New York Harbor School
Encyclopedia
The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, also called The Harbor School, is a public high school
located on Governors Island
. This school is unique in New York City, which has 600 miles of waterfront, in that it attempts to relate every aspect of its curriculum to the water. The school is part of the Urban Assembly network of 21 college-prep school
s in New York City
. The New York City Department of Education classifies the Harbor School as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) school.
A stated focus of the school is to continue to work with organizations such as Waterkeeper Alliance
and the Governors Island Alliance to ensure the improvement of New York City's harbor.
. Before moving to its own building on Governors Island, the school was located within the Bushwick Campus, first in the Annex and then, in 2004, on the building's fourth floor.
Bushwick High School, built in 1911, was one of the first public high schools in that area, on the former Union Cemetery used by Methodist churches of Manhattan and Brooklyn. As part of the New York City's Department of Education's effort to close large high schools and replace them with much smaller schools, Bushwick High School began to be phased out in 2003. In that year, three new high schools were founded on the Bushwick campus. One was the Harbor School. The other two schools were the Academy of Urban Planning
and the Bushwick School for Social Justice
. At the close of Bushwick High School in 2006, the Academy of Environmental Leadership, a fourth high school, was added to the campus.
Since its founding, the Harbor School worked to secure a site on the water so that the school could better fulfill its mission. After several years and several proposals, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) announced in November 2006 that the Harbor School would be moving to Governors Island. The school completed the move in 2010.
Students at the school go out into the harbor of New York City every Tuesday and Thursday. The school terms the harbor their "outdoor laboratory." Students also regularly study New York City's two major rivers, the Hudson River
and the East River
. Students sample and measure water quality, attend lectures on marine science and river history, and study the river's benthic zone
. Students also learn how to sail and navigate on a medium-sized schooner
, called the Lettie G. Howard
. Students also care for aquatic organisms. Students also study animals that inhabit both aquatic and land-based ecosystem
s. Swimming is a required class and students must be able to swim in order to graduate.
After-school programs also relate to the water. They include rowing, swimming, the Harbor Science Club, and the SCUBA
Diving Club.
, and SCUBA programs. A long-range campus plan is currently being developed that includes additional facilities for physical education, a boatyard and boat shop, an auditorium and dormitories for housing students as well as visiting researchers and professors.
. The New York City DOE has rethought CTE training based on the growing need for college-educated people who are also trained in technical fields. The Harbor School is part of this effort to prepare students for college with a regular New York State Regents Diploma and for a technical career.
The Harbor School’s curriculum, which simultaneously prepares its graduates for success in college and a specific maritime technical career, requires a longer day for instruction. After introductory coursework and fieldwork in 9th and 10th grade, students choose one of the following six programs of study: 1) Vessel Operations; 2) Vessel Engineering; 3) Marine Engineering; 4) Scientific Diving; 5) Aquaculture and marine science; or 6) Marine Policy. Each of these programs includes a sequence of courses. The sequence concludes in a work-based learning experience and a technical assessment that has been designed and approved by industry. The industry and education leaders who advise the school on curriculum and approve the programs and assessments comprise what is known as the CTE Professional Advisory Committee (PAC). This PAC meets twice annually and supports the school through donations, internships, and maritime programs.
Other:
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located on Governors Island
Governors Island
Governors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
. This school is unique in New York City, which has 600 miles of waterfront, in that it attempts to relate every aspect of its curriculum to the water. The school is part of the Urban Assembly network of 21 college-prep school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
s in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The New York City Department of Education classifies the Harbor School as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) school.
A stated focus of the school is to continue to work with organizations such as Waterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance is an environmental organization founded in 1999, responding to a growing movement of organizations with the name Riverkeeper, Baykeeper, Soundkeeper, and other related "keeper" names, of which there are over 150 around the globe...
and the Governors Island Alliance to ensure the improvement of New York City's harbor.
History
The NYHS officially opened in 2003. The school was founded with the help of three organizations: the Urban Assembly, the South Street Seaport Museum, and Waterkeeper AllianceWaterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance is an environmental organization founded in 1999, responding to a growing movement of organizations with the name Riverkeeper, Baykeeper, Soundkeeper, and other related "keeper" names, of which there are over 150 around the globe...
. Before moving to its own building on Governors Island, the school was located within the Bushwick Campus, first in the Annex and then, in 2004, on the building's fourth floor.
