What house fits you best?
Medical House
The School for Medical and Health Careers
Opportunities include:
- 3 years of STEM and Health coursework in addition to regular science courses
- Learning first aid, CPR and other life-saving skills
- Visits from veterinarians, doctors, and EMTs
- Neuromaker – learning how to build robotic hands and code hands to be controlled by brainwaves
SMART House
The School for Media Arts, Research & Technology
Opportunities include:
- Develop essential skills in coding, programming, and using technology to solve real-world challenges.
- Explore the process of storytelling through film, video editing, interviews, and creative writing through our Mixed Media Program
- Engage in simulations and problem-solving activities that challenge students to apply their learning to real-world scenarios through our Digital Literacy Program
SISTA House
The School for Integrated Studies Through the Arts
Opportunities include:
- Create an art portfolio for admission into a specialized arts high school
- Participate in local and national arts competitions
- Contribute finished art projects to an online gallery
- Develop integrated arts projects for the school and the community
- Participate in visual arts, drama, guitar and percussion after-school programs
- Visit museums and galleries
- Attend theater performances
- Produce dramatic, music and open-mic performance
Medical House Overview
The Medical House invites students on a special learning adventure where you get to explore science, health, and more while learning other important subjects like math, social studies, and reading.
Imagine having your very own high-tech STEM lab where you can roll up your sleeves and dive into fun, hands-on projects. You’ll learn about the human body, medicine, and how to solve real-world problems by using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills. It’s all about learning by doing, with lots of teamwork and creative thinking along the way!
In the Medical House, we focus on helping you develop strong thinking skills—like problem-solving, research, and logical reasoning. You’ll also improve your reading and writing, making sure you understand things deeply and can explain what you learn clearly. We want you to become great thinkers and explorers who ask questions, discover answers, and think about how to make things better.
And it doesn’t stop there! As you grow, you’ll get to use what you’ve learned in exciting projects that bring everything together. You’ll work with classmates and teachers to solve problems, do experiments, and learn from real professionals in the field.
At the end of the year, you’ll have a chance to show off your work and projects at awesome STEM fairs. It’s a great way to celebrate everything you’ve learned while sharing your ideas with others!
SMART House Overview
The SMART House provides a dynamic learning environment where students immerse themselves in media literacy, coding, and digital technology. Our curriculum is designed to foster creativity and critical thinking while preparing students for future careers in graphic arts, animation, graphic design, and beyond. Students in the SMART House gain hands-on experience with communication tools such as computers, digital and video cameras, and scanners. They explore storytelling through a variety of mediums, including film production, writing, video creation, and editing.
At the heart of our SMART House program is our amazing library, which serves as a central hub for creativity, exploration, and literacy. Not only is our library the home to the most books in circulation in the city, but it also fosters a deep love of literacy that fuels our students’ academic growth. The library isn’t just a place for reading—it’s a dynamic space where creativity thrives. It plays a crucial role in supporting students as they reflect, design, and make. Whether students are collaborating on projects or working independently, our library provides the resources and environment to bring their ideas to life.
Our library is also the foundation of our Media Literacy Program, where students learn to navigate, create, and critically evaluate digital content. In today’s world, understanding digital text is more important than ever, and the library serves as a launching pad for developing these essential skills. Through the program, students not only learn how to create their own media but also understand the significance of questioning and analyzing digital information. They explore how media shapes our world and develop the ability to critically assess messages, visuals, and content that flood our daily lives.
SMART House students are focused, driven, and tech-savvy learners who use technology to enhance and deepen their educational experiences. Through our elective programs, they develop valuable skills in graphic design, animation, and media production, while also learning the power of coding and digital literacy.
Students have numerous opportunities to think critically, explore real-world problems, and challenge their current understanding of science, technology, and media through hands-on projects and simulations. Whether it’s creating original videos, designing interactive media, or solving complex problems using technology, students in the SMART House gain the tools to succeed in the modern, digital world.
The SMART House is where students thrive in a creative, innovative, and technology-driven environment, preparing them for success in the world of digital arts and technology. With the support of our library, students are empowered to think critically, explore new ideas, and develop skills that will serve them for years to come.
Electives and Programs Offered:
- Graphic Arts & Design: Learn the art of graphic design, digital media, and animation using professional software.
- Coding & Digital Literacy: Develop essential skills in coding, programming, and using technology to solve real-world challenges.
- Media Production & Filmmaking: Explore the process of storytelling through film, video editing, interviews, and creative writing.
- Problem-Solving & Simulations: Engage in simulations and problem-solving activities that challenge students to apply their learning to real-world scenarios.
The SMART House is where students thrive in a creative, innovative, and technology-driven environment, preparing them for success in the world of digital arts and technology.
SISTA House Overview
The School for Integrated Studies Through the Arts (SISTA) offers students the opportunity to learn through an integrated curriculum that includes literacy, mathematics, social studies and science with a strong emphasis on the performance, visual and dramatic arts. The 1stgoal of SISTA is for students to acquire critical thinking and processing skills. These skills incorporate logic, reasoning and problem solving, comprehension, inferring, authentic research, inquiry-based learning, experimentation and cooperative group work. Focus is placed on the integration of reading and writing strategies into all subject areas. The arts will be a motivating force that creates opportunities for active and meaningful learning as students acquire those basic skills.
Once students acquire critical thinking and processing skills, they proceed to the 2ndgoal of SISTA. This goal is the application of skills and knowledge through project-based learning led by interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching. Performance, dramatic and visual arts will remain the underlying focus to support all projects in a variety of ways. Teachers will plan and integrate units of study using the Arts as a medium of student expression and to provide meaningful, authentic learning.The culminating goal of SISTA is for students to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired to produceprojects, dramatic performances and exhibits that feature literary publications and art presentations spanning the subject areas.The incoming 6thgrade will begin art portfolios for specialized high schools by building and refining their artistic skills and talents. Art portfolios will reflect students’ aesthetic learning, knowledge application and achievement. Teachers will continue to integrate the arts to complement the core subjects so students will develop skills to meet performance standards. Students will continue to work on and refine portfolios throughout their three years in order to prepare them for admission into one of the distinguished arts high schools in New York City.