Manhattan HS Fair 2019

By Joyce Szuflita
Got to the Fair at about 10:30, and breezed right into the gym. It was pretty civilized. Relatively easy access. Not wildly noisy. It was hot, but thanks to the fan that I got at Stephen T. Mather, I stayed cool (and learned all about their craftsmanship and historical preservation program)! Many of the schools that I was looking for attended -although there are always some that don’t make it- which sucks. I was happily surprised that many of the schools that I talked to had start times around 8:45!

Best swag (after the fan) came from Urban Assembly Maker. Loved the cootie catcher! By the way; 8:45 start time, great grad and college stats, lots of AP’s, advisory, and Industry Certifications in tech and arts.

The highlight of this year’s Fair for me were the arts and audition programs. Started with a bang at High School of Art and Design. They don’t require special portfolios (they love the work that you have created for the other art audition programs) for their Architectural Design, Commercial Art and Design or Digital Arts programs. I talked to a student dynamo at High School of Fashion Industries where they have a bunch of AP and College Now courses. It is not just for fashion designers anymore. I have admired the talent at Brooklyn HS of the Arts for years. They have a happy and experienced staff (many recently from LaGuardia, including a Conservatory Counselor and a College Counselor from NYU), growing inclusive environment and lots of strong academics. It is a new day at Brklyn HS of the Arts. Seriously. Get in on the ground floor, before everyone discovers it. Repertory Company is located in The Town Hall. How cool?! Their college readiness rate has been going WAY up each year, and 99% 4 year grad rate. Talent Unlimited is no secret but it has a dedicated student body in a small school environment that is digging deep and taking advantage of tons of Artists in Residence, Arts Affiliates and Work Based Internships…and also very strong and diverse academics. Kaufman Special Music School has a more seats available than you think. It is tiny in its k-8th grade program and they add quite a few seats at 9th grade. Music is the core of their school but the academics are not ignored.

Most impressive kids that I talked to in schools that were not arts or CTE programs:
The High School for Health Professions and Human Services (1900 kids, solid ICT classes, College Now, lots of AP choices, great Science Research programs!) on East 15th St!
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics has about 1600 kids on the UES and is crushing it in STEM (but lots of other stuff too).