Educating Alexis: C.E.S. 11 gets creative

By Dan Arnall
Contributing Writer

For Alexis Santos, September 5 was a special day. His five-year-old face scrubbed clean and hair neatly combed for the occasion, an anxious smile was easy to see on his face in the early September sun.

On this day, his mother walked him down Ogden Avenue to his first day at a school that has opened its doors to young residents of the Bronx since 1889. Its floors newly waxed and walls freshly painted, C.E.S. 11 looked almost as spiffy as Alexis.

"My son and daughter went here - now my grandson is getting to go here," said Carmen Ortiz, Alexis' grandmother. "It's so exciting to see him get started."

Ms. Ortiz, video camera in hand to record her grandson's rite of passage, took Alexis' hand and walked up the three steps at the entrance of the historic building and into a maelstrom of activity.

This year, the parents and students of the Highbridge school have something more than the first day to be excited about. In a district where five of 36 schools are under registration review, C.E.S. 11 has shown improvement in overall student performance. It has made headway in spite of dwindling school budgets.

The 2001 New York state test results showed a jump of 38 percent in math scores and three percent in language arts scores.

Just inside the school's main entrance a chaotic scene is unfolding. At least 50 parents and an equal number of students are gathered in the blue-painted entrance hall, the sounds of play and conversation echoing off the metal, Corinthian-capped columns of the room. They are trying to get on a last-minute registration list.

An unseen school worker shouts out instructions, trying to get the parents and kids through the process before classes start at 8:20.

"If your name isn't on the list, you'll have to come back early tomorrow morning," she hollered, hidden in a clump of determined moms and dads. "Be sure you bring your proof of residence and immunization forms."

"We do this every year because it's about all we can physically handle," explained Principal Jack Billig. "By tomorrow, mostly everybody will be in."

By 9:00 the room has mostly cleared. Around 10:15, Mr. Billig starts a quick tour around the school and its annex building to make sure the 720 students and 70 staff members have found their way to the appropriate classrooms. This is his fourth year as principal here, his thirty-fourth in District 9.

In one class, Mr. Billig was shown the first art projects of the year-crayon drawings of the past summer's activities. In another, students were getting newly purchased math books.

"Let me see these new books, guys," said Mr. Billig. "They look beautiful, don't they?" Mr. Billig said the school district spent a lot of money to get the new books, even though New York City's schools are facing a budget crunch. The tight times are forcing him to make tough choices, cutting some programs and services to ensure the school is focused on its priorities.

When a school administrator retired last June, instead of replacing him, other staff members divided up the retiree's workload. The money saved means another teacher focused on reading skills will be working with students at the school this year.

"I'll just have to use my money more effectively," he said. "The key is direct instruction of the children."

Walking to the school's annex, which houses the overflow kindergarten and first-grade classes, Mr. Billig admitted a political push to continue to improve standardized test scores is forcing his staff to do more with fewer resources.

By 11:20 Mr. Billig had made his way to most of the annex's classrooms. One of his last stops: Alexis Santos' kindergarten class. The new C.E.S. 11 pupil, shirt untucked and hair slightly mussed up, sat at a five-year-old-sized table among about 20 classmates, a contented smile on his face. Mr. Billig spent a few minutes welcoming the class and then made his way out of the room, heading back to his office.

"It feels great. I'm excited," said Mr. Billig. "Nothing like seeing the kids come in - shoes shiny, haircuts, all dressed up, ready and excited."