New York City announces 5 new public schools to open in Queens, the Bronx this fall
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City officials announced on Tuesday five new public schools will open this fall in the Bronx and Queens.
Some are for students with disabilities and others are centered on the arts - one is even specifically focused on hip-hop.
The new schools join the city's some 1,700 already established schools:
- Academy of Cultural Excellence -- Serving Pre-K through fifth grade in District 30 in Long Island City
- Bronx School of Arts & Exploration -- Located in the Highbridge/South Crotona section of the Bronx, this District 75 school serves students with disabilities in kindergarten through eighth grade
- The Bronx School of Hip-Hop -- Serving grades nine through 12 in District 9 in the Claremont section of the Bronx
- Queens Academy for Innovative Learning -- The District 75 school in Astoria serves students with disabilities in grades six through 12
- West Q Elementary -- Located in Woodside and serving kindergarten through fifth grade in District 24
"I'm beyond excited. I can't wait until September to open the doors to our first students," said Principal Jenna Oshaughnessy of Queens Academy for Innovative Learning.
The five new schools were on display downtown inside the Department of Education building.
Eyewitness News took a tour and spoke with all of the founding principals. They are all searching for new teachers and students.
"This is a really great project for me to be opening something and building with and for a community that I know and love so much," said Principal Suzanne Sheeran of West Q Elementary.
New York City serves nearly one million students and three of the schools based in Queens and two in the Bronx aim to increase seat capacity in neighborhoods with historical overcrowding.
The goal is also to increase access to special needs programs.
Interim acting Principal Jeffrey Bugajski of the newly approved Bronx School of Arts and Exploration said the school will serve students with disabilities from Kindergarten through eighth grade by focusing on the arts.
"They're going to come in with various needs and abilities and we're going to address their needs accordingly," Bugajski said. "We want to give our kids that voice for them to shine."
There is a similar focus for founding principal of the Academy of Cultural Excellence Ciani Espaza.
Her school, which offers project-based learning, will serve students from pre-K through fifth grade and will also emphasize culture.
"The roots, the language, the clothes and just who they are so that's going to be part of the integration of dance, music education, visual arts, culinary arts and just being able to give them that exposure," Espaza said.
One of the five schools launching this fall combines culture with actual rap artists. It's called the Bronx School of Hip-Hop.
"When you think about emceeing, DJing and graffiti and breaking, which are the four major elements, and then there's knowledge of self," said founding principal Jason Reyes.
Reyes said the high school course work will include audio production, digital media and financial literacy.
"When you think about emceeing, it's English language arts. It's voice. It's persuasion. These are things students are going to be learning in ELA, emceeing. The pairing goes together," he said.
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