Spark Studio

Principal Scott Conti interviews the journalists and authors of Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green ahead of their book talk at Seward Park Campus Library at New Design High School.

From Macmillan Publishers:

"A riveting investigation into a school, a scam, and a notorious college admissions scandal that exposes the inequalities and racial segregation of American education, from two award-winning New York Times journalists

T.M. Landry College Prep, a small private school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, boasted a 100 percent college acceptance rate, placing students at nearly every Ivy League university in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Yale was broadcast on television and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It became a national ritual to watch the miraculous success of these youngsters—miraculous because Breaux Bridge is one of the poorest counties in the country, ranked close to the bottom for test scores and high school graduation rates. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often black.

How did the school do it? It didn’t: It was a scam, pulled off with fake transcripts and personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse, Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of alleged abuse and coercion. In a yearslong investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the lives of the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why black teens were pressured to trade in racial stereotypes of hardship for opportunity.

Gripping and illuminating, Miracle Children argues that the lesson of T.M. Landry is not that the school gamed the system but that it played by the rules—that its deceptions and abuses were the outcome of segregated schools, inequitable education, and the belief that elite colleges are the nation’s last path to life-changing economic opportunity."

Produced by: Spark Studio

Original Beat "Beethoven" by Benjamin Lewis

Seniors Mari, Shelton, Aaron, Miguel, and Nyesha get real about immigration, deportation, and living in America today.

Senior Nia discusses sexual violence with Dilyon our parent coordinator.

*Sensitive topics around sexual violence will be discussed. Listener discretion is advised.

Seniors Levi & Josh discuss what gun laws mean to them.

Juniors AJ, Gabby, and Jakell kick off the student podcasts from the Design for Life Class at New Design High School to talk about what "being a bad ass" means for them.

Intro/Outro Remix by George Anacleto

Students in the Design for Life class at New Design High School discuss what it means to be a "bad ass" after having read Jen Sincero's You Are a Bad Ass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living Your Life.

In this first episode, principal Dr. Scott Conti interviews faculty members Emily Hakimian and Edwin Rodriguez to set the tone.

Intro/Outro Remix by George Anacleto

Seniors Sahana, Priscilla, and Glorimar at New Design High School discuss women's rights for Sexual Awareness Abuse Month. 

Scott, Claire, Pinck, and Courtney kick off the Democra-tea podcast geared at the Seal of Civics Readiness project that is being launched at New Design High School in New York City.