1. Curriculum: The Curriculum for the Science Department is for the main part driven by the New York State Board of Regents and their regulations. These regulations have been adapted to our new Science lab facility and are diligently enforced.
   As for courses taught, we offer Regents courses in Living Environment, Chemistry, and Physics. We also offer Environmental Science and AP Physics, both as elective courses and new to our curriculum this academic year. We
   also added a course in partnership with Rockefeller University for select students interested in becoming Laboratory Animal Specialists. This course offers both college credits and local HS credit and upon the successful completion of the course, students will be awarded certification as Lab Animal Specialists and the opportunity to work at RU in that capacity.
   
   
2. Academic Success: The Science Department has begun to experience solid gains this past year. The Living Environment course results are on the increase. From 85.7% passing in June 2002 with 28 students taking the exam to 88.2% passing in June 2003 with 85 students taking the exam, and 94.9% in January 2004 with 59 students taking the exam in a mid-year off peak period. The Chemistry results show a marked gain as in June 2002 there were 25% students passing the exam with only 4 taking it, and in June 2003 87.1% passed with 31 taking it. Physics continues to experience excellent results: 95.6% in June 2002, and 100% in June 2003, in each case there were approximately 22-23 students taking the exam. These most recent gains in our results can be attributed in most part to the opening of our new Science Labs, the increase of teacher workshops over the past year and one half, and the new enthusiasm engendered by these two factors among our teaching staff.
   
   
3. Personnel: Along with the hiring of a Laboratory Specialist this past year, we have also added one new member to our teaching staff. The addition of these two new members to the Department has enhanced both the maintenance of the laboratory facility and the teaching quality of the Department significantly.
   
   
4. Laboratory Equipment: We continue to add to our state of the art lab equipment with the addition of the Power Point Program, which is used in lesson presentations, DNA Electrophoresis technology, and a new DVD program dealing with Physics Labs.
   
   
5. Teacher Workshops: We continue to involve our teachers in Teacher Workshops. This academic year we will have sponsored five workshops, all presented by outside groups such as the New York Hall of Science, Cornell University, CSFB, and NYU. They comprised both practical laboratory experiences and classroom instruction techniques.
   
   
6. Partnerships: We continued to add new partnerships this academic year. Our new partnership with Rockefeller University has enabled us to add a new course for our students and the opportunity of a career as Animal Lab Specialists. Cornell University has started a training program for both teachers and students in DNA Electrophoresis techniques and we hope to expand on this to other areas of partnership endeavors with them in the near future. We have also expanded our partnership with the New York Hall of Science by sending student interns to their Explainer Program.
   
   
7. Significant milestones of the year:
   July 1—August 4, 2003: Our first Summer Academy on Science Technology
   October 8, 2003: Grand Opening of our new Science Facility
   May 10, 2004: Our first AP Examination (Physics)
   June 18, 2004: First Graduation for Students participating in the Rockefeller U. Program
   July 1 – 30, 2004: 2nd Annual Summer Academy
   
   
8. Interdisciplinary Connections: The Science Department participated in a series of meeting with the Guidance Department over the school year in order to establish a set of guidelines for students in completing their Science requirements. These meeting proved beneficial to both Departments and will continue to be an ongoing experience.
   
   
9. Further Goals: It is the hope of the Department that we will be able to continue our Summer Academy, which began last summer and expand its curriculum in Science technology. Secondly, we anticipate establishing a web site for the Science Department and have it in place by September 2004. Finally, we hope to broaden our Interdisciplinary Connections next academic year by working with our Photography Department in making interdisciplinary projects involving both Departments. This would take place especially in the area of Environmental concerns.

          Living Environment

Michael O'Herlihy
AP Science