Susan E. Wagner High School
2012-2016
School Description
"It is the mission of Susan E. Wagner High School to create a unified community of students, parents and educators, which will provide a rigorous instructional program in a supportive atmosphere. This community will strive to stimulate in each child a thirst for knowledge, which will result in the acquisition of the skills and competencies necessary to be successful and to be lifelong learners. It is our desire that all students will experience the social, emotional, and intellectual growth necessary to become socially conscious citizens with a respect for all peoples of our society."
Contact Information
Website: wagnerhigh.net/index.jsp#
Principal: Gary Giordano
Additional ETA Contact: Paul Corn, Assistant Principal of the Arts- pcorn2@schools.nyc.gov
Four-Year Plan Goals
Goal One: To develop a sequential dance component within the Theatre program for grades 9 to 12.
Goal Two: To raise the individual and group level of proficiency regarding technical skills, musicality, and performance execution of the music performing ensembles (Instrumental and Vocal)
Approach
Goal One: Wagner offers a 4 year comprehensive theatre program, but did not offer any dance classes. Noticing that the students were deficient in dance skills, which has hindered their performance in school productions as well as their success when auditioning for college and outside theatre productions, ETA supported the hiring of an outside professional dance instructor to teach classes during the school day to all levels of theatre students. Each year this teacher taught a different level and type of dance as professional development for the theatre teacher to incorporate into her curriculum. The theatre teacher participated in the class often as a student while continually updating her curriculum to reflect what she has learned. Each year she would then take over the class that she experienced the year before while continuing the process with the teaching artist at a new level and dance form.
Goal Two: In order to raise the level of instruction for music students at Wagner, ETA helped to bring in specialized professional instructors to offer master classes, one on one and/ or small group instruction, and large group work as well as professional development for teachers. ETA also purchased new materials such as instruments and supplies as needed to give students the proper tools to succeed. By Year Two, they began to offer chamber ensembles and small group combos to give students more opportunities to perform.
Arts Partnerships
Goal One: The school hired Great Expectations based in Staten Island to teach all dance classes and professional development sessions for the four years.
Goal Two: Master teaching artists included, but was not limited to Anthony Mazzochi, brass; Warren Smith, percussion; Jeff Grogan, conducting, Frank Lacy, jazz; Helen Campo, flute;andEd Brown, guitar.
Sustainability Plan
Goal One: The theatre teacher was required to document the scope and sequence with the individual lesson plans and curriculum as they developed, so the lessons may be used by other theatre teachers. The dance component will remain as a vital part of the theatre curriculum for as long as theatre classes are taught at Wagner HS. They will continue to budget to the theatrical arts from the DOE budget in order to maintain and further what has been learned.
Goal Two: Music teachers regularly updated their curriculum to reflect the kind of instruction they were seeing from the master teaching artists, so the lessons may be used by other music teachers. Music teachers were allotted common planning time to share best practices and collaborate on projects, utilizing the knowledge they have gained. Regular inventory and maintenance of all purchased equipment will be ongoing. Lessons were video recorded and archived to serve as a living reference tool for staff and student for years to come. They will continue to stress importance and allot budget to the music department from their DOE budget in order to maintain and further what has been learned/ achieved.