P.S. 247 Launches Second Year Of Its College Partnership Program With 22 Colleges
Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) -- Today, P.S. 247, The New York City College Partnership Elementary School, located in Bensonhurst, announced the second year of its one-of-a-kind College Partnership Program™ with 22 participating colleges from across the northeastern United States. This is the only public elementary school in New York City with college partnerships in every classroom in its building. The College Partnership Program™ is incorporated throughout the school year for its students from kindergarten thru 5th grade. P.S. 247's principal, Christopher Ogno, launched its College Partnership Program during the 2008-2009 school year to support its commitment to prepare all of its students to attend college as part of their education continuum.
"PS 247 is dedicated to providing an elementary education that prepares our students for college," said Christopher Ogno, PS 247's Principal. "We are proud to have seven additional colleges on board this year to expand the exposure our children get to the variety of colleges and degree programs that are available to them when they are ready for that step. It is imperative that our students begin school with the expectation that they will graduate college with a degree."
The College Partnership Program™ includes access to colleges and their resources for students, parents and teachers. Every classroom is matched to a college partner who sends faculty and staff to meet with the students. Field trips take the school's students K-5 to each visit a different college each year. Parents meet with college partners to learn about college opportunities for their children at a Parents College Orientation Fair. "As a Title I school this is a wonderful opportunity for our parents to learn about the support colleges can offer to make college attainable for their children," principal Ogno explained.
"In the first year of the College Partnership Program we have already observed positive developments with children talking together and with their parents about their college choices," according to Ivy Cohen, President of Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications and P.S. 247's PENCIL corporate partner. "The entire P.S. 247 community is thrilled to welcome the 22 participating colleges, which include: Adelphi University; Brooklyn College; The City College of New York; Columbia University; The Cooper Union; Farmingdale State College; Fashion Institute of Technology; Hofstra University; Hunter College; Iona College; Kingsborough Community College; Niagara County Community College; New York University; The College at Old Westbury, State University of New York; Pace University; Purchase College, State University of New York; Queens College, City University of New York; St. John's University; St. Joseph's College, SUNY College at Oneonta; University of Connecticut; and New York City Wagner College."
About P.S. 247, The New York City College Partnership Elementary School
P.S. 247 is an exceptional elementary school located in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. There are 684 children in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. PS 247 is a Title 1 school with 75% of the students coming from families whose incomes are below the poverty line. The ethnic population of the school is diverse. According to the home language report, there are 183 English speaking families, while the others are a mixture of Cantonese (187), Russian (109), Italian (6), Spanish (44), Urdu (25), Albanian (34), Arabic (15), Polish (11) and others. Twenty-one languages are represented.
P.S. 247 is a high-performing school with both reading and mathematic scores that are well above the city-wide averages. PS 247 received an "A" on its 2008/2009 Progress Report. The school was also recognized for the 4th consecutive year as a New York State, "High Performing Gap Closing School."
P.S. 247 believes that every child has their own unique needs and that it is our responsibility to reach the needs of each and every child. We invest a great amount of energy, commitment and resources to help students achieve their full potential. We truly believe in our school motto: "Today's students are tomorrow's leaders."
About P.S. 247's College Partnership Program™
Through the P.S. 247 College Partnership Program™, each of the school's 30 classrooms has been matched with a partnering college that will provide students with information and a connection to learn about the college experience. The program was developed by P.S. 247's principal Christopher Ogno in collaboration with Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications, which has been partnered with the school through the nonprofit organization PENCIL since 2006.
This spring every P.S. 247 student, from kindergarten through 5th grade, will participate in a field trip to one of the area colleges for a campus tour. Most of the participating colleges will have members of their faculty, staff or student body visit their partner classroom each semester to conduct seminars, engage students in educational activities or share personal experiences with them.
At the school's Parent College Resource Center, parents will have access to information about college admissions practices, various programs that are offered at the colleges and information concerning financial aid.
About PENCIL
PENCIL builds and supports customized relationships between business leaders and principals to inspire innovation and transform public schools. By bringing together the best ideas, resources and talent across sectors, we develop strong leaders, build school capacity, enhance student learning, and inspire greater community and corporate support, to create real change in our City's schools. For more information, please call 646.638.0565 or visit www.pencil.org.
SOURCE: PRWeb
View original release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3362854.htm