Congratulations, 8th graders!

This month, BEAM students found out where they will be attending high school.  We are pleased to announce that, so far, 40% of our 8th graders have been admitted to highly selective high schools and 62% have been admitted to selective high schools.  At this point, 89% will be attending "trusted" schools, which meet BEAM's minimum standards for college preparation. We say "at this point" because every year a few students are undermatched in the process. We are currently working with students who were not admitted to high schools that meet our standards to make sure that they can navigate the appeals process and find a good fit for the next four years.

BEAM students were admitted to: 

• Bard High School Early College (15)
• Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (15)
• Stuyvesant (3)
• Bronx Science (3)
• Brooklyn Tech (3)
• The Beacon School (3)
• Collegiate Institute For Math And Science (3)
• Brooklyn Latin (2)
• NEST+m (2)
• Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences (2)
• Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) (2)
• Loomis Chaffee
• Poly Prep
• High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
• High School of American Studies at Lehman College
• Manhattan/Hunter Science High School
• Midwood High School
• Millennium High School
• Millennium Brooklyn High School
• Manhattan Village Academy
• Medgar Evers College Preparatory School
• University Heights High School
• Academy for Software Engineering 
• Bronx Academy for Software Engineering 
• Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science
• Urban Assembly Maker Academy

These 82 8th graders join 300+ BEAM students already in high school. We're so proud of you all!

BEAM 8th Graders Visit NYC Google Headquarters!

Ever wondered what Google, one of the top multinational technology companies in the world, is like? Our 8th graders got the chance!

This past Friday afternoon, our 8th graders visited the Google NYC headquarters to learn about what working for Google is like. They learned about "Math and Google," Software engineering and Time Complexity Theory! They then took a tour of the building and asked a panel of Googlers some thought-provoking questions. 

Software Engineering was presented by Luis. He assists in developing software to help run Google as a company.

With Luis, students learned how to simulate IP networks. They sent each other "human messages" using IP addresses!

"Math at Google" was presented by Paul. He works with Gmail and uses mathematical equations to make email sorting easier for users!

"Time Complexity Theory: How Fast can a Computer Solve Problems?" was presented by Kenechi. Kenechi is a software engineer who taught our students how computers use Logarithmic Notation to solve problems. 

BEAM students then took a tour of the Google building. They learned the history of the building and the significance of room names (they're all named after NYC landmarks!) They were able to see the game room, which allows Googlers to take a mental break from working in order to help stimulate their brains for more creative ideas. They saw the Google kitchen which allows Googlers to have a well-balanced meal for lunch and provides snacks for when they need them. Google is an awesome place to work at! Employees even travel around in scooters because hallways are so long!

Take a look at these pictures for proof !!

The day at Google ended with a panel discussion. BEAM students asked thought provoking questions to 4 Googlers: Paul Cheong, Justin Venezuela, Molly Alter and Kenechi Ufondu.

Examples of questions were: "What advice would you give to me pursuing a career revolving around my love of math?" "What kind of mathematics is used at Google?" "How does it feel like to be apart of such a large company?" "Is this your dream job?" The panelists were amazing and honest. They provided our students with great insight on what it is like to work for Google.

We hope to see some of our alumni working at Google in the next 10 to 20 years! 

High School Placements, a First Draft

This month, BEAM students found out where they will be attending high school.  We are pleased to announce that, so far, 42% of our 8th graders have been admitted to highly selective high schools and 61% have been admitted to selective high schools.  At this point, 79% will be attending "trusted" schools, which meet BEAM's minimum standards for college preparation. We say "at this point" because every year a few students are undermatched in the process. We are currently working with students who were not admitted to high schools that meet our standards to make sure that they can navigate the appeals process and find a good fit for the next four years.

