VANGUARD HIGH SCHOOL
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Mission Statement
Vanguard High School is a community of learners committed to cultivating the resources necessary to become literate, articulate, analytical, reflective and empathetic citizens. Respect for self and others is the motivating force toward achieving our goal of becoming socially productive, useful and responsible members of society.
About This Cause
Vanguard High School offers a challenging college preparatory program in a close-knit and nurturing environment. Access to technology, arts, extracurricular activities, and travel opportunities through our partnerships enable our students to develop as analytical, articulate, and reflective citizens who care about and engage with the world around them to make positive change. We support our students in pursuing internships and connect them to mentors, opportunities, and programs and start yearly college exploration in 9th grade. At Vanguard, young people will develop their own perspectives, connect with a diverse group of peers, and express themselves in a safe and welcoming environment where they are known and cared about and their voices are valued. Our students come from all five boroughs of New York City, and although their ethnic diversity reflects the larger NYC public school population, our open admissions policy supports the admission of 25% student with disabilities, and nearly 80% of students from extremely high poverty households. Many of our students are multilingual, first generation New Yorkers, who despite challenges, become first generation college students. We are proud that our participation in Advanced Placement and college dual enrollment classes are equitable and reflect the population of our school at large. We have found that our students who leave higher education do so for economic reasons -- they are leaving to support their extended families -- and therefore we are working tirelessly to improve their access to paid apprenticeships, internships and financial management while in high school. Post-pandemic, we are seeing a greater need for emotional support and positive extracurricular experiences that allow students to develop themselves in a safe environment. The NYC Public School Athletic League has denied our requests to increase our number of athletic teams for over 14 years; we have 3 sports, while higher resourced schools in wealthy neighborhoods --with the same number of students or less -- have as many as 12. We are seeking raise funds to expand our programming outside of the PSAL, partner with arts and recreational organizations. We desire to increase students' access to mental health support by repurposing a space in our building to created a counseling and wellness center where students can meet privately or in groups with mental health practitioners. We recently graduated our 25th class of Vanguardians, and our dream is to support the next 25 classes with career development and paid internships/apprenticeships, access to cutting edge technologies and curriculum, arts, athletics, and mental health support; developing the heart and mind, while receiving support in pursuit of their passions is something that all students deserve. Our History Vanguard High School began in 1993 as part of the Annenberg Initiative for School Reform, and the Networking Project. Our school’s commitment is to the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) and the New York State Performance Standards Consortium. CES is a national organization, dedicated to helping all students achieve their highest potential through nurturance, guidance, and providing the appropriate resources. Our commitment enables us to create a school that has high expectations; possesses shared accountability between staff, students, and families; is student centered; and uses performance-based instruction and assessment as the dominant method of teaching, learning, and evaluation. Our Values We believe that small, intellectual school communities can provide effective education for students and we value the goals that help make young people lifelong learners, productive citizens, and lead personally satisfying lives. We hold the same academic standards for all of our students, including students with special needs or disabilities. We expect that the practice of exhibition work based on inquiry, presentation and reflection will be a part of the portfolio assessment students experience during their time at Vanguard. Performance-based assessment continues though all four years and across all departments and disciplines. Our Practice Our classes are heterogeneous and integrated. Students work on many different projects, from differing developmental levels and move forward to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts and content of the curriculum. Starting in the ninth grade at Vanguard, students present and defend their knowledge on the path to high school graduation.