School of the Future (New York City)

School of the Future
Address
127 East 22nd Street
New York City, New York
USA
Coordinates 40°41′40″N 73°59′12″W / 40.694412°N 73.986531°W / 40.694412; -73.986531
Information
Type Public School
Established 1990
Principal Stacy Goldstein
Grades 6-12
Enrollment 713
Color(s) Navy and White
Website www.sof.edu

School of the Future is a public secondary school located at 127 East 22nd Street at Lexington Avenue, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It serves grades 6 through 12 as a part of the New York City Department of Education, and accepts students from around the entire city. School of the Future, a small school, was founded in 1990 with funding by Apple Inc. with an admissions process dependent on student application and interview. The school is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, a league of schools dedicated to small class sizes and student-centered learning. In 2005, School of the Future was chosen as a national mentor school of CES as part of a Gates Foundation-funded effort to improve schools nationwide.

Curriculum

The high school follows a block schedule and students have a full day of classes for their entire stay at the school. Graduation requires four years of English and History, three years of Math and Science, and two years of foreign language (Spanish). The Senior Institute is a division of the school consisting of grades 11 and 12; classes in the Senior Institute are sometimes taught through a two-year curriculum; students may have some of their teachers for two academic years. The Math sequence consists of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry, and Statistics/Calculus; the Science sequence includes Biology, Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, Food Science and Physics. Students can choose to take elective classes in a variety of subjects: art, music producing, robotics, etc. The school’s advisory program serves as a family group and guidance resource.

Exhibitions

SOF high school students are exempt from most Regents Examinations, with the exception of English, as the school is a member of the Consortium and has a waiver from the state that allows SOF students to show mastery in a core subject by completing an exhibition. Exhibitions are thesis papers that are roughly ten to twenty pages in length in English, Science, Math, and History. Students choose the subject they will complete and finish it by the end of a semester in eleventh and twelfth grade. The final paper and an oral defense presentation are graded by a committee of student peers and teachers and the combined score is the student’s state test score in that subject area.

The entrance to the school during its fund-raising block party on May 21, 2011

The student body

Between the middle school and high school, about 713 students attend School of the Future. The student population is diverse in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic status, and academic ability, with students attending from all five boroughs of the City. School of the Future has been recognized by Clara Hemphill as a top public school in New York City, partially due to the consistent accomplishment of nearly 100% of the school's graduating class being accepted to a college or university.

Sports

Although located in Manhattan and unable to have a "home field" for sporting events, the school has eight Varsity and two JV teams. Teams include Baseball (Boys), Softball (Girls), Basketball (Boy & Girl divisions), Soccer (Boys & Girls divisions), and Volleyball (Boys & girls divisions). All of the SOF sports teams are part of the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) and are in their respective "B" conferences, with the exemption of Girls Varsity Basketball and Soccer. Though recognized as a small Manhattan school, the sports teams have made the playoffs in various years; however, no team has won the city championship. Some upsets include wins against Washington Irving and Stuyvesant High School, both with more than 2,500 students.

Building

The building in which School of the Future is located was constructed in 1915 as the Manhattan Trade School for Girls, and was later the Mabel Dean Bacon Vocational High School. The 11-story building was designed by C. B. J. Snyder.[1]

Alumni

References

Notes

  1. ↑ White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000), AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.), New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5, p.208
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