Greater Brunswick Charter School

Greater Brunswick Charter School
Location
429 Joyce Kilmer Avenue,
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Information
Type Public elementary school/middle school
Established 1998
Grades K - 8
Enrollment 382 (as of 2013-14)
Student to teacher ratio 15:1
Website School website

Greater Brunswick Charter School (GBCS) is a free, public charter school serving grades kindergarten through eighth located on 429 Joyce Kilmer Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a Spanish-English bilingual program for grades K-4, and has plans to extend it through grade five.[1]

History

The school opened in the 1998-99 school year. In 2004, it purchased its current building, formerly a bowling alley, with the help of a $500,000 government grant and a $2.5 million loan from New Jersey Community Capital and the Community Redevelopment Fund.[2]

Over the summer of 2010, the charter school expanded, creating over a dozen classrooms and a larger gymnasium out of warehouse space in the building. The funding for this was secured by the nonprofit organization Build With Purpose (then known as READS).[3] For a year prior to this expansion, the school's middle school and one fifth grade classroom had been housed across the street from the school building. The following year, a playground was added, with assistance from KaBOOM!.

Student body

As of the 2013-14 school year, 382 students were enrolled at the school. 70.4% were Hispanic, 19.4% were black, 8.1% were white, and 1.8% were Asian. 63.4% of the students were eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch.[4] 55.2% of students primarily spoke Spanish and 44.8% primarily spoke English at home.[5] The school has a student:teacher ratio of 15:1.[6] GBCS will accept students from any district in New Jersey, although it gives preference to those from Edison, New Brunswick, and Highland Park.[7]

Administration

Core members of the school administration include Donna Medea, the education director; Vanessa Jones, the assistant education director; and Gregory Ramero, the supervisor of instruction.[8] Vanessa Jones will be the education director effective July 1, 2016.

Performance Programs

Theatre

For several years, the school would hold an annual elementary mid-school day production of skits about early Americans, laced together by patriotic numbers. This show was removed in 2011, and a proper theatre program was placed in 2014.

The first play, a one-performance trial, was 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Don Zolidis. The production was performed in-school in June 2014, and was successful enough for a more proper planned theatre season for the next school year.

Originally, a production of Trifles was planned for fall 2014, but it was cancelled due to casting difficulties. This was followed by a sold-out, 4 show run of Seussical Jr in February 2015.

However, the program was changed drastically with a switch of musical directors, and the 2016 show was an original titled GBCS the Musical, using "classic showtunes and an original script to describe life at GBCS."

Choir

A choir program was added for students 4th grade and up in the 2010-11 school season, however they never performed; the following year it was switched to 3rd grade and up, and though they performed numerous times in the 2011-12 season, they never performed in the 2012-13 season.

The program was reworked for 2013-14's school year, making an elementary school choir and a middle school choir, each of which performed at various school events, concluding with an end of the year concert, however it was changed in the 2014-15 year to just a single school appearance and a competition at Six Flags.

References

  1. ↑ Greater Brunswick Charter School website: Dual Language Program. Accessed 1/23/15.
  2. ↑ Greater Brunswick Charter School website: About US. Accessed 5 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Build With Purpose article. Accessed 25 February 2016.
  4. ↑ National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) website. Accessed January 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ Greater Brunswick Charter School 2013-14 School Performance Report, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ Education.com. Accessed September 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ Greater Brunswick Charter School website: Enrollment. Accessed January 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ Greater Brunswick Charter School Website: Directory. Accessed September 26, 2015.

Coordinates: 40°28′44″N 74°27′46″W / 40.47884°N 74.46284°W / 40.47884; -74.46284

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