Special Programs
GO Green
Implemented by HS for LACJ’s AP Environmental Science Class, HS for LACJ created and established a rigorous recycling program that challenges those of many schools throughout NYC.
Students were given the needed resources as well as the knowledge to become stewards in their environment and school community, and with teacher assigned student monitors, students were able to converse with issues that plague many public institutions, proper recycling.
Our mission is to become proactive about the environmental issues seen in our own classes and our everyday lives. This includes our mission to provide three distinct bins for recycling and implementing a rewards system, and constantly educating students on lessons provided by past environmentalists. The recycling bins consist of one paper bin, one bottle bin, and a trash bin in each classroom. This way student will have the chance to actively participate in going green.
Students & Faculty learn that:
Recycling is Easy: By taking an extra second and putting trash in its correct place can have a huge impact.
Almonte, Juana
Hamilton, Ayodele
George, Kacy
APES: Project Trash Talker! Committee
The College Summit program at the High School for Law, Advocacy & Community Justice is a program for seniors that focuses on transition, an often overlooked step in the post-secondary planning process that can be particularly challenging for first-generation college-going students. High-achieving low-income students often lack many of the resources and information available to their more affluent classmates when applying to college, such as test prep courses, college visits, and application guidance. College Summit supports students through the application and transition process. College Summit also provides the right tools, resources and experiences to better navigate the difficult transition from Grade 12 to Grade 13. The overall goal of the College Summit program is to prepare all students for success after high school:
- Tools and Training: This includes a regular, for-credit College Summit class with detailed curriculum, regular teacher training and online tools to help both teachers and students manage college applications online.
- Influential Students: Central to the program is peer leadership–College Summit trains influential students to help build a student-led college going culture in their high schools. 20% of the rising senior class attends a four-day workshop on a nearby college campus where they get a head start on college applications by learning how to effectively write a personal statement, meet one-on-one with a guidance counselor, learn the basics of financial aid and gain concrete skills in self-advocacy. Armed with real experience, these students then return to their schools and spread their enthusiasm to their peers.
- Measuring Results: College Summit meticulously tracks progress and delivers data to educators. By sharing ongoing measurement and analysis, College Summit empowers educators to innovate and make course corrections mid-stream to maximize college-going in their schools.
Public Speaking:
The focus of this curriculum is to educate and prepare students for the process of speech writing and performing in front of a large audience. The lessons teach how to structure a speech, find research relevant to your topic, and refine both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. With videos of famous speeches and interactive activities taught by trained Youth for Debate volunteers, this is a fun and basic program designed for students with no past experience. Students will leave with a sense of accomplishment and the ability to advocate for themselves.
Debate Program:
This curriculum teaches students the basics of Public Forum debate and prepares them for competition. This course is tuned to transition from learning public speaking to constructing and responding to arguments in a competitive setting. It stresses the skillset of an effective debater, teaching students how to formulate cogent arguments, quickly devise rebuttals, critique the claims of their opponent, conduct in-depth research, and analyze issues from two opposing sides. While the curriculum focuses the essentials of debate, it also teaches students the skills to analyze and formulate opinions on important social issues. Lessons include in-depth focus on proper sources and locations for academic research, the structure of a persuasive argument and practice times for debate-specific skills like cross examination and impromptu rebuttals.