New York City Outward Bound Raises $896,000 at Annual Gala; NY City Council Speaker Christine Quinn & NYS Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch Laud Group's Successes in Improving City's Public Education

    LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, June 23, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York City Outward Bound (www.nycoutwardbound.org), which operates a network of nine Expeditionary Learning public schools in the City's five boroughs in partnership with the NYC Department of Education, announced today that it had raised $896,000 thus far in proceeds from its 16th annual fundraising gala earlier this month.

Held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the dinner drew 400 attendees, including students, teachers and principals from the organization's schools. New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn received its annual Expeditioner's Award; New York State Board of Regents Chancellor, Merryl H. Tisch, was presented with the Educational Leadership Award. Dana Lawit, a Special Education high school teacher at the organization's Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School (www.kurthahnschool.org) in Brooklyn, was given this year's R. Gaynor McCown Excellence in Teaching Award.

As the event's master of ceremonies, NYC Outward Bound president Richard Stopol launched the evening with thanks and praise to the Board and NYC Outward Bound's staff, and the staff of its partner schools for their excellent work during the course of the year.

"Our theme for the evening is building a great network of great Expeditionary Learning schools," he told his audience from his perch at the Cathedral's pulpit. "What will strike you immediately about that theme--first and foremost--is we're not interested in building a network of mediocre, good, or even very good schools. We're aiming for great--schools that are models of 21st century educational excellence."

Carl Weisbrod, president of the real estate division of Trinity Church and a NYC Outward Bound Board member, introduced Quinn. Citing her creation of a middle school task force and success in getting grants of $5 million for the City's highest needs middle school students, he presented her with her award, saying that, as an idealistic leader and trailblazer, she "epitomizes the spirit of Outward Bound."

"There was no question about whether or not you would receive a good education when I was a child," Quinn told the audience. "There is no reason we should not have the same expectation for the City's children today. Thank you NYC Outward Bound for helping us make this happen."

Bob Miller, NYC Outward Bound Board Chair and Group Publisher, Workman Publishing, gave Tisch her award. There is "one area where New York State is increasingly being recognized for competence, leadership and forward-thinking, and that is education policy," he said. Much of this is "directly attributable to the leadership of the person to whom we are presenting" this award Educational Leadership Award. "As the Chancellor of the NY State Board of Regents she...has been a relentless and effective champion for public schools and for excellence in public education," he continued, noting that Tisch has been "an especially ardent proponent of higher standards and...uncompromisingly insistent that a high quality public school education is the right of all children in this state, not just those from certain zip codes."

Tisch credited NYC Outward Bound with having a significant impact on the City's students in a short period of time, and said its successes are noted in the State's "Race to the Top" application.

The evening's final honor, the 5th annual R. Gaynor McCown Excellence in Teaching Award, was presented to educator Dana Lawit of the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, who was chosen from a field of eight nominees within NYC Outward Bound's school network. Lawit received her award from Kurt Hahn principal Matt Brown who described her as a teacher of "limitless passion and compassion."

The evening concluded with a live and silent auction, netting $38,000. Presiding auctioneer August Uribe of Sotheby's took bids on a range of exotic items ranging from a ten-day cultural immersion adventure in Bhutan for two, donated by "Bridge to Bhutan," which sold for $4,250, to a group rock climbing experience for ten "up NYC Outward Bound's heart-stopping five-story outdoor climbing wall" at its headquarters in Long Island City, which brought in $1,600.

About New York City Outward Bound:

Now in its third decade in the City, New York City Outward Bound is an independent non-profit organization that brings the educational philosophy and expertise of Outward Bound to New York City's public schools. Since 1987, NYC Outward Bound has conducted in-school and after-school programs for students in literacy, leadership and character development for more than 50,000 students at over 250 schools, and has trained faculty, administration, parents and staff in classroom management, literacy instruction, curriculum planning and diversity, and organizational development.

In 2004, while continuing to provide these programs, the organization undertook its most ambitious venture--to build and operate a network of small schools, in partnership with the City's Department of Education, incorporating the Expeditionary Learning curriculum inspired by Outward Bound founder, Kurt Hahn. The purpose of these schools is to provide demanding academics, real-world learning, 21st-century skill-building, character development and the support of a caring peer and adult community to foster high levels of student achievement.

With help from grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New York City Outward Bound's schools are: Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies, Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School, Expeditionary Learning School for Community Leaders, The James Baldwin Academy, Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School, McCown Expeditionary Learning School, The Validus Preparatory Academy and Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School. In September the organization will open its 10th school--Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School--in Queens, making it the first NYC Department of Education partner to have opened schools in all five boroughs. There are currently over 160 Expeditionary Learning schools in the country. For further information, visit our website, www.nycoutwardbound.org.

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