City-As-School High School
City-As-School (pronounced: sɪti-æs-skuːl) is a public high school located in the west village of Manhattan New York City, New York. Since it’s opening in 1972, City-As-School has been distinguished by it’s curricular focus on experiential learning through internship.
History
One of America's oldest alternative public high schools, City-As-School was founded by Frederick J. Koury and Rick Safran in 1972. At City-As-School the primary focus is on experiential learning through internships.
In an interview with student Belinda Day ('10), co-founder Fred Koury recalled the founding of the school:
Before he founded City-As-School, teacher Fred Koury took students on field trips whenever possible. These off-campus trips inspired Koury toward a radical idea: connect the classroom to the real working world. This was the genesis of City-As-School. Koury believed that learning could come from sources beyond the classroom. Book-learning, Koury thought, was only half of the equation. By linking experience to academics, a student’s educational path was widened.
“Learning is an adventure a book alone can't teach you,” said Koury.
As conceptualized by Koury and co-founder Rick Safran, New York City would be the schoolhouse. Their proposal was approved by the board of education; financing for a new public high school would be allocated.
In it’s founding years the school experienced some difficulties. Entrenched methods had to be rewritten; old habits would not | “die” easily. City-As-School had many naysayers counting on it’s failure. Regardless, CAS received its BOE money and with some additional grants, including the Ford Foundation, opened its doors to a handful of students in 1973.
In order to reach out to potential students, CAS advertised on WABC radio, reaching out to students considering dropping out. Commercials would ask questions such as, “Is your school boring you?” City-As-School recruiters looked for tough cases and continued to grow.
One of the biggest challenges Koury and his colleagues faced was selling the idea to parents, one of whom called it a “phony alternative."
The class of 1973 started with ten seniors and ultimately grew to 61 students.
Along with Koury and Safran, other pioneers included educators Arthur Greenberg, Camri Masterman, Iris Yigdal, Paul Forestieri, Lester Denmark, Pat Ofshe, Linda Loffredo and Dick Downey.
Koury said, " Curiosity is the key that opens the door to adventure. For those first students, coming to CAS changed their perception of education. Students who once hated school had new inspiration and motivation."
After almost forty years, internships are still the core of City-As-School.
Administration and Organization
Currently, City-As-School is led by Antoniette Scarpinato, an educator for 35 years; she is a former math teacher who has been with CAS for 12 years.
Past principals are:
Fred Koury 1972 – 1989
Rick Safran (acting interim) 1989 – 1990
Marsha Brevot 1990 – 1992
Paul Forestieri (acting interim) 1992 - 1993
Bob Lubetsky 1993 - 2006
Michael Edwards (acting interim) 2006 – 2007
Toni Scarpinato 2007 - current
Admissions
City-As-School is an alternative New York City public high school built on the idea that all children learn differently, some learn by seeing, some by hearing, others by doing. The school's stated objective is to help strengthen, motivate and guide students through their high school experience.
While students have many opportunities for in-house classes, experiential learning is the foundation of CAS. Students are required to register for an internship each cycle; a cycle is half the time of a regular semester. Currently, CAS has over 500 open internship relationships.
Graduation from CAS is through a portfolio presentation before a panel of adults and peers.
Some of CAS students are eligible to take classes at local colleges tuition free.
In order to apply to City-As-School, a student must be at least 16 years old and have a minimum of 20 high school credits, ergo new students have usually completed about 2 years of high school elsewhere. Additionally, there is a required admissions process of open house and personal interview.
Internships
Teachers who coordinate internships are called Resource Coordinators, overseeing internship opportunities in the following fields:
- Accounting, Finance, Economics and Real Estate
- Business Administration, Secretarial and Clerical
- Community Action and Advocacy Groups (non-governmental)
- Computers and Processing
- Education and Child Care
- Environment, Plant Care and Science
- Health Care and Medical Services
- Historical Sites and Museums
- Journalism, Publishing and Communications
- Law and Legal Service
- Performing Arts (Acting, Singing, Dance, etc.)
- Theater Administration, Entertainment Industry
Academics
Although guided by an advisor, students are responsible for registering for classes and internships four times (cycles) a year. This flexible procedure is designed to enable a student to keep a focus on the path to their diploma. At the same time, this academic freedom is one of the many reasons why City-As-School, rather than more traditional public high schools, is compatible with a more independent kind of New York City student.
At CAS there are no letter grades; students receive either credit (C) or no credit (NC).
Campuses
The main campus of City-As-School is at 16 Clarkson Street in Greenwich Village in New York City. It has two satellites: in the Bronx at Tremont Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard and in Brooklyn on Flatbush Avenue next to the Brooklyn Bridge. (City-As-School Queens opened in 1995 and closed in 2002.) The original school was in a brownstone on Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn. The first class was held in September 1973.
Notable former City-As-School students
Patty Smyth (1957 - ): New York born rock musician; married to tennis star John McEnroe.
Ivan Myjer (1958 - ): Works with stone and masonry, preserving buildings, sculpture, monuments and historic burying grounds.
Ira Peppercorn: Deputy Federal Housing Commissioner under Bill Clinton; served in the Indiana state government; real estate and consultant.
Michael Katims: Translator for film, writer and consultant, lives in Paris.
Ayodele Maakheru: Musician, composer, and bandleader. ASCAP songwriter [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Award%7C award (2004).
Sunny Bak (1958 - ): Celebrity and commercial photographer.
Cindy Hmelo-Silver, PhD: Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University.
David Lida (1959 - ): Author, journalist, blogger from Mexico City and New Orleans.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 - 1988): Brooklyn-born graffiti artist turned international art star, a protégé and friend of Andy Warhol. Died at 27 from a drug overdose.
Seth Zvi Rosenfeld (1961 - ): Playwright and screenwriter, raised on the upper west side
Vincent Spano (1962 - ): Brooklyn-born television and film actor.
Adam Horovitz a.k.a Ad-rock of the Beastie Boys (1966 - ): Musician/[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapper%7C rapper] born in South Orange, New Jersey; father is playwright Israel Horovitz.
Jose Yenque (1966 - ): Television and movie actor, activist.
Malik Yoba (1967 -): Bronx born film and television actor.
Ephrem Lopez a.k.a. DJ Enuff(1969 - ): Brooklyn-born, L.E.S. raised DJ and radio personality.
Charles "Malik" Whitfield (1970 - ): Film and television actor.
Adeyemi Stembridge, PhD Ed (1971 - ): Senior Research Associate, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Timothy Hunter (1972 - ): Singer/dancer, appeared on Broadway.
Julian Alonzo (1972 - ): Executive chef at restaurnat Brasserie 8 1/2 in Manhattan.
Dante Terrell Smith a.k.a. Mos Def (1973 - ): Bed-Stuy-born musician and actor.
Mekhi Phifer (1974 - ): Harlem-born film actor.
Mia Tyler (1978 - ): Plus-size model, daughter of Aerosmith lead singer, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_tyler%7C Steven Tyler], and actress Cyrinda Foxe.
Jo-Ann Makovitzky: Co-owner and founder of N.Y.C. restaurant, Tocqueville.
Alex Roman: Novelist from the South Bronx.
Victor Rasuk: (1984 - ) Harlem-born actor. Winner, Independent Spirit Award (2002).