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New York City
August 2002

Summer in the City: A Gift of Great Math for Gifted Students
By Tom Kertes

There’s really no reason why outstanding New York City high school students who are interested in a high quality summer program in math and science should have to be shipped all over the nation. “It was an untenable situation–but that’s exactly what the case has been for what seems like forever,” said Daniel Jaye, Assistant Principal of Mathematics at Stuyvesant High School. “So, a couple of years ago, I made a commitment to do something about it.”

In turning his dream into reality, Jaye has received invaluable help from his mentor, Alfred S. Posamentier, the Dean of the School of Education at The City College of the City University of New York. “He basically just said, “great idea, why don’t we have it right here on my campus?,” said Jaye. “And then he helped me overcome all the obstacles, bureaucratic and otherwise.”

Which were, by the way, plenty.

“Without Al, and his wonderful creativity and energy, I would never have been a math teacher,” added Jaye. “And without Al, this program would never have come into existence.” And that would indeed have been a great pity: 240 of New York’s finest students would have been deprived of what, in only its second year of existence, is already considered a stunningly successful effort.

“Last year we had 90 students,” said Jaye. “But the word got out–and we had to respond to the demand.” In fact, Jaye had to sort through 800 applications over “not much of a Memorial Day Weekend” before paring the crew down to the “big 240” (140 in math, 60 in science, and 40 in the new addition of 2002, theater arts).

But what kind of a high school kid would want to sit through such a demanding course of study for six long weeks smack in the middle of summer vacation? “Obviously, one who’s very focused, mature, motivated, and highly interested in the subject matter,” said Jaye. “You are with your peers–this program has allowed me to get away from the limitations of the other students, and even teachers, during the regular school year,” added Mark Xue, a 2001 program participant, and 2002 teaching assistant, from Hunter College High School. “I’ve learned so much more math.... I feel so much better prepared for a career.... I can’t even express how great this has been.”

While Jaye admits to attempting to get the “best kids in the City”, he was also careful “not to make this some kind of an elitist, ‘just a Stuyvesant, Hunter, Bronx Science’ thing.” Thus, student participants hail from all kinds of high schools –Forest Hills, Francis Lewis, Townsend Harris, Aviation, Brooklyn Tech and many more–from all over the city.

The program, completely free of charge to students, has hired Larry Zimmerman, David Hamblin, and Steven Conrad–three noted authors, and also three of the greatest math minds New York has to offer, as teachers. “It was like hiring the Three Tenors to teach opera,” gushed the enthusiastic Jaye, himself widely acknowledged as the leading light among high school math teachers in the City. “It was an unbelievable feeling to work with those gentlemen. And, obviously, wonderful for the kids.”

Besides the enormously elevated level of instruction, the students earn six college credits, get free food and free transportation, all thanks to the innovative College Now program that was born out of a rare cooperation between CCNY and the New York City Board of Education. “We wanted to make the transition to college more productive,” said Miguel Montes, Acting Director of College Now. “We wanted to connect the disconnect.”

The course is six weeks in duration, 9:30-4:30 every Monday through Friday. Along with the intensified instruction in the subject matter, it also includes a daily “Prime Time Lecture” where all the students get together at midday–and the subject could be anything. The deadline for application is May 10, “but, next year, we’d like to move it up,” Jaye said with a smile. “The word is out–we’re expecting an avalanche of applications.” #

 

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