Talk:Harvey Milk High School

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I don't think you get to "choose" to send your child to Harvey Milk. the school was created as a haven for students who've had trouble in typical public schools due to harrassment over sexuality/orientation. i think that when applying there, you have to be able to make a case that you NEED to go there based on past experiences at other city public schools. and not just 'i got teased that one time cause my mom's a lesbian' but 'i get the crap beat out of me every time i go into the boy's bathroom'. this is why only a couple hundred kids go there. it's not something i'd wish on anyone, as cool a resource as HM is. also, for what it's worth, NYC is, in general, one of the most LGBT-tolerant places on the planet. you wouldn't need to send your kid to a special school to soak in that atmosphere.

Well it's (mostly) not as dramatic as all that anymore (though of course sadly it does still happen at some of the more hide-bound schools). It is true that was why is was originally founded, but that was over 20 years ago.

Now it's one of a group of "Transfer Schools" for people who for a wide variety of reasons are not getting along in the regular high-school setting. And actually because these "Transfer Schools" are smaller and many times academically better that the HUGE impersonal neighborhood high-schools many of them are a hidden gem of the pretty dismal NYC School system. People who are thinking of switching over to a GED Program or dropping out altogether can get a excellent public education by using this resource.

This is why I put the "out of date" tag on it. Anyone feel like helping with an update? I won't have time for a while. CyntWorkStuff 00:00, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

I agree -- the above was a response to the person below who said that if she ever moved to NYC, she'd send her kids to Harvey Milk. which, to my knowledge, isn't really how it works. there has to be a history of problems in a more traditional public school setting before one would be accepted to Harvey Milk. the kind of problems you don't wish on your kids just so they can go to an interesting and trendy school. sorry for any confusion.

If I ever live in NYC, I'm going to send my children to Harvey Milk High School when they're old enough. For me, it would be the perfect decision whilst living in that area, as I'd want my children to experience the same tolerant environment at school as they would at home. Heaven knows it would be healthier than them being taunted anywhere else for their moms or their own sexuality.

I don't have children yet, but I will one day. And they deserve the same respect that I get at my own school (Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). --68.148.38.184 02:53, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)B. Walker

[edit] Harvey Milk

Wouldn't it be a good idea to link to an article on Harvey Milk himself? Not everyone knows who he was, or why a school actively promoting tolerance ought to be named after him. Nuttyskin 03:20, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] this school page is way out of date as academic year 2006-07 approaches

And the data contained does not paint a full picture of this school. This is for the most part an ordinary NYC 'Empowerment School' that as of 2006, has been quietly educating high-school students for the past 21 years. It should really be updated and the sensational & controversial bits be put into proper perspective.

Help in updating & correcting would be appreciated. Thanks CyntWorkStuff 02:41, 13 August 2006 (UTC)