The “envisioning” meeting on programming for the new 75 Morton St. middle school on Nov. 2 was truly eye-opening, in that it was so inspiring.
To take a step back, the idea for this desperately needed school — currently being created in a seven-story, former state-owned agency office building at Morton and Greenwich Sts. — began seven years ago as a dream in the mind of local parents, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Community Board 2.
After the community identified the building, however, it took some anxious years before the city and state finally agreed to sale terms in 2012, in a deal brokered by then-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who was running for mayor. As a sort of salve to the community, the 75 Morton deal was spun as part of the city’s approval of the highly unpopular plan to redevelop the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site as luxury residences. The purchase agreement for 75 Morton was signed the next year for $40 million.
Fast-forward to the present, and now the school is at last becoming a reality, set to open in fall 2017. The building is being retrofitted with bigger windows to fill it with natural light. There will be a “gymatorium,” a combination gym, auditorium and theater. Local parents had wanted a separate gym and theater, but the School Construction Authority convinced them that one large, convertible space is better than a few smaller ones. The school will even sport its own health facility.
But beyond the physical “box” of this school, what is critical is what goes on inside this gleaming new space — namely, the programming. Also of paramount importance is the selection of the principal, in particular, and the staff. The earlier the principal can be chosen, the better, since the school can then focus sooner on its programming.
But first there needs to be consensus in terms of what the school’s overriding theme will be. It was clear, at the Nov. 2 meeting, what parents said they didn’t want the school to be like. They generally said they don’t want it to be as “hardcore” as Ballet Tech, for example, a Union Square-area middle school that admits students purely based on ability in classical ballet. In addition, many parents said they don’t want a school focused singularly on academics.
In short, what most parents said they wanted — and what a panel of education experts vigorously endorsed — is a school that nurtures adolescents as individuals, helping them develop confidence, social skills and their unique abilities. Beyond that, many parents said it’s extremely important to them that their children be instilled with “core values,” that they are good citizens who will help make their community, and their world, a better place.
There was also talk of having an arts theme — not surprising for a Village-based school — and tapping into technology. At the same time, there was trepidation about going too far toward tech, at the risk of warping students’ social skills.
Making the meeting happen and facilitating it were members of the 75 Morton Community Alliance. This group of Village-area parents and education leaders is the outgrowth of the early community effort to create the 75 Morton school. Many of them are mothers whose children will attend this new middle school, so they have a vested interest in making it as great as it can be. Obviously, parental involvement is a key to a school’s success. In this case, though, this group of parents has taken an incredibly proactive role in helping to shape the school. Their names are too many to mention here, but they are true community heroes in every sense of the word.
First, 75MCA focused on the school’s physical space, working with S.C.A. on the design layout. Now, they are starting to focus on programming. Admissions criteria — never an easy process — will be down the road.
Issues were raised about District 75 students being relegated to their own floor. However, these special-needs pupils will have access to all the building’s common spaces. The key will be to foster a sense of sensitivity so these students don’t feel second-rate in any way. But, from the sound of it, at this school, that won’t be a problem. The envisioning meeting clearly set the tone for what parents hope this school will be: a nurturing environment that will help develop outstanding, and caring, individuals.
