Carolyn Klass, second from right, senior extension agent in entomology, gives a tour of the insect collection in Comstock Hall June 23 to students from Brooklyn's Beginning With Children School -- from left, Omar Lopez, Jennifer Mermudez, Jessica Bermudez and Bryan Muñoz -- and Duncan Bell, assistant director of public affairs in the College of Human Ecology. Charles Harrington/University Photography
A group of sixth-graders from the Beginning With Children School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with their relatives and teachers visited campus recently for two days to see what Cornell students who have interned at their school meant when they said "Cornell." The visit also gave the sixth-graders a glimpse of what may be ahead for them at college.
By touring a design laboratory for equipment and machines in the College of Engineering, the computer-aided design lab for apparel in the College of Human Ecology, the insect collection in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and other spots of interest on campus, the 20 inner-city children got a brief taste of what Cornell and college are like.
Their school, founded by Cornell alumni Joe '55 and Carol Friedman Reich '57, is a public/private collaboration among the Beginning With Children Foundation, the New York City Board of Education and Pfizer Corp. It is a kindergarten-to-seventh-grade elementary school that offers highly individualized, quality education to students lucky enough to be chosen by lottery. It also is gaining attention for the innovative way it trains teachers, making professional development an integral part of school life, not an isolated event. The New York City Board of Education designated the school as the chancellor's model elementary demonstration school.
"The Beginning With Children School is unique because it is within the public school system of New York City but it has the advantage of significant non-public resources to enrich the curriculum and the total educational experience for the children," said Jerome Ziegler, professor emeritus of policy analysis and management and former dean of the College of Human Ecology and a member of the board of directors of the Beginning With Children Foundation. "Therefore, it is an interesting model for others in our society, individuals, groups and business corporations, who care passionately about the improvement of public education in America."
Cornell students enrolled in Cornell's Urban Semester Program in Multicultural Dynamics in Urban Affairs often intern in the Beginning With Children School. The Urban Semester, which is in the College of Human Ecology, offers undergraduates a semester in New York City with options that include internships, individual and group community service projects, research, independent study, collaborative learning and mentorships.
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