Mary Cafaro has definite priorities in choosing a school for her son Matthew: a convenient commute and a humanities-based curriculum.
“I don’t want him to go to a school that’s too much in a niche. It’s high school. He needs a broad humanities education. There seems to be a theme of a lot of specialized schools but I think they’re too young for that,” she said as she and Matthew toured the Manhattan High School Fair.
The Cafaros also want a school that will be a convenient commute from their Midtown East home.
One school on their radar is the New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies, which is about 20 minutes from their home. “Commuting is a big deal. Last week he looked at Lab, which is on West 17th [Street] and was a good commute,” Cafaro said.
The Cafaros enjoyed the high school fair at Martin Luther King, Jr. Educational Campus on Amsterdam Avenue despite the sometimes-stressful atmosphere.
“The process has been arduous, but I think the fair is a great idea. It definitely gives you a flavor for each school and is a good opportunity to hear from students in addition to principals and staff,” Mary Cafaro said.
Oresti Tsonopoulos is a student at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.