Rosie Shouts Out New Design

Actress Rosie Perez was interviewed by the New York Times last weekend.  The Times asked her to talk about the legacy of Mayor Bloomberg.  Perez, a frequent visitor to New Design, is the Chairwomen of the Artistic Board of Urban Arts Partnership.  She applauded Mr. Bloomberg for opening up more small schools such as New Design replacing failing large schools.  In the article she says, 

When I walk down the hallway of New Design High School, one of the five small schools Urban Arts has helped to found in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, the kids come up to me, look me in the eye, shake my hand. I listen to their dreams and ask them where they’re going to college.

It’s very hard for a kid to be anonymous in a small school like New Design. I can’t tell you how many kids I have seen go from a scowling ninth grader to an accomplished senior, winning scholarships to prestigious colleges. The arts have the ability to make these kinds of transformations in students, and there is a special relationship between the arts and the small schools movement.

Thanks for the love Rosie.  You can read the entire interview here.