed President Oluwaseun Salako, whose calm, patient demeanor and hands-on approach have proven beneficial to the group and made his transition to the post, a smooth one.
President Salako explained that since their last meeting, he and other members of the board were given the opportunity to visit Shell Bank Junior High School, located at 2424 Batchelder Street, which will house a screened program during the next school year, and said he was very pleased with what he saw (see “District 22 Superintendent Seeks Feedback from the Community on Middle School Admissions Processes,” Canarsie Courier, October 20, 2022).
District 22 Superintendent Julia Bove confirmed that after collecting lots of feedback from the families in her District, she received overwhelming support for the schoolwide enrichment model, which is already in place in a number of schools and would only need to be expanded further. The program is designed to help students identify their interests and talents by exploring a variety of subjects like robotics, hydroponics and nutrition, which can help build self-confidence and reframe the way kids perceive learning in general. The concept is such, that when kids are interested in what they are learning and believe they are good at it, that they are smart and capable, there is just no stopping them.
Bove said that she has received lots of positive feedback regarding the screened program at Shell Bank, which would serve students whose 4th grade composite scores (report card grades, not standardized test scores) rank them in the top 10th percentile. She explained that the request for this program had already been proposed to and approved by NYC Schools Chancellor Banks and will commence in September 2023, one grade level at a time. Further updates regarding the new program will likely be provided at the next meeting, as preparations get underway. In the meanwhile, families can rest assured that their children will benefit from whichever middle school program suits them best.
The next meeting of CEC 22 will be held on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30 p.m.
