Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School
2012-2016
School Description
'"At Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM), we prepare our students for 21st century academic, creative, and professional success. Through an art, media, and technology-enriched academic curriculum emphasizing community collaboration, we challenge ourselves to think critically and create knowledge in pursuit of personal excellence and meaningful social change."
Contact Information
Website: www.bcamhs.org
Principal: James O'Brien- jobrien16@schools.nyc.gov
Additional ETA Contact: Nikyatu Jusu, art teacher- njusu@bcamhs.org
Four Year Plan Goals
Goal One: To have a yearly senior cohort of 15 students complete digital art portfolios that are competitive for art college applications.
Goal Two: To have a yearly cohort of 8 BCAM teachers integrate a Media Arts focus into their curriculum.
Approach
Goal One: The school created a Senior Portfolio Class to provide a year long art/media curriculum in which advanced art students can develop digital art portfolios used for art college or university applications. BCAM offers a series of arts electives for all students taught by academic teachers and small group of experienced community artist-educators that they've worked with for years. Students are identified and recruited for the Senior Portfolio Class in the 11th grade. ETA support was used to purchase art supplies, equipment to digitally capture images for the portfolio and per session for teacher planning and prep time.
Goal Two: In order to better integrate the Arts & Media theme throughout the school, BCAM convened 3 professional development courses a year- introduction, support and debrief/best practices- that helped academic teachers develop and implement a unit that incorporates media arts into their curriculum. Structures were developed to create consistency and standardization across each course. ETA support was used for facilitator fees, participant stipend and workshop materials.
ART PARTNERSHIPS
Goal Two: Christy Herbes, former BCAM art teacher and current Youth Education Program Director at The Center for urban Pedagogy, facilitated the professional development sessions.
Sustainability Plan
Goal One: BCAM created a flexible academic schedule that allows the senior Portfolio class to be a core academic subject and curriculum is published for internal use.
Goal Two: Curriculum units created through the PD sessions are documented to be used by other educators at the school. The final debrief session will produce lists of best practices and structures to serve additional teachers moving forward.