At the Staten Island high school fair, Jordan Boone, 13, said he’s considering Moore Catholic High School, a private school, but came to the fair so he could look at some public schools, too.
Boone said he’s really interested in computers and software engineering, and Moore Catholic has a good computer repair program. But he said Ralph. R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School also has a strong technology program. He said he likes learning about how computers are built and constructed and wants to one day produce video games or work as a software engineer.
“I have a zoned school, but I want to look at the technical schools,” Boone said. “I’ve been talking to my mom about computers since I was like five.”
Jordan will have to take the Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools in order to apply for Moore Catholic High School. Jordan said students who do well on the test get a scholarship, but even those who don’t ace the test can still get in.
“If you put Moore as your first choice, and they like you, they’ll take you,” he said.
His mother, Felicia Boone, said he’s in a tutoring program that helps him with the tests required for admission. She said Jordan is trying to find his way in terms of what type of engineering he wants to go into, but she’s most interested in schools that will prepare him best for college.
“I’m looking at college-ready schools,” Felicia Boone said. “That’s my main thing, not so much for jobs, but I want to make sure the school prepares him for college.” In addition to Moore, Jordan said his top choices are McKee and Curtis High School.
Kayle Schnell is a student at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.