NYC Outward Bound School Network Celebrates Two Posse Scholars

    LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, March 17, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York City Outward Bound (www.nycoutwardbound.org ), an independent non-profit organization that brings the educational philosophy and expertise of Outward Bound to New York City's public schools, announced today that two students from its network of nine Expeditionary Learning schools were named Posse scholars. Seniors Ashley McKenzie at the James Baldwin School and Tyrell Smith at Humanities Preparatory Academy, both on the Humanities Campus in Chelsea, were among the 137 chosen from 3,260 nominees throughout New York State.

Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation (www.possefoundation.org ), cited frequently for its innovative approach to higher education, identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who might be overlooked by traditional college selection processes and awards them a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to a Posse partner college or university. The 2009 "class" of POSSE scholars numbers 419, representing six states .

"We are so proud of Ashley and Tyrell," said Richard Stopol, president of New York City Outward Bound. "Among the many qualities Posse looks for in its scholars are leadership, character and a commitment to learning. These two students exemplify those qualities--and so much more. We expect great things from them!"

"Like Posse, Outward Bound encourages young leaders to extend themselves beyond their comfort zones and take on new and fulfilling challenges," says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. "They did a great job nominating students this year, and I have no doubt that Ashley and Tyrell will excel."

The Scholars
An independent thinker, McKenzie had attended three high schools before deciding that high school just might NOT be for her. So at 16, she opted out, lived independently in her native Brooklyn, and worked with the New York City-based Youth Activists, Youth Allies (YA-YA) Network, a citywide anti-racist, anti-sexist organization. After a family crisis, McKenzie decided to return to school--and found the support she needed and the education she was looking for at Baldwin. "I really like this place. It's exciting, and has given me a lot of useful tools, like commitment and structure. People really care about you here," she said. She has excelled at the school and, according to English teacher Adam King, "it was never a question in my mind about IF McKenzie would get an award--it was which award would she get." Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is her destination this fall. McKenzie is thinking of a career as a high school teacher, and is also very interested in linguistics.

Described by history teacher Laurie Gaughran as a student "of natural intelligence, with a high level of intellectual sophistication", and by science teacher and advisor Reshma Sinha as "showing a lot of independence around all his academic activity," Smith will be headed for Colby College in Maine in September. A Bronx native with four siblings, he said he wanted to try a place that was the "opposite of New York City" and is looking forward to both the small school environment and a new geographic location. Smith came to Humanities Prep, one of the City's small high schools from another small school--Bronx Writing Academy--an outgrowth of a large intermediate school, C.I.S. x22. "The Outward Bound influence is what sold me," he said, describing how much he enjoyed the wilderness expedition for incoming freshmen and the extension of that experiential learning into the classroom. Looking ahead, Smith is interested in the business and environmental, health and medical studies Colby offers.

The Posse Process
Both students enjoyed the rigorous Posse selection process--a dynamic, three phase assessment. The first phase, a group interview, with about 100 students, is a series of interactive workshops led by Posse staff. Phase two is a 20-minute, one-on-one interview with a Posse staff member. The final phase is a large group interview of 20 to 25 students from which ten are chosen.

Since their selection, McKenzie and Smith have been meeting with their respective school "posses", groups of students starting as freshmen at Trinity and Colby. The posses will visit their chosen campuses in early spring, and continue meeting through early summer to cement a relationship designed to carry them through their college career.

About NYC 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 45,000 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 2003, 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, that incorporate the Expeditionary Learning curriculum inspired by Outward Bound founder, Kurt Hahn.
New York City Outward Bound schools opened to date are: Bronx Expeditionary Learning High School, Expeditionary Learning School for Community Leaders, The James Baldwin Academy, Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, The Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School, The Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School, The Validus Preparatory Academy and Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School. In addition, an existing school--Humanities Preparatory Academy--joined NYC Outward Bound's network of small Expeditionary Learning Schools in September, 2005. There are currently over 150 Expeditionary Learning schools in the country. For further information, visit our website, www.nycoutwardbound.org.

About Posse

Posse started because of one student who said, "I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me." The Posse Foundation, founded in 1989, identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. The Foundation extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams ("Posses") of 10 students. The Foundation's partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. Posse's goals are: 1) to expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds; 2) to help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can become more welcoming institutions for people from all backgrounds; and 3) to ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.

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