On October 6th, Senator Duane joined New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, other elected officials, community leaders and parents at a press conference announcing the creation of a small, selective, Upper West Side high school named in honor of Frank McCourt. The new school, on Manhattan’s Brandeis campus at 145 West 84 Street, is slated to open to its first ninth grade class in September 2010. The announcement marked the end of a year-long collaborative effort among the New York City Department of Education, elected officials, Community Education Council members, parents, advocates and other community members.
Best known as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt also worked as a New York City public school educator for 29 years, including 15 years as a teacher of English and creative writing at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan until his retirement in 1987. Senator Duane noted, “It is befitting that we honor Frank McCourt, an exceptional writer and teacher, with a new communications arts high school bearing his name. It is truly gratifying to have been a part of the planning committee that shaped the proposal for this school and, while the logistics of the school have yet to be finalized, I am grateful to the New York City Department of Education for its strong support.”
