Uniting District 14

Collaboration between public and private schools to continue

Issue of August 29, 2008

Hewlett-Woodmere District 14 is once again working to unite the public and private schools in the area, offering equal services to both and enhancing student life at the local yeshivas, following their successful efforts last year.

“The biggest thing we have on the project board right now is a community-wide fundraising event, like a music and arts festival,” disclosed Jim Hennessy, executive coordinator of Community Education and Services in District 14.

The planning is in its infancy stages, and the district is conferring with local administrators to choose a date for the event that will accommodate all the schools involved. The festival will be hosted by the George W. Hewlett High School and will take place either this coming spring or the following fall, according to Hennessy.

“The goal is to get kids and parents from both public and private schools to celebrate diversity in the community using the vehicle of arts,” he said. “The schools are sending choral groups, choirs, orchestras and there will be outside entertainment on two separate stages in a fair-like atmosphere. Everyone is very excited about it.”

Another upcoming event in District 14 is the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) annual conference, which will be held at Hewlett High School on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. The conference is expected to draw between 1,000 and 1,300 Jewish educators from all over New York, featuring teacher workshops and Todd Whittaker as keynote speaker.

“It’s just another way of reaching out to the private schools, to achieve the same goal of educating our children,” Hennessy emphasized. “We all should work together to do the best job we can.”

Hewlett High School will also be the new location for the annual winter “Production” performed by students at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls. For the last several years, the show has been held at SKA, which is not equipped with a modern stage and the accompanying accoutrements enjoyed by their neighboring public school.

“The girls from SKA will now be able to use the stage, lights, sound crew and props at Hewlett High School,” said Hennessy. “In the past, they had been doing it at their own school with virtually nothing.”

“We are very excited about that,” said SKA’s principal, Mrs. Helen Spirn.

The students at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov will once again have weekly access to the weight room at Hewlett High School, continuing the successful arrangement that was implemented last year, thanks to the combined efforts of Hennessy and school administrators. This year, Hennessy said, they are working to provide Ateres Yaakov students with the opportunity to utilize Hewlett’s swimming pool and gymnasium as well.

District 15, under the leadership of Superintendent John Fitzsimons, is attempting to implement similar programs in Lawrence, mainly with boys from the Davis Renov Stahler High School for Boys.

“There is a program that we had last year, which should be continuing this year, where DRS students tutored kids at the Number 6 school,” said Fitzsimons. “They helped them with their homework and tutored them in math and reading.”

District 15 is also working on a collaborative robotics project between students at DRS and the Number 6 school.

“We are happy about it and it’s a very nice thing,” Fitzsimons added.