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Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings & Irvington schools recognized by NYS...IRVINGTON TOWN HALL THEATER
Release Date: February 02, 2018

HISTORIC TOWN HALL THEATER CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

https://youtu.be/9S7xA7tBauc

Irvington Town Hall Theater (ITHT) will celebrate Black History Month with a one night only fully staged reading of Ntozake Shange’s ground-breaking play for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf presented by 4th Wall Theatre on Saturday, February 24th at 7:30pm.

 

The piece is billed as a “choreopoem” and weaves together 20 separate poems with music, movement, and narratives to tell the stories of love, empowerment, struggle, and loss in a complex representation of African-American sisterhood. The cast consists of seven nameless African-American women only identified by the colors they are assigned. The show first premiered at the Henry Street Settlement, Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, and later moved to Broadway. 

 

for colored girls… first took shape in 1974 as an electrifying performance by Shange and four of her close friends in a Berkeley, California, women’s bar called the Bacchanal. As they moved and danced, they recited Shange’s poems about coming of age, heartbreak, sexual assault, and redemption. The choreopoem went on to win the 1977 Obie and was nominated for Tony and Grammy awards. Time Magazine called it "A poignant, gripping, angry and beautiful work."

 

4th Wall’s production (as a fully staged reading) will be void of sets and costumes, and the performers may carry scripts. The characters and the storytelling will be the focus of the production.  The show is directed by Gwen Ricks-Spencer, 4th Wall founding member, and current Executive Director.

 

“This piece holds a very special place in my heart,” says director Gwen Ricks-Spencer. “It was the very first show I ever saw on Broadway and it made a lasting and profound impression on me,” she continues.  “I was excited at the idea of directing the stage version, because so many people only know the 2015 movie by Tyler Perry. The play has an immediacy and intimacy that is palpable on the stage. It also provides an opportunity for the audience to hear all of the poems that make up the piece. There were shortened versions of several of them in the movie.”

 

The 90 minute show contains mature subject matter; please use discretion when considering bringing children under 16. The show will be followed by a brief discussion for those who are interested. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at: http://www.irvingtontheater.com/event/a61b3e1ac12be6abb22014c8577e7582

 

Tickets are $22 general and $20 for students and seniors. Ticket fees are always cheaper if purchased in advance online. Irvington Town Hall Theater is located at 85 Main Street in Irvington NY. Entrance on N. Ferris Street.

 

CONGRATULATIONS ARDSLEY, DOBBS FERRY, HASTINGS AND IRVINGTON SCHOOLS ON BEING RECOGNIZED BY NYS COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION

The State Education Department identified 155 high achieving and high progress schools as Reward Schools, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today. Reward Schools are schools with high academic achievement or those with the most progress in the State and do not have significant gaps in student achievement between subgroups. Each Reward School will receive a certificate of recognition from the Commissioner.

 

“The teachers and administrators at these Reward schools work hard each day to raise the bar and give their students opportunities to achieve their dreams,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “The proof is in the results these schools have obtained and I am thrilled to celebrate their success.”

 

“It’s truly impressive that so many of this year’s Reward Schools were able to maintain the designation for three years in a row,” Commissioner Elia said. “All of these schools serve as models to others in the state to inspire them to achieve a high level of accomplishment and improvement.”

 

To be identified as a Reward School, a school must:

•Be among the top 20 percent of schools in the state for English language arts (ELA) and math performance for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years or be among the top ten percent of schools in terms of gains in ELA and math performance in the 2016-17 school year;

•Have made Adequate Yearly Progress for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years for all groups of students on all measures for which the school is accountable, including the requirement that 95 percent of all groups participate in the English language arts and mathematics assessments; and

•Not have unacceptably large gaps in student performance on an accountability measure between students who are members of an accountability group (e.g., low-income students) and students who are not members of that group.

 

In addition, elementary and middle schools must demonstrate that more than 50 percent of students are making annual growth in ELA and math; and that more than 50 percent of the school’s lowest achieving students are also making gains. High schools must have graduation rates above 80 percent to be a high-achieving school and above 60 percent to be a high-progress school and the percentage of students in the school who graduate with a Regents diploma with advanced designation or a Career and Technical Endorsement (CTE) must exceed the State average. Additionally, high schools must demonstrate that their graduation rate for students who entered the school performing below proficient in ELA or math exceeds the State average.

 

Of the identified schools, 64 are located in New York City, 73 are located in the rest of the state and 18 are public charter schools. In addition, 107 of these schools were identified as Reward Schools last year, and 81 have been identified as Reward Schools for three consecutive years. The full list is below.

 

School districts out of NYC

•Akron High School

•Amherst Central High School

•Ardsley High School

•Bayport-Blue Point High School

•Bethpage Senior High School

•Briarcliff High School

•Brighton High School

•Bronxville Elementary School

•Caledonia-Mumford High School

•Clarkstown South Senior High School

•Clinton Senior High School

•Colonial School

•Columbia High School

•Croton-Harmon High School

Dobbs Ferry High School

•Earl L Vandermeulen High School

•East Aurora High School

•Eastchester Senior High School

•Fayetteville-Manlius Senior High School

•Garden City High School

•Great Neck South High School

•Haldane High School

•Half Hollow Hills High School East

•Half Hollow Hills High School West

•Harborfields High School

•Harrison High School

Hastings High School

•Herricks High School

•Honeoye Falls-Lima Senior High School

•Iroquois Senior High School

•Irvington High School

•Jamesville-Dewitt High School

•Jericho Senior High School

•John F Kennedy High School

•Keene Central School

•Lansing High School

•Locust Valley High School

•Lynbrook Senior High School

•Maine-Endwell Senior High School

•Manhasset Secondary School

•Maple Hill High School

•Mt Sinai High School

•Murray Avenue School

•Nanuet Senior High School

•New Hartford Senior High School

•North Shore Senior High School

•Owego Free Academy

•Pelham Memorial High School

•Penfield Senior High School

•Pittsford-Mendon High School

•Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School

•Pleasantville High School

•Rebecca Turner Elementary School

•Rhinebeck Senior High School

•Ripley Central School

•Roslyn High School

•Rush-Henrietta Senior High School

•Rye Neck Senior High School

•Sayville High School

•Shaker High School

•Skaneateles Senior High School

•Smithtown High School-West

•Somers Senior High School

•South Side High School

•Spackenkill High School

•Syosset Senior High School

•Todd Elementary School

•Vestal Senior High School

•W Tresper Clarke High School

•Walter Panas High School

•Wantagh Senior High School

•Williamsville East High School

•Yorktown High School

 

 

The Commissioner’s action was taken in accordance with New York State’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver approved by the United States Department of Education.

 

The Reward Schools list is available on the State Education Department (SED) website

 

Further details on the Reward School identification methodology can be found on the Department’s ESEA Designations Material website.

 

 

 

 

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