STAR High School Program:
The Library provides access, instruction, and other privileges for the pupils and teachers in the STAR high school program. There are currently 196 students, 76 tenth graders and 119 ninth graders, and the enrollment is growing. The focus of the students' studies is math, science, and technology; these student also take courses for early college credit. We have extended access to our e-resources, as well as borrowing privileges, to fifteen teachers in the program.
The Library's participation in the STAR program began on November 13, 2004 with a STAR Recruitment Day that incorporated orientation workshops and tours for more than fifty parents and their children. From the Library's side, Martha Corpus and Irwin Weintraub manage the program. Later in the semester teacher instruction included the online catalog and general information databases, followed by six workshops for students and teachers in February and March. This work laid the foundation for students to return to the Library to conduct research for their assignments.
Other High School Relationships:
The Library provides instruction for teachers from area high schools and encourages them to bring their students to visit our beautiful facility. With a teacher's recommendation, upperclassmen or those engaged in research beyond the capacity of their school libraries may be issued borrowing cards.
Brooklyn Transition Center:
Five students from the Brooklyn Transition Center, an alternative high school that prepares students with learning disabilities for the workforce, performed various jobs in the Library. This program has broadened the Library's engagement with the Brooklyn community, allowing us to help improve the future for these students. The students assist the staff by picking up books on tables and sorting books on carts. Some of them collect mail and open packages. The Library provides a workplace that makes these young people feel productive, builds their self-esteem, and teaches them how to behave in the workplace. The program's goal is that these young adults graduate and find compensated jobs. The teacher Luis Benalcazar does an excellent job supervising the students and working with the Library staff.
