Miseducation

Mariah Morgan, a junior at Park Slope Collegiate and setter on the girls varsity volleyball team, was an early proponent of the merger – she helped lobby for it as a member of the Campus Council. But her optimism is tested when practice starts. To understand the building’s complicated history, she explores how Millennium came to be at John Jay in the first place, and why the campaign to merge the athletics programs began.

For stats, photos, bonus audio and more, check out our Keeping Score page.

“Keeping Score” is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The Bell. This four-part series will appear in the United States of Anxiety feed on Thursdays in June.

Connect with us at [email protected].

For WNYC: Alana Casanova-Burgess, Jessica Gould, Joe Plourde, Jenny Lawton, Karen Frillmann, Emily Botein, Wayne Schulmeister, and Andrew Dunn.

For The Bell: Mariah Morgan, Lauren Valme, Renika Jack, Noor Muhsin, Thyan Nelson, Jacob Mestizo, Taylor McGraw, and Mira Gordon.

Fact-check by Natalie Meade. Music by Jared Paul – with additional tracks by Hannis Brown and Isaac Jones. Special thanks to Andy Lanset, Norman Scott, Gwynne Hogan, and Afi Yellow-Duke.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

The John Jay Educational Complex, a large brick building in Park Slope, Brooklyn, houses four high schools: Cyberarts Studio Academy, the Secondary School for Law, Millennium Brooklyn, and Park Slope Collegiate. Each school is its own separate universe, but the students yearn to connect.  When the administration announces that the athletics programs will merge, they ask what it will take for the building to live up to its new motto: “We Are One.”

For stats, photos, bonus audio and more, check out our Keeping Score page.

“Keeping Score” is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The Bell. This four-part series will appear in the United States of Anxiety feed on Thursdays in June.

Connect with us at [email protected].

For WNYC: Alana Casanova-Burgess, Jessica Gould, Joe Plourde, Jenny Lawton, Karen Frillmann, Emily Botein, Wayne Schulmeister, and Andrew Dunn.

For The Bell: Mariah Morgan, Lauren Valme, Renika Jack, Noor Muhsin, Thyan Nelson, Jacob Mestizo, Taylor McGraw, and Mira Gordon.

Fact-check by Natalie Meade. Music by Jared Paul – with additional tracks by Hannis Brown and Isaac Jones. Special thanks to: Afi Yellow-Duke, Rebecca Clark-Callender and Tracie Hunte.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

The topic of mental illnesses and disabilities has always hit close to home for me. I come from a family where mental health issues are like a tradition that gets passed down through every generation. This history with mental illnesses has made me more inclined to speak out for the individuals that live with them. In particular, I aim to shed light on the mistreatment of Black and Hispanic children with mental illnesses or disabilities in low-income public schools.

It is estimated that less than 15% of American children experiencing poverty who are in need of mental health care, receive services. My older sister Janaya falls into that 15% that did receive care. But this was after a lot of advocating on my mother’s part. Janaya only began to see therapists seven years ago after my mom took her to get diagnosed when she was in middle school. Despite receiving mental health care, Janaya’s issues didn’t just vanish. She still struggled with a set of learning disabilities.

Tune in to hear Janaya’s harrowing journey through the public school system and my mother’s steadfast determination to get her the support she deserved.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

My name is Adnaan Elahi. I’m a high school senior and a Muslim student. I go to an incredibly diverse high school in East Harlem. Many of my peers are recent immigrants or first-generation students such as myself. 

The New York City public school system is filled with students from numerous backgrounds. This includes race, ethnicity, and what I’ll be focusing on: religion. 

The issue of freedom of religion within public schools can be a complicated one, so what does practicing one's religion look like in the nation’s largest public school system? And when you hit some obstacles, how do you address them?

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Since the closing of the schools due to COVID in March 2020, it’s been hard on students, academically and emotionally. How can you find the desire to learn when you're staring at a screen at 8 in the morning?

After a year and a half of Zoom school, former Mayor de Blasio decided that it was time for every student to go back in person. In September of 2021, schools finally reopened. But then, when the new year came around… Omicron entered the scene. The week we got back from winter break, school felt like a ghost town.

I wanted to take you on a day of my life in school during Omicron, from the morning to dismissal, to show everyone what school really was like. This is January 14th.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Every student in NYC public schools goes through the high school admissions process. About 80,000 eighth graders every year researching, and ranking, and waiting, and ultimately landing in one of more than 400 high schools. 

My process surprised lots of people. Not because of the school — Edison — that I got into. But because of the school I turned down.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

It’s 8:40 am on a Friday. Just a 5 minute walk from Jay St MetroTech, you can find high-schoolers heading south on their way to school. Students hike up the concrete stairs leading to the red doors under the stone sign that states, George Westinghouse High school. There is a long line this morning that stretches from outside on the block all the way to the inside of the lobby. You can hear the occasional teeth suck as they watch another kid hold up the line to go through the metal detectors.

Metal detectors are a huge part of Westinghouse culture, quickly blending into the lives of students and staff. The practice of rechecking pockets and belongings, before stepping in front of one of these devices, lodges its way into the minds of kids as soon as they begin high school.

This is a story about my friend Rojuiana and her incident with the metal detectors that almost landed her in prison and left a permanent mark on her school record. But there is even more at stake here.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Every Tuesday after school, students rush to their bright red lockers, throw their coats on, and head for the stairs. The sound of student chatter is everywhere, while kids squeeze their way through the cramped halls. Usually everyone is heading home by now, but there are a couple of stragglers trying to find a room to stay in before Comic Arts and Illustrations Club starts. I recognize them immediately because they’re the same kids who always stay for the chance to be themselves in a safe creative space with Ms. O’Neal… and it’s no surprise why.

In my selective high school it’s easy for students of color – including me – to feel disregarded. But every now and then you find a supportive adult who goes out of their way to make you feel seen.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

I didn’t expect for it to be this hard to navigate my high school years, but then halfway through my sophomore year, Covid hit. Everything changed. I found myself in a state of panic over my safety, my family’s safety, and on top of that, I was stressing out about school and my grades. 

Do teachers realize the extent to which we, students, have been affected? What are their views on students’ mental health— and their role in helping students manage stress? I took these questions to my school and got some surprising answers.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

Have you ever had that one person in your life that just kinda opened your eyes and changed your perspective? Someone who just stood beside you, always made sure you were okay –– a good supporter and encourager? Yeah, I mean that kinda person.

I met Dominique Jones when I was a middle schooler attending the Boys and Girls club of Harlem, where she was the director at the time. In this episode, I reunite with Ms. Dominique and share with her the impact she had on me.

Want exclusive content from Miseducation? Join us on Patreon.

To join the conversation, send us a message and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Miseducation is a podcast of The Bell that equips New York City public high school students with the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.