Bushwick High School, built in 1911, was one of the first public high schools in that area, on the former Union Cemetery used by Methodist churches of Manhattan and Brooklyn. As part of the New York City's Department of Education's effort to close large high schools and replace them with much smaller schools, Bushwick High School began to be phased out in 2003. In that year, three new high schools were founded on the Bushwick campus. One was the Harbor School. The other two schools were the Academy of Urban Planning
Academy of Urban Planning
Academy of Urban Planning is a small high school located in Brooklyn, New York on the Bushwick High School Campus. Academy of Urban Planning shares a building with three other schools including Academy of Environmental Leadership, Bushwick School for Social Justice and New York Harbor School...
and the Bushwick School for Social Justice
Bushwick School for Social Justice
The Bushwick School for Social Justice is a small public high school in the neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, one of four schools currently occupying the Bushwick Campus. Enrollment is approximately 425 students. The school is partnered with Make the Road New York, Brooklyn...
. At the close of Bushwick High School in 2006, the Academy of Environmental Leadership, a fourth high school, was added to the campus.
Since its founding, the Harbor School worked to secure a site on the water so that the school could better fulfill its mission. After several years and several proposals, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) announced in November 2006 that the Harbor School would be moving to Governors Island. The school completed the move in 2010.
Programs
The Harbor School runs various programs related to New York's maritime experience. This distinguishes this school from other public high schools in New York City. Private and public funding support the programs.Students at the school go out into the harbor of New York City every Tuesday and Thursday. The school terms the harbor their "outdoor laboratory." Students also regularly study New York City's two major rivers, the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. Students sample and measure water quality, attend lectures on marine science and river history, and study the river's benthic zone
Benthic zone
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. They generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom; many such...
. Students also learn how to sail and navigate on a medium-sized schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, called the Lettie G. Howard
Lettie G. Howard (schooner)
Lettie G. Howard is a wooden Fredonia schooner built in 1893 in Essex, Massachusetts, USA. This type of craft was commonly used by American offshore fishermen. The Lettie spent a significant portion of her working life off the Yucatan Peninsula coast. In 1968, she was sold to the South Street...
. Students also care for aquatic organisms. Students also study animals that inhabit both aquatic and land-based ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. Swimming is a required class and students must be able to swim in order to graduate.
After-school programs also relate to the water. They include rowing, swimming, the Harbor Science Club, and the SCUBA
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
Diving Club.
Governor's Island
The NYHS left Bushwick in July 2010 and moved to a new academic building on Governor's Island, formerly Building 550. The school became the island’s first permanent tenant since the Coast Guard abandoned the island in 1995 and the first non-military tenant since the Lenape Indians gathered oysters and chestnuts here before the arrival of the Dutch in 1609. Situated on the west side of the island with what many consider to be New York City’s best views of the Statue of Liberty, Harbor School students have noted that they enjoy one of the most spectacular settings for public education in the country. In fall of 2011, a second facility, the Marine Science and Technology (MAST) Center opens on the Buttermilk Channel side of the school. In the MAST Center, with direct access to the water, upper-classmen and women will conduct all their water-dependent studies and activities, including boat building, aquacultureAquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
, and SCUBA programs. A long-range campus plan is currently being developed that includes additional facilities for physical education, a boatyard and boat shop, an auditorium and dormitories for housing students as well as visiting researchers and professors.
Curriculum
The Harbor School relies on what they call a "restoration-based curriculum." The philosophy is that students learn best when they feel valuable. The belief is that by entering Harbor School, students have committed to improving the ecological health of New York Harbor through their active participation in restoration projects. The Oyster Restoration and Research Project (ORRP) is a partnership effort to establish a thriving oyster population in New York Harbor. The project completed its first year in 2010. For that effort, Harbor School students raised 300,000 oysters from larvae in a spat-on-shell facility in their aquaculture class. The students helped drive boats carrying these juvenile oysters to five separate reef sites with Vessel Operations students, and were ultimately placed on the reefs by Harbor School student SCUBA divers.College Acceptances
Four-year colleges attended by Harbor School graduates Classes 2007-2010 include: Baruch College, Brooklyn College, College of the Atlantic, Colgate University, Cornell University, Evergreen State College, Fordham University, Hofstra University, Hunter College, Middlebury College, Parsons School of Design, Penn State, Pratt Institute, Skidmore, St John’s, SUNY Albany, SUNY Canton, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Maritime, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Stony Brook, Wheaton College among others.Career and Technical Education (CTE)
The New York City Department of Education classifies the UA New York Harbor School as a Career and Technical Education high school. CTE is the new term for vocational educationVocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
. The New York City DOE has rethought CTE training based on the growing need for college-educated people who are also trained in technical fields. The Harbor School is part of this effort to prepare students for college with a regular New York State Regents Diploma and for a technical career.
