First new alternative school to open in 7 years
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BY KYLE VUILLE
For the fi rst time in seven
years, a new district school
in the borough was approved
unanimously by New York’s
Panel of Educational Policy and
is set to open in September.
The Walkabout program, a
real world, hands-on program,
will begin this fall at the Mott
Haven Educational Campus
located at 730 W. Grand Concourse.
The push for the creation
or rather, re-creation of the
Walkabout program came
from a former student, Ben
Wild.
Wild was once like most
high schoolers, full of potential,
but was disengaged by the
time he reached high school.
According to a Gallup student
poll, only four out of 10 high
school seniors are engaged in
their studies.
Wild then attended this alternative
Walkabout program
in Yorktown Heights and became
another of its many success
stories.
During his time in the
program, he worked as an intern
at the American Suicide
Prevention Project where he
gained confi dence and ability
to work in a real life setting.
He went on to start multiple
businesses and later become a
part-time teacher.
Seeing the true value of
this program, Wild and his
team of community collaborators
have spent the last two
years working with Bronx
communities and elected offi
cials to make the program a
reality in the borough.
“Kids in the Bronx should
have the same opportunities.
In such a community-driven
borough as the Bronx, Walkabout
is perfectly suitable,”
Wild said.
Even though the original
Walkabout programs were
closed in 2014, statistics behind
it prove it to be an applicable
source for students and
their futures.
According to the school’s
informational brochure, 89
percent of Walkabout students
attend college and 39 percent
attend graduate school.
The program revolves
around fi ve challenge areas
for students to navigate: applied
academics, internship,
service learning, wilderness
and presentation.
Wild said the new Walkabout
program at the Mott
Haven High School will start
with 60 ninth graders and will
add a freshman class the next
three years.
“This is an important program
for all high school students,”
Wild said. “This form
of education should be available
to everyone.”
To Wild, the disengagement
of students from their
learning is an epidemic that is
happening across the country.
He made the analogy that
Walkabout is like a curb cut
that makes it easier to reach
the sidewalk; it makes things
simple to access.
At the moment, the Walkabout
program is currently in
the running for the ‘Imagine
NYC Schools’ competition.
For more information on
the Walkabout program’s mission
and philosophy, please
visit www.walkabout.org
The Walkabout program’s core team: Kam Gordon, Mark Austin (student), Madison Andrews (student), Yesy Robles,
Peg Cioffi , Ben Wild. The Walkabout program will begin its operations at Mott Haven Educational Campus at
730 W. Grand Concourse next September. Photo courtesy of Ben Wild
/www.walkabout.org
/PCRICHARD.COM
/www.walkabout.org