All Girls Middle/High School Gets Cold Shoulder

Tracy Smith 9th grade science teacher at The Young Women's Leadership School demonstrates how she has to teach her class during cold winter days. (TYWLS townhall meeting)

photo by Lee ALii

On cold winter New York City days, Tracy Smith bundles up and prepares for another challenging day at work. Sounds like a typical problem that most sanitation or construction workers deal with on a daily basis right? Only problem is Tracy Smith doesn't get paid to pick up trash or to pour cement. Ms Smith is a 9th grade Science teacher at The Young Women's Leadership School (TYWLS) located in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, New York.

On September 13, 2004, the Young Women’s Leadership, (YWL) Foundation opened their Bronx location. At the time they temporarily shared building space with local Public School PS 182. With a promise being made by the Department of Education that the school would have its own facility within two years of its inception, the young women who attend TYWLS in the Bronx, were excited about the prospects of their future.

So here we are nearly 4 years later and just as the Education Department promised The Young Women's Leadership School is no longer sharing a building space with PS 182. The School, which consists mostly of African American and Hispanic students, has been housed in trailers for nearly two years now. After the growth in student population at the elementary school, the young women of TYWLS were literally left out in the cold. The lack of heat is only one of many obstacles that these young women face. With no auditorium, school nurse, gymnasium, cafeteria, science lab or library these young girls face impossible learning conditions.

However the Education Department has made what some would call an "unacceptable proposal" for a permanent school location. The proposed move would not only take the students out of their regional district, it would also make the all girls school virtually next door neighbors with the Spofford Correctional Facility. To make matters worst the school would also have to share the space with PS 162.

Yvonne Mcdowell, the Parent Association Co President and mother of 14 year old student Takeisha Kamara, reached out to HHLO in hopes of getting the Hip Hop Community more involved in their efforts for a new and acceptable school location. "Hip Hop has a significant impact upon our youth,” said Ms Mcdowell "They (the Hip Hop Community) can use that impact and influence to help get a quality educational environment for our children". With the girls of TYWLS in need of much moral support, the time to take action is NOW!

If you are interested in signing a petition or lending any type of support to help get these young women into a suitable learning environment, please contact Yvonne Mcdowell at SupportTYWLS@gmail.com or 718 792-2292.