The Harbor School’s curriculum, which simultaneously prepares its graduates for success in college and a specific maritime technical career, requires a longer day for instruction. After introductory coursework and fieldwork in 9th and 10th grade, students choose one of the following six programs of study: 1) Vessel Operations; 2) Vessel Engineering; 3) Marine Engineering; 4) Scientific Diving; 5) Aquaculture and marine science; or 6) Marine Policy. Each of these programs includes a sequence of courses. The sequence concludes in a work-based learning experience and a technical assessment that has been designed and approved by industry. The industry and education leaders who advise the school on curriculum and approve the programs and assessments comprise what is known as the CTE Professional Advisory Committee (PAC). This PAC meets twice annually and supports the school through donations, internships, and maritime programs.
CTE Professional Advisory Committee
The UA New York Harbor School's professional advisory committee advises the school on curriculum and approves the programs and assessments. The PAC also supports the school through donations, internships, and maritime programs. The PAC include:- ACTA Maritime Development
- Brookhaven National LaboratoryBrookhaven National LaboratoryBrookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
- Caddell Dry Dock & Repair Co.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension ServiceCooperative extension serviceThe Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
- East Coast Shellfish Growers
- Fishers Island Oyster Farm
- Governors IslandGovernors IslandGovernors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
Alliance - Harbor Ferry Ops
- Holland & KnightHolland & KnightHolland & Knight is an international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices. Other offices around the world are located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Beijing, China, and Mexico City, Mexico. Holland & Knight provides representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.-...
, LLP - Hudson River Community Sailing at North River Pier 66
- Hugo Neu Corporation
- I.L.A. Local 333
- International RegistriesInternational RegistriesInternational Registries, Inc. is a company based in Reston, Virginia, United States, which operates the flag of convenience ship registry and corporate registry of the Marshall Islands on behalf of the Republic of the Marshall Islands ....
- K-Sea Transportation
- Kingsborough Community CollegeKingsborough Community CollegeKingsborough Community College , part of the City University of New York system, is the only community college in Brooklyn, New York. The campus is located at Manhattan Beach, which is at the eastern end of Coney Island. The 71-acre campus overlooks Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay, and the Atlantic...
- Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
- McAllister Towing
- Metropolitan Waterfront AllianceMetropolitan Waterfront AllianceThe Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is a nonprofit that works to influence the development and use of the waterfront, shoreline, and connected upland areas of northern New Jersey and New York City and other areas of the New York City metropolitan region...
- Millers Launch
- Moran Towing Corporation
- New York Container Terminal
- New York Cruise Lines, Inc.
- New York Harbor Foundation
- Department of Environmental ProtectionDepartment of Environmental ProtectionDepartment of Environmental Protection is a name used by several states in the United States of America for the agency charged with proposing and enforcing environmental law...
- Staten Island FerryStaten Island FerryThe Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry service operated by the New York City Department of Transportation that runs between the boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island.-Overview:...
- New York Water TaxiNew York Water TaxiNew York Water Taxi is a water taxi service based in Red Hook, Brooklyn offering commuter and sightseeing service mainly to points along the East River and Hudson River...
- NY/NJ Baykeeper
- Plant a Fish
- Portside New York
- RiverkeeperRiverkeeperRiverkeeper is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the Hudson River and its tributaries, as well as the watersheds that provide New York City with its drinking water...
- Rocking the Boat
- Sandy Hook Pilots
- Seafarers International Union
- South Street Seaport Museum
- Stevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
- SUNY Maritime
- The Island School
- The River Project
- U.S. EPA, Region II
- U.S. NOAA
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- Vane Brothers
- Waterkeeper AllianceWaterkeeper AllianceWaterkeeper Alliance is an environmental organization founded in 1999, responding to a growing movement of organizations with the name Riverkeeper, Baykeeper, Soundkeeper, and other related "keeper" names, of which there are over 150 around the globe...
- Working Harbor Committee
External links
partners:Other: