Family Education Events
Civil Rights Museum Community Day
Friday May 20, 2022, 9 AM-2 PM
The IDEAL School of Manhattan, 270 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024
Open to the public
About IDEAL’s Civil Rights Museum
Student life and instruction at IDEAL are deeply entrenched in our commitment to social justice, from both a historical perspective and as it relates to current events. Our whole school prepares for and participates in a Civil Rights Museum each year, which is the culmination of deep study of civil rights leaders and related civil rights concepts. Each grade level in the Lower School spends weeks studying changemakers and activists. In the Middle School, students pursue individualized study and develop culminating projects surrounding inspiring leaders. In High School, students embark on a year-long Civil Rights Research Project where they focus their research towards organizations that can allow them to take personal agency in supporting initiatives that are meaningful to them. Guided by teachers, High School students identify research sources and articulate their understanding of the civil rights issue, the stakeholders, potential solutions, and ways young people can have agency in the solution. They write a research paper and develop a forum to present and share their research with the community.
IDEAL’s Civil Rights Museum Community Day
IDEAL’s inaugural Civil Rights Community Day invites our families and community members to campus to hear from renowned leaders, pioneers, and advocates in the fields of social justice and inclusion. IDEAL students and guests will also have the opportunity to participate in round table conversations with IDEAL students who present their Civil Rights Museum Research Papers Projects to students and guests, leading conversations and inviting discourse.
In addition, Professor Katheryn Russel-Brown will be spending the day with the Lower School classes on May 19. Lower School families are invited to join us in the afternoon of Thursday, May 19, for a reception at 2:45 PM, as well as being invited to attend all events on May 20.
Schedule for May 20
- 8-8:45 AM--Arrival: 270 West 89th Street, third floor. Solo Flight hologram installation from Heidi Latsky Dance
- 9 AM--Founders Day: Introduction of the school’s founders and celebration of their work and IDEAL’s mission
- 9:30 AM--Conversation with Judith Heumann
- 10:30 AM--Presentation of student research projects
- 11:30 AM--Presentation by Robert Masters and Charles Imohiosen
- 12:15-12:45 PM--Lunch in advisory for students. Lunch provided in gym for guests
- 12:45-1:25 PM--Gallery walk
- 1:30-2:15 PM--Presentations by Robert Rodriguez and Katheryn Russell-Brown
Speakers
Joining the event from The Andrew Goodman Foundation are Charles Imohiosen, President and CEO, and Robert Masters, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Imohiosen is an entrepreneurial executive with an extensive background in the private and public sectors, including federal, state and local government and policy-making roles for the White House and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Masters attended Queens College during the same period as Andrew Goodman and was also a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who helped register southern African Americans to vote.
Katheryn Russell-Brown is the Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law and the Director of the Race and Crime Center for Justice at the Levin School of Law at the University of Florida, an author, and a board member of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Her first children’s book is Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, a picture book biography.
Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized disability advocate. She served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was a senior fellow at the Ford Foundation. Her story was featured in Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, a 2020 American award-winning documentary film from the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions. In 2020, she published her memoir, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, written with Kristen Joiner. There is also a young adult version titled Rolling Warrior. Ms. Heumann is now the producer of The Heumann Perspective, a podcast and YouTube channel that aims to share the beauty of the disability community.
Robert Rodriguez is New York's Secretary of State. He is a uniquely accomplished leader and legislator whose work focuses on investing in and developing public-good infrastructure projects, creating good-paying jobs, and addressing financial disparities for historically underrepresented minorities and low-income communities. Mr. Rodriguez served as a member of the New York State Assembly for 11 years. Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Yale University, where he received a B.A. in History and Political Science, and New York University Stern Business School where he received an MBA in Finance.
Heidi Latsky, originally from Montreal, first received recognition as a celebrated principal dancer for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She went on to develop Goldhuber & Latsky and then Heidi Latsky Dance. A critically acclaimed, innovative, and influential leader in the physically integrated dance field, Ms. Latsky has toured and given keynote speeches internationally. In 2015, Latsky was invited by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to perform guerilla art throughout NYC for the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The resulting live art installation, ON DISPLAY, continues to grow in complexity and diversity. Solo Flight is an installation comprised of movement portraits with sound viewed as a hologram. Ms. Latsky has a BA in Psychology with honors from Carleton University, receiving the Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement and The Ottawa Ladies College Scholarship. Thanks to IDEAL parents Rebecca Alson-Milkman and Craig Thomas for bringing Solo Flight to IDEAL.
Next Steps Speaker Series
Open to the public
The Next Steps Transition Program at The IDEAL School of Manhattan announces its inaugural speaker series. The virtual webinars feature experts in fields related to services, employment, housing, benefits, and financial planning for adults with disabilities. Families with children of all ages are invited to attend. The events are open to IDEAL families and the broader community. All events are presented on Zoom from 5-6:30 PM. RSVP to jkemp@theidealschool.org.
October 7, 2021: Introduction to Adult Services--Presented by Job Path
Speaker: Amanda Becker-Torres, MSW
November 2: Planning 101--Maximizing Benefits and Services, Part 1
Speaker: James Traylor, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, President, Upstate Special Needs Planning
January 26: Planning 101--Maximizing Benefits and Services, Part 2
Speaker: James Traylor, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, President, Upstate Special Needs Planning
February 17: Building a More Inclusive World--Talking To Children About Disabilities
Speakers: Lauren Macchio and Stephanie Santoro, IDEAL School Counselors
February 23: Supported Decision-Making as an Alternative to Guardianship
Speakers: Hon. Kristin Booth Glen, Supported Decision-Making New York (SDMNY) Project Director, and Joan Cornachio, SDMNY Site Coordinator
May 10: Guardianship, Estates, and Trusts
Speaker: Ellyn S. Kravitz, Esq., Partner, Abrams Fensterman
Postsecondary Education Series
For IDEAL families only
Carla Shere, IDEAL’s College and Postsecondary Counselor, is hosting a new series of parent seminars to help IDEAL families and students in postsecondary planning. These Zoom meetings are designed for different Upper School constituencies as a guide for the specific steps of the process.
November 4: Postsecondary Process Sneak Peek
Families of IDEAL eighth graders are invited for an overview of the postsecondary process at IDEAL, which includes support throughout the High School years. Families are welcome to join the program immediately following at 6 PM.
November 4: Outside Activities and Using Your High School Years Effectively
This program is designed for ninth and tenth grade families to learn about what colleges and transition programs look for in students once they apply during their senior year. This program will include guest speakers from East Harlem Tutorial Program, ACE Mentor, and The Whitney Museum's Youth Insights. These programs are all free to students. We will answer the question, “How do students get involved in resumé-building activities outside of school?”
February 2: Postsecondary Evening for Juniors
This is a mandatory meeting for eleventh grade families to learn the nuts and bolts of IDEAL's college and transition program application process. We will discuss deadlines for senior year, recommendations, testing, the college and postsecondary program list, and everything necessary for the application process.
March 2: Summer Opportunities and Sophomore Postsecondary Night
Families of tenth graders are invited to learn about the benefits of attending summer programs and your next steps for postsecondary planning.
In addition to the above-listed seminars for families, Dr. Shere will be working with students during the school day on such activities as registering for SCOIR (an interactive postsecondary program IDEAL uses), career assessments, local college trips, and Zoom visits with colleges and transition programs. Please reach out to Dr. Shere at cshere@theidealschool.org with questions or suggestions for programming.