We are the lead partner for the Facing History School [1] (FHS), a small public high school in New York City that opened in September 2005. We are teaming with the school to help integrate our mission, values, resources, and pedagogical approaches into a rigorous and cutting edge four-year curriculum.
The Facing History School was created through the New Visions New Century High Schools Initiative [2], with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [3], Open Society Institute [4], and the Carnegie Corporation [5]. Facing History and Ourselves provides ongoing professional development and curriculum development support to FHS, as well as fundraising support for special programs such as the speakers' series and the arts programs at the school. The school is one of four small schools located at the Park West Educational Complex on West 50th Street in Manhattan's Region 9. The Facing History School's partnerships include The News Literacy Project [6] and Urban Arts [7].
If you are interested in the school as a potential student, parent, volunteer, or partner, please contact Kevin Feinberg [8]. Click to go to the Facing History School homepage [1].
News | Stories | ||
| Steal This Lesson: Engaging Students in Haiti Efforts [9] Caitlin Meissner, an Urban Arts teacher at FHS, had to find a way to get kids involved in the Haiti relief effort in their last class before the winter break. Despite the fact that most students cannot donate to the relief effort Caitlin found a way to get her students involved. Here she outlines her plans complete with pictures of the students' work. The lesson was featured on the Urban Arts website and linked from Peace Corps Connect [10]. Read more at the Urban Arts Blog [11]. Facing History School featured on What Kids Can Do Website [12] "I'll be talking about courage and Common Sense with Thomas Paine," begins Carriola Chambers, 16, as she steels her nerves. It's presentation day at the Facing History School in mid-Manhattan and students like Carriola are demonstrating to small panels of teachers and peers how they have advanced their "habits of learning" over the quarter. Click here [12] for the complete story and audio slideshow. More Recent News from FHS: Facing History School Gets an A! [13] Slideshow from the first day of the 2009-2010 school year [14] | Profile of Zanetta King and Olivia McClendon [16], two extraordinary graduates during their senior year at FHS Zanetta King and Olivia McClendon are two graduates of the Facing History School's first graduating class. Both girls now attend Smith College in Massachusetts. During their term at FHS they produced, edited and directed a documentary film, "In My Shoes," with the Urban Arts Partnership. It is a powerful documentary about four teenagers in New York City and their experiences with homelessness and has gone on to win many prizes and has been featured in several film festivals including the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival [17] in New York last year. We recently heard from Olivia McClendon that she has completed a successful first semester at Smith College, just screened "in My Shoes" at the Boston Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, and is gearing up for screenings of the film in London and San Francisco. More FHS Stories from the Archives: Fall '09 Newsletter [19] Profile of Gillian Smith [20], Principal of Facing History School (2008) Facing History School’s Fist graduation ceremony [21] (2009) Soledad O’Brien’s visit to FHS [22] (2008) Edutopia features FHS [23] (2006) Interview with Principal Gillian Smith on NPR [24](2006) Chancellor Klein Teaches at the Facing History School [25](2006) Original announcement of the school’s opening in 2005 [26] Balancing Assimilation and Autonomy: [27] Martha Minow and Gillian Smith on WNYC |
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