Norwood’s P.S. / M.S. 20 – P.O. George J. Werdann, III hosted a high school fair on Friday, Nov. 8, in conjunction with the Office of the Bronx Brough President, providing prospective students with the opportunity to connect with representatives from over 50 schools.

 

Eighth Grade students and their parents / guardians were invited to the event, while 7^th Grade students who wished to attend had to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

 

Michael Pontebbi, principal of P.S. / M.S. 20, located at 3050 Webster Avenue next to the 52^nd Precinct, said, “I want to give other schools, not just mine, the opportunity to be able to show off their schools and everything they have to offer the kids. More opportunities [are] more opportunities for success for students as well. So, the more schools they get to know and the more options they have, the better off it is.”

Pontebbi said they had about 160 students from P.S. / M.S. 20 attend the fair along with about 200 students from other schools who came to the fair, bringing the total to around 450 students. Pontebbi also said about 60 schools were represented at the fair, which is an increase from last year’s fair, also hosted by P.S. / M.S. 20, which had about 40 schools.

 

“We have a lot of schools in the area, so we partner with them to share our space because at the end of the day, District 10, especially, but of course New York City, has so much to offer. I think families and parents need to know that.”

 

Pontebbi added that the schools that came to the fair were mostly from The Bronx, but schools from around the City also showed up. While a majority of the schools were public ones, a few were charter schools as well.

“It’s all about the kids,” Pontebbi said. One student said they were looking to learn more about all the schools in attendance and was open to hearing them all out. “I don’t have any specific schools in my head right now but I am just going around the tables to learn more about all of the schools here,” the student said.

 

Another student called the experience a fun one. “It’s nice to have everything in one place. It’s fun and its exciting.”

 

Explorations Highschool, located at 1619 Boston Road in the Charlotte Gardens section of the borough, was one of the schools tabling at the fair, represented by Giselle Malavez, the school’s 10th and 11th grade guidance counselor. “It’s important for us to speak to students and invite them to our school so they get to know what we are doing,” Malavez said. “We want the students to know what we are doing in our school and to come visit us and give us a chance to provide them their education.”

Representatives from the High School for Health Careers and Sciences, located at 549 Audubon Avenue in Northern Manhattan, were also at the fair. Joanny Santana, the school’s guidance counselor, said it was a good opportunity for both the schools and students alike. “It’s an opportunity for the students to explore the variety of high schools in New York City and it also gives us the opportunity to showcase our school as well, and for them to figure out what’s the right fit for them.”