On Board Online • October 15, 2012
By Merri Rosenberg
Special Correspondent
When it comes to school districts that are scientific powerhouses, Ossining doesn’t fit the profile. Its student body is 60 percent Hispanic or black, and 38 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Its high school is a community-based school, not a magnet.
No matter.
The Intel Foundation has awarded Ossining High School its highest honor, the Star Innovator Award, in recognition of its demanding, hands-on science programs, which include robotics, engineering and a Science Research Program in which professional scientists mentor students.
Ossining emerged from a field of 18 finalists to claim the top prize of $20,000 on top of a prior award of $5,000. The school will also receive at least $75,000 in equipment, computer hardware and software, professional development resources and curriculum materials.
“The financial piece is very nice, but it’s the national recognition for excellence and validation of what we do that’s greatest,” said Phyllis Glassman, superintendent of the Westchester County school district. She said Ossining’s award reflects the value of inclusion and the importance of engaging students in science regardless of their economic or demographic backgrounds.
“One of the distinctions in Ossining is that we encourage every single student,” Glassman said. “We do not pre-select students for rigorous courses. They succeed admirably. They exceed expectations. We know they can achieve at the highest levels.”
During the past decade, there have been a total of 42 Intel semifinalists from Ossining. Last year, the high school had eight – more than any school in the nation except for the Bronx High School of Science. Last spring, Ossining High School’s engineering club won honors at the FIRST Robotics Regional Championships in New York City. And two Ossining alumni were among 94 promising young scientists invited to the White House in December.
Glassman said a strong foundation in the sciences at the elementary and middle school level prepares students for a variety of challenges in high school. When students reach ninth grade, teachers Valerie Holmes and Angelo Piccirillo recruit them to participate in the Science Research Program, and not just the high achievers. All motivated students with scientific curiosity are welcome, Holmes said. To fan interest, the teachers invite program veterans to describe their projects to the ninth graders.
Students get individual attention. “We meet with students one-on-one to help them navigate their strategies through the [scientific] literature,” Holmes said.
About 90 students are in the program, and the majority are girls. “In our high school, girls are all about science,” said Holmes. “There’s no stigma.”
Another factor in Ossining’s success is community support. “During the past decade, when we presented a science/technology bond referendum, to build a state of the art science wing in the high school, it passed overwhelmingly,” Glassman noted. Another referendum to build a second floor on the science wing passed in March.
Among Ossining graduates who participated in the research program, half have ended up working in fields related to science.
The value of involving students in scientific research and other challenges goes beyond academics, Holmes said. “One of the greatest benefits is that students learn how to handle obstacles,” she said. “We’re in the problem-solving business.”
Merri Rosenberg is a freelance writer in Westchester County. She formerly wrote for The New York Times.