BEAM will have students attending:*

• Bard High School Early College (8)
• Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (6)
• Brooklyn Technical High School (4)
• Stuyvesant (3)
• University Heights High School (3)
• Bronx High School for Science (2)
• The Beacon School (2)
• Midwood High School (2)
• Pace High School (2)
• A. Philip Randolph (2) 
• The Cate School
• NEST+m 
• Staten Island Tech
• Manhattan/Hunter Science High School
• Baccalaureate School of Global Education
• LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
• Medgar Evers College Preparatory School
• Academy for Software Engineering 
• Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics
• Urban Assembly Maker Academy

*This doesn’t count everyone with great results to share! Four students are still deciding between great options, like one student deciding between Bronx Science and Bard High School Early College. 

Congratulations are also in order to two 9th graders who are transferring to even stronger high schools.  In the fall, Chuka will be attending Brooklyn Tech and Ezelle will be attending High School of Math, Science, and Engineering at City College. 

Congratulations everyone!

Getting on track for 8th grade: High School Information Session

This Saturday, 45 8th graders and their families joined BEAM to hear about high schools, how to apply, and also to hear the perspectives of BEAM students now in high school.  At the end of the event, students went home with personalized recommendations for which high schools to apply to as well as a calendar of next steps. 

Missed the event?  Here's some information and advice from our high school BEAM students. 

“BEAM suggested that I apply to NEST+m because I was studying for the SHSAT and the exams are similar. I ended up not getting into any specialized schools, but I did get into NEST+m. I have just finished two weeks there and I like it. Everyone is friendly. You can go up to an 11th grader and ask a question and they will help you.”

— Adrianne, 9th grade, NEST+m

“I first studied for the SHSAT during my summer at BEAM. I ended up being accepted into Bronx Science and Bard High School Early College and chose Bronx Science. There was some culture shock when I first arrived, but it’s absolutely the right school for me. ”

— Andy, 11th grade, Bronx Science

“BEAM exposed me to high schools I had never heard of. I went to visit Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) with BEAM. In the end, I got into both Brooklyn Tech and BHSEC. BEAM helped me make a decision and I went with BHSEC, which is the best choice I ever made.”

— Lennin, 10th grade, BHSEC

“I went to the Citywide High School Fair with BEAM. They taught me how to shake hands and introduce myself. While there, I talked with the Assistant Principal of the Academy for Software Engineering (AFSE). I really liked her and the school, so I went to an Open House to learn more. I ended up ranking it first and got in. I like the school because of its community environment.”

— Mona, 11th grade, AFSE

You can read more about each of their high schools on InsideSchools:

• Academy for Software Engineering
• Bard High School Early College
• Bronx Science
• NEST+m

8th graders?  Interested in attending one of these schools?

• Next step for Academy for Software Engineering: sign up for their mailing list; then, attend an Open House
• Next step for Bard High School Early College: come to the essay writing workshop on October 1; then, take the admissions assessment with us on October 25
• Next step for Bronx Science: keep studying for the SHSAT and ask BEAM for help with that
• Next step for NEST+m: sign up for the entrance exam; we recommend the October 29 date, as it's exactly one week after the SHSAT

BEAM is here to help with high school!  Please reach out if you have any questions. 

High School Placements, a first draft

This month, BEAM students found out where they will be attending high school.  We are pleased to announce that, so far, 35% of our 8th graders will be attending highly selective high schools and 51% will be attending selective high schools.  We say "so far" because a number of students, due to extenuating circumstances and the logistics of the process, are still awaiting a high school placement and we hope those numbers will go up as students are settled.

BEAM will have students attending:

Bard High School Early College (10)
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics (6)
Brooklyn Technical High School (5)
The Beacon School (4)
NEST+m (3)
Academy for Software Engineering (3)
Bronx High School for Science (2)
University Heights High School (2)
High School of Math, Science, and Engineering at City College
LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies
Manhattan Village Academy
Pace High School
Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics
Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science

Congratulations are also in order to three 9th graders who are transferring to even stronger high schools.  In the fall, Amanda will be attending Brooklyn Tech, Eric will be attending Manhattan Center, and Mayra will be attending University Heights. 

We are so proud of them all!