Urban Educators Institute '08 (Day Three)

"We produce minds." - Ricardo Pedro, VP of Arts High School, Newark NJ

Today marked the commencement of the Urban Educators Institute, lastly featuring Arts High School- the final stop on a three day tour of Newark public schools. Arts High is a magnet school consisting of roughly 600 students who apply to and audition for acceptance. We were fortunately able to learn a great deal about this visual/performing arts school through a guided tour, student presentations and performances, and student panel/q&a. Much of the faculty and half of the students were on a field trip to a Newark Bears game, awarded to them for their academic achievement and high HSPA proficiency, but the show still went on. It was an enlightening experience to say the least, and the visit to Arts High has already proven to leave a lasting impression on the limitless potential of Newark students.

I arrived after a death-defying hour-and-forty-five minute automotive battle from Sussex to Newark, through the clogged arteries of New Jersey's highways. I got lost for a bit, but navigated my way inevitably to where I needed to go. This detour was not frustrating, but rather inspiring in a way. As I was rummaging through the side-streets of Newark on a gloomy, misty morning- looking for the school- I felt the down-trodden effects of a post-industrial inner city reign about me. The broken buildings leered at me, teased me. I felt unease and hopelessness. I felt guilty and remorseful. Paralyzed. The sights were seemingly grim...



...but the sounds were alive! I turned my radio off and opened my windows to hear the sonic demands of an energetic city- people conversing and laughing, getting started with their day just as I had... fighting the life to come, but with a smile. With an eternal optimism. Newark was alive, and the cloudy sky and torn-apart buildings offered a stark contrast to the vibrancy of life surrounding me. The vacant lots were silent, but the people were as loud as could be. There was life in a dead city.

While entering Arts High School, I couldn't help but wonder if I was in the wrong place. The physical landscape and structure of the school reminded me heavily of a student center on a college campus- a labrynth of stairways and atriums, blending in and out of each other. The building was noticeably old, and offensively bargained that it had seen its fair share of elations and let-downs in its day; the school cried history. We were greeted in the Media Center (tech-savy library) by a performance from four student "guitar majors." These were all students that are enrolled in a classical/jazz guitar course (much like a college student would be enrolled in a course of their liking). They exhibited similar maturity and perserverence as college students, and their performances seemed to foreshadow the geniuses abound in Arts High. These students carried a certain pride of intellect with them that is arguably unheard of in most schools. Needless to say, even by the closure of the introduction, I was heavily impressed.

Nathalie, Mark and I were led around the school by Shaquan Baker- senior class president and "Prom Prince" (although he is too modest to blab about the latter). I quickly learned that his concentration at Arts High was Television Broadcasting, which I could symapthize with because that is what I studied at William Paterson University; oddly enough, he is going to be attending WPU in the Fall. Extremely bright kid, well-spoken and hospitable to his visitors. He kind of reminded me of myself in high school (truth or joke - you decide). Shaquan showed us the dance, choral, and band departments, the auditorium and gymnasium, the broadcasting and film department, wood shop, and the art gallery. The "Eleta J. Caldwell Gallery" was especially rewarding, because it showcased the various contributions and voices abundant in the school population. I was blown away by some of the art pieces. So was Frank Iachetta:



Shaquan explained to us a brief description of his day. Arts High is on a block schedule, meaning that there are four classes a day- 80 minutes each- and a certain rotation exists to balance out all classes. For example, Shaquan would not take "Stage Craft" class everyday, but rather rotate in and out of other required classes. This contributes to the "well-rounded" student that can prioritize and multi-task. He claimed that it was very beneficial for the classes that involve ongoing projects and tactile education, because students could concentrate their efforts for longer, uninterrupted amounts of time.

We were able to meet and interact with a few teachers and students during our guided tour. The highlight, personally, consisted of meeting the symphonic band teacher who showed us their sound-proof practice booths. One of the booths was equipped with a digital surround-sound sonic landscape, where students could mimick playing within the actual accoustics of a concert hall or cathedral. How awesome? We also spoke a little with instrumental music teacher Michele Fiorindo, director of the guitar majors we saw earlier. He keyed us in on some of the projects his guitarists work on, such as working with Kean University music majors to develop a 12-piece guitar ensemble. He couldn't be more excited to give us a business card with a link to such a performance:



We reconvened in the Media Center, where students shared with us some of their well-rounded performance skills. Some students performed poetry and prose, while another sang a beautiful tune. Every student was powerfully good at what they were doing and they left us clinging to our seats for more; I wasn't sure at the time if I was sitting in the library at Arts High or in the audience at the NJPAC. After assertive and influential speeches by Mr. Jason Denard, English teacher, and Vice Principle Ricardo Pedro, a student-headed discussion panel took control of the room. These college-bound seniors shared some of their stories and advice with a crowded room of eager professionals. I recall Tahir, the lone male student on the panel, making a profound remark that the teachers of Arts High "keep history alive." This was alluding to the reputation and respect for the past educators and students of this 75+ year-old school... It employed that the students believed in teachers' loyalty to the idea of Arts High School- that its walls embodied a safe-haven and its community was in deed a large family.



They are doing some amazing things at Arts High School, as well as in the other public schools of Newark. Students admitted to us that their experiences at Arts High were transformational; they had ended up as something completely different than what they previously were before attending. They had grown and they had learned through this growth. This is just one of many fantastic opportunities in Newark, a microcosm of the greater picture. Just as the sounds defeat the sights, the students of Arts High are mongering life out of their education. This high school demonstrates the need to feed off the external community, regardless of the depravity existent, in order to integrate education and society. Simply put- Arts High School is Newark.