Entering a New Era of Multimedia - Lehman College

Jaivelle Reed (‘09, M.S.Ed.) is assistant principal for
Career and Technical Education at Samuel Gompers High School
in the Bronx and an alumnus of Lehman’s master’s program in
educational leadership.
“Our students were born into a digital age, and they love technology,”
Reed said. “It’s a tremendous motivating factor in their learning.
We infuse it into everything they do. The possibilities are endless:
from a language-lab conversation via Skype with a student in
another country to an on-screen lesson in an after-school program.
They’re twittering, and they’re on Facebook. And, for better or
worse, that’s how we stay on top of what’s going on in their lives.”
Through a collaborative career program with Cisco Systems,
ambitious Gompers students receive training and certification
in Cisco networking—and a good-paying job. Or students who
complete the A+ program in computer maintenance can join a
Geek Squad at Best Buy. The school also has academic programs
for the college-bound.
Our students were born into a digital age, and they
love technology. We infuse it into everything they do.
Jaivelle Reed
“We encourage every student to pursue postsecondary education,”
Reed said. “We have articulation agreements with some colleges
that allow our graduates who have obtained certifications to
receive credit for their work.”
Vern Ram (‘05, B.A.; ‘09, M.S.Ed.) is a counselor at
Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, a Lehman-affiliated school
with 375 students located on the Walton Education Campus. He’s
an alumnus of the counseling graduate program.
“Our students take their music classes at Lehman, and many of
them are also enrolled in the College Now program,” Ram said.
“It’s a good introduction to college life.”
The discipline that goes into musical training helps students stay
focused on graduating from high school. “Most of our kids come
from families that are struggling to keep their heads above water,”
Ram said. “They need a lot of help and support to deal with difficult
personal and social issues. So we’re very proud of our projected
June graduation rate of 85 percent. We’re shooting for 90 and
would love to hit 100 some day.”
There’s no typical day in the life of a school
counselor. Emergencies happen, and they can
be serious. “But from the top down, we have a
supportive team going at our school,” Ram said.
“And the work is never boring!”
Most of our kids come from families
that are struggling to keep their heads
above water. So we’re very proud of
our projected June graduation rate of
85 percent.
Vern Ram
Jon Hirsch directs a lab school at Horace Greeley High School
in Chappaqua and is a master’s candidate in educational leadership.
His school-within-a-school attracts a lively, diverse, and
interesting group of students—fifty-one in all. They are kids who
got turned off by a test-driven culture or by the competitiveness at
this nationally ranked high school.
We’re in trouble on planet
Earth. It’s scary, but incredibly
exciting. Generations
come along when they are
needed—and these kids can
save the world.
Jon Hirsch
As Hirsch sees it, the world that
public schools once assumed for
their graduates is gone. “Our kids
may never see the inside of a traditional office or decorate a
cubicle,” he said. “They will be working with people from places
they’ve never heard of. They’ll meet in a virtual workspace.”
Students need to become entrepreneurs, problem-solvers, literate
in terms of information. To that end, the lab school encourages
collaborative partnerships, group work, experiential learning, and
courses that are relevant to the world—and working opportunities—
around us.
Hirsch is convinced that young people today can handle the fastchanging
new world they have inherited. They are freer in their
thinking and better able to figure out what’s going on around them
and how to make their way.
“We’re in trouble on planet Earth,” he said. “It’s scary, but incredibly
exciting. Generations come along when they are needed—and
these kids can save the world.”
Hirsch would like to be principal of a small public school in five
years. In ten he would like to create the ideal public school—a
place of wonder, rigor, and partnerships where integrity, community,
responsibility, and kindness are valued.
Lehman Today/Spring 2010 13