John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School

John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School is an alternative school for disenfranchised students who have dropped out of the regular public school system. Originally called Wildcat Academy, the school was founded in 1992 by Amalia Betanzos and Ronald Tabano as an alternative public school. It was converted to a charter school in 2000.[1]

John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School
Location
Manhattan, New York City

United States
Coordinates40.705462°N 74.015938°W / 40.705462; -74.015938
Information
TypeCharter High School
MottoProspecting for Success
Established1993 (1993)
PrincipalRonald Tabano
Grades9-12
Enrollment500
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Columbia Blue
Team nameWildcat Oilers
Websitewww.jvlwildcat.org

The school currently operates two campuses. The original location is at 17 Battery Place, in lower Manhattan. The second is in the Banknote Building, 1239 Lafayette Avenue in the Hunt's Point section of The Bronx.

A third campus in the Banknote Building, the Second Opportunity School, which was established in 1997 in cooperation with NYC Department of Education Chancellor Rudy Crew, catered to students on one-year suspension from NYC high schools. In 1999, the Second Opportunity School had 16 staff and 100 students. Although the school had success working with troubled students, the City spent $60,000 per student, making it one of the most expensive public schools in New York City. After 2006, the Second Opportunity School was run solely by the NYC Department of Education.[2]

For the 2014–2015 academic year, JVL Wildcat Academy Charter School had 468 students, of which 98% were minorities and 89% were economically disadvantaged. There were 23 full-time teachers, for a student-teacher ratio of 20:1. US News and Word Report ranked the school's students as having 82% mathematics proficiency and 84% English proficiency, significantly higher than the district ratings (for 522 schools) of 53% in mathematics and 71% in English.[3]

As of 2018, there are 500 students between the two locations.[1]

The Bronx campus serves freshmen and sophomores. The school occupies three floors in the Banknote building, with a lease running to 2022.[4] The space was renovated using a $1 million grant from the Charles Hayden Foundation. The Bronx campus houses the school's Culinary Internship program, which teaches cooking and other skills necessary to work in a restaurant, as well as the student-run JVL Wildcat Café and hydroponics garden.[5][6]

Juniors and seniors attend the Manhattan campus.

References
  1. "Who We Are - John V. Lindsay Wildcat Charter School". jvlwildcat.org. Retrieved 2018-02-04. Co-found in 1993 by Amalia Betanzos and Ronald Tabano as the Wildcat Academy, an alternative public school (later converting to charter status in 2000), Wildcat’s work with its unique student body is grounded in the three related themes of alternative education: (1) a strong academic focus, (2) clear expectations concerning behavior, and (3) alternative learning options.
  2. Waldman, Amy (10 June 1999). "School of the Second Chance; Turning Troubled Students Around at Wildcat High". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-02-04. From the outside, Wildcat High School in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx looks like what it is: a school for some of the city's toughest kids.
  3. "How Does John V Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School Rank Among America's Best High Schools?". US News and World Report. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  4. Joe Hirsch (June 1, 2009). "Charter school signs on to stay in BankNote". Hunts Point Express. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-04. Hunts Point’s historic BankNote building will continue to be home to the John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School, at least until 2022.
  5. Shanice Carr (August 28, 2013). "Wildcat Academy students win national gardening award". Hunts Point Express. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved 2018-02-04. After creating an indoor garden capable of feeding over 80 mouths per day, the students tied for first place in a national competition for the nation’s best school-based hydroponic gardens last June.
  6. "Wildcat Academy in Hunts Pt. makes kids work, study and learn". mail.jvlwildcat.org. Retrieved 2018-12-19.


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