East Rockaway Junior Senior High School is located in the small village of East Rockaway, located in Nassau County on the South Shore of Long Island. The village can best be described as tight-knit, blue collar community, that enjoys tradition.
The faculty and administration at the Junior Senior High School recognized the need for a cultural shift in order to provide its students with the necessary opportunities and requisite skills needed to compete in a quickly-changing college and career landscape.
To level up instruction for all students the school began a Honors by Achievement Program along with expanded opportunities for all students to take challenging and rigorous Advanced Placement and college-level courses.
The Honors by Achievement initiative began in Grade 7, by grouping all students in heterogeneous English and Social Studies classes and allowing the former honors students to earn Honors designation through their classroom performance. The program continued in Grade 8, and will begin in Grade 9 English classes this year. At the same time, the school has expanded its Advanced Placement class offerings.
According to Principal Joe Spero, “At East Rockaway, the most important thing our kids can learn is the value of hard work. Everyone can ‘get smart.’
For breaking down barriers to challenging classes allowing all students to achieve, East Rockaway Junior Senior High School is recognized as a Silver School of Opportunity.