SI Tech CAD in the Community
The VISIT Program
One of the parts of my career I am most proud of is my participation in the VISIT program at our school. VISIT was born at SI Tech out of the minds of Mr. Mark Erlenwein, Mr. Barry Levine, and a few other wise educators. Each year tens of thousands of students take the SHSAT to come to our school, and only a lucky 340 or so earn a seat. In spite of the large diversity our school has compared to other Staten Island High Schools, some people feel that underprivileged students are underrepresented at Tech. We will leave politics aside. The VISIT program is our initiative to bring awareness of out school and all the benefits a student has in coming to strong willed, driven students across Staten Island and Brooklyn. If one thing is for sure, struggling middle and elementary schools are too busy helping students with personal issues and learning issues to address the students that go unnoticed too much there - those who are doing well and have no perceivable problems needing intervention and constant monitoring. We reach out to all middle schools and their feeder elementary schools and bring two classes of students to VISIT SI Tech for the day.
When I am out and about in the community, or representing us at Open House or a DOE event, many people recognize our school as a wonderful place to get an education, a family atmosphere, and fun place to call school and your second home. There is also a heavy handful of people that think its a private school that costs money to go to, or that it is just not possible to go there because they haven't studied hard enough, or feel like they do not belong at such a wonderful place. This is the target audience for VISIT. We bring them in to inspire them for a day - hoping they will go home and tell their parents, and their teachers will follow up and discuss the VISIT. Their home guidance department, assistant principals, and even principal should keep an open dialogue with the students always about their future. During VISIT the kids only pass through my room on a tour and stay for 15 - 30 minutes. That is my time to pitch what we do here in the Technology department, especially in the amazing world of CAD! Yes, they are impressed by the machines, the computers, my tiger rug and sweet paint job, but not as much as the the impression they get from the students they happen to talk to while at the school. They see that our student body is THEM! Regular people that aimed high and hit their mark, and now get to enjoy their time in school.
After I tell them about our technology and CAD, then I tell them what its like to be a student here at SI Tech. I tell them that I was once one of them, graduated in 1999. I say picture yourself and your friend. You go to Tech and he goes to great normal school on the island. You both have good grades, have the same kinds of classes, play on a few teams, and do some honest volunteering. When it comes time to go to college, you both apply to high caliber schools. Your friend is happy because he made it into a few big ones, but he cannot go because tuition is high. You also made it into these schools, but others too. You also happened to be offered a bunch of options that comes with academic scholarships that make it possible to go to them. Why? Because you and your colleagues at Tech have created something special and intangible at the same time - whatever that is, it is what makes our school shine brightly on the city scale, state, national, and even world stage. Every kid that works hard and is proud of their work with a passion for growing can go to our school. It is just harder for some to focus that much when there are other factors. We know VISIT works. Each year our incoming freshman are asked, were you part of the VISIT program in 5th or 7th grade. Many say yes.
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