GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

I attended Jamaica High School and graduated decades ago. At that time there were no Junior High Schools and the students came in well prepared in the basics. Perhaps one should look at the primary school first and get rid of the Junior High Schools before JHS..they are a disaster.You will pick up a building, a principals’s salary and protect pre-teens that are going further away from their homes for their education. Most NYC parents take their children out of grade school before junior high school because it is too dangerous. Jamaica High School is a landmark; it has sports: football, tennis, track, swiiming pool and a college type campus, just to name a few assets.The teachers and support system have always been caring and dedicated.JHS is large enough to prepare a student for college and sports give scholarships. Charter schools and smaller schools don’t have these assets and as per one studentat JHS, they don’t have students from Riker’s Island. There is no other school that has been named the best high school in Queens, NYC or NY State. JHS is the only one that I know of from all the boroughs. Perhaps one should examine the young student who said “are they closing our school because we are poor?” What a terrible example that is if that is true! Why did JHS not have the advantanges of the Collegiate School in the same building with more money, more computers more bathrooms… if you need to keep more schools at JHS,.perhaps add one but keep them equal..Take the lessons from a blended family,.treat us alike.. no favorites. but don’t close Jamaica High School. I went to a recent reunion. The successes of the former students were monumental. Schools in other states would love to have the history of the graduates of Jamaica High School. Success in the Arts, Music. Medicine, Business, & Political Giants are just a few assets. I myself sold real estate to many famous students from JHS. Having had multiple careers, traveling the world and working with the famous in Manhatan, many people came from Queens. You have a stately building on the hill that is a beacon: it is the Harvard of high schools, be careful when you forget your history… yes we must look forward but not at the expense of closing a jewel in NYC’s history. Treasure it, preserve it and let it live for it is our successful legacy and history; preserve it for others to be inspired. Isn’t that what the great schools in America do? Just look at the prep schools in the Northeast;.they don’t close, they build on their 100 year old history and restor to preserve their legacy. Let the flag on top of the hill at Jamaica High School continue to fly as a beacon to succeed in America for all..Our obligation is to preserve our history and particularly for Queens a borough in New York City. Let our jewel Jamaica High School live and become a great legacy for schools like the Statue of Liberty is for America.. Marilyn H Kaye. President. MLBKaye International Realty

jason, it’s people like you who should never have become a teacher in the first place. The school would be better off without someone who belongs in a private school. Do the students, and staff a favor – RESIGN.

Hitler went thru Austria with fear and these tactics are not the American way, The parents have a right to choose the school they want for their children. The parents of Jamaica High School want this school to remain intact.and it is the only school voted the best in New York City in 1985 My company MLBKaye International Realty supports citizen’s choice. We keep the name America and the name United States of America.. As a former Board member of Boy’s Harbor and the YWCA, the parent’s were listened to If the financial constraints of the organization needed an additional building or if it needed girls added to the name but the original name was not killed. If Jamaica High School needs a charter school to survive financially then add it but don’t close Jamaica High School. Do not let Jamaica High School be like Austria under the third reich, under another banner and is no longer free.A public education is at Jamaica High School & it did not become.the best school in America as a charter school. Parents in some cases pay for their children to go to school at a charter school..We do not want free public schools to cease to exist in NYC. Pool the business sector for more funds and pool the alumni for more funds but don’t close the school, a free public high school, Jamaica High School… a landmarked building that should remain intact. Add a charter school if needed at JHS but do keep the public high school intact in Jamaica Hill, an area in New York City that is totally diverse.. My company MLBKaye International Realty and LBKaye International Realty helped Boy’s Harbor and the YWCA,.remain as landmarks with their name. They were not closed. PEN has helped the public schools with Principals for a Day raise money..Most of the business sector helped the conglomorate of public schools under PEN raise money for additional computers and school needs.I was a Principal of the Day and I am a product of Jamaica High School, a free public high school from decades ago and have learned valuable skills at Jamaica High School. It is landmarked, the charter schools are not! The name of our song in the United States is ” God Bless America” and most of the parents have come out and voted for Jamaica High School’s school name to remain as the beacon of freedom in the public school system in NYC. Let us not be as Austria.under the Third Reich going along but not free.. Let us not be as Austria in need of jobs and financial support come under a dictatorship. Add your charter school under Jamaica High School but do not destroy the school, the building and its name.The right for the parents to choose a public high school education is an American dream. Do not let fear change your name as Austria changed its allegiance and fell under Hitler. The song is “God Bless America” and the chant by the all the parents is “God Bless Jamaica High School” and like the landmark JHS is, do not change the name and the right to be free as a public high school in NYC…. the winner of the best high school in America. The citizens have spoken, their chant is “God bless Jamaica High School” the equivelant of.we do not want to be another Austria, we want to be free like you and me in the United States of America. As the unions say “Made in America,” the citizens of. Jamaica Hill want their public high school Jamaica High School to remain a free public school, made in the greatest city in the world, New York City in the U.S.. Our colors at Jamaica High School are red and blue, just like the flag of the United States of America flag is red and blue. A. Co-incidence… I don’t think so, as the spiratulists say, “there are no co-incidences” The truth has been spoken, just listen to the people that live there, the multi-national people living there, the Chinese, the Indians, the Bangledesh and the Muslims, just to name a few whose children go to the the great high school on the hill with the great American flag flying high. The residences living there have spoken… listen to them and as the unions say “Made in America,” Jamaica High School represents made in America too!. …. Marilyn Harra Kaye, a former JHS graduate President, MLBKaye International Realty MKaye@MLBKI.com

Jason, you are the reason why good teachers get blamed for poor performance. You give them reason to believe that teachers just don’t care. Students at least deserve good teachers, perhaps Jamaica’s problem is not being more careful about who they hire since they end up with people like you.

Diego its people like you that should be kicked in a face with a giant boot;
Jamaica is an outstanding school with amazing teachers