NEST M

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Location
New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m)
111 Columbia Street New York, NY, USA
Information
Principal	Dr. Olga Livanis
Enrollment	1100 students
Type	School for Talented and Gifted Children (Public School)
Established	2001
Information	(212) 677-5190
Homepage	http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/01/M539/default.htm

New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math, usually referred to as NEST+m, is a public school, located at 111 Columbia Street on the Lower East Side, Manhattan, which serves New York City students from kindergarten through grade twelve. Students are selected based on grades, test scores, and personal interviews. The school was founded by former principal Celenia Chévere, and the current principal is Dr. Olga Livanis (Dr. Livanis was appointed as "Interim Acting Principal" in June of 2006, and was given the official Principal position in January of 2007).^[1]

NEST+m founder Celenia Chévere studied at the progressive Bank Street College of Education. However, she had also come to appreciate the benefits of a classical education, and at NEST, the focus is on achievement. There is emphasis on spelling and grammar, and the school ensures that students know the material they need to pass the Regents Examinations. Students are expected to work hard – 3 to 4 hours of homework a night is not uncommon for high school students, while middle schoolers are given about an hour. Current NEST+m Principal Dr. Olga Livanis came to the school from Stuyvesant High School where she was an Assistant Principal in charge of Chemistry and Physics. Dr. Livanis received her Doctorate in Science Education (with Honors) from Columbia University in 2002. Prior to that she received a Masters Degree (again with Honors) in Science Education from The City College of New York (CUNY). Earlier in her educational career she earned a BFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute.

NEST is defined by rigorous standards and a strong sense of community.^{[citation needed]} The school employs some unusual educational methods, including Singapore Math and gender-split Math and Science classes (no longer in high school).

[edit] Controversy

Principal Chévere objected to a proposed building sharing arrangement with the Ross Global Academy Charter School, and was removed from her post in 2006, amid charges of misconduct dating back to the school's opening in 2001. She had hit a boiling point after failing to try and expel two 11 year old students from the middle school for an email based prank. Since what the children had done did not merit an expulsion, as deemed by chancellor Joel Klein, she repeatedly harassed the students and their families, until numerous complaints were filed against her and by the end of the 2005-2006 school year it was obvious she would be relieved of her post at Nest. Following further investigation many of the administrators of Nest were either fired or demoted, because they were not qualified to do their jobs.^[2] She was replaced by Dr. Livanis on an "interim" basis who was named as the permanent Princial in January of 2007. Chévere continues to be at the center of a misconduct investigation despite retiring from a long and illustrious career as an education leader. A final report is still pending.^[3]

The administration has both ardent defenders and vocal detractors. Many parents^[who?] have been disappointed by what they consider the school's unnecessarily punitive reaction to minor behavior problems (note that this is a criticism of the old administration)^{[citation needed]}, and by the daunting admissions process (according to the Department of Education the admission process across NYC Gifted and Talented Schools is claimed to be normalized as of 9/25/2006).^{[citation needed]} Many^[who?] also criticize the unexpectedly high levels of academic challenge and discipline. Others^[who?] love the school and express it with generous donations of time, energy and other resources, including financial resources.^{[citation needed]}

On 2006-10-27, New York City Police closed down a meeting of the NEST+m Parent Teacher Association.^[4] This occurred because there was no security in the building and it is against the rules to use a public school building for a meeting without security. Earlier in the meeting, eight members of the PTA executive board announced their resignation "en masse" citing multiple grievances against the interim acting administration.^[4] It is worth noting that at this same meeting an election for the School Leadership Team was held. The outcome of that election was that 4 of the 5 seats went to candidates who had earlier publicly announced their intentions to work amicably with the new Administration. ^[5]

Additional controversy has surrounded NEST+m in regards to its admissions process prior to September of 2006. In a front page article in the New York Times on 11/4/06, the New York City Department of Education alleged that interviews of parents were factored into the admissions process, citing cases where less qualified children were granted admission due to their parent's performance during an interview. Similarly, there are allegations of cases where more qualified children were denied admission due to their parent's characteristics (in at least one case due to a parent's limited English proficiency).^[6] From September of 2006 onwards, no parent interviews have taken place at NEST+m, or any other New York City Talented and Gifted School. Parent tours are still conducted to help inform new families about the more challenging aspects of the school.^{[citation needed]}

As of January of 2007, with the naming of Dr. Livanis as the permanent Principal, the controversy at NEST+m has died down.^{[citation needed]} NEST+m has managed to stay out of the press, yet the atmosphere at the school is mostly calm.^{[citation needed]} A new PTA and SLT are in place, yet an uncertain spirit prevails at the school.^{[citation needed]}