MCS in the Media
Education. Sustainability. MLK March. Occupy Wall Street. Immigration rights. Civil rights. At Manhattan Country School, teachers, students and alumni are not only concerned with the issues of our time, they are becoming agents of change they want to see. Here, we proudly highlight our community in the media. 
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Manhattan Country School’s Communications Coordinator is happy to work with the media to provide access to our faculty, who are experts on a variety subjects ranging from sustainability education to activism to diversity, or to provide comment on news stories where appropriate. For all media requests, please contact Corris Little at clittle@manhattancountryschool.org or (212) 348-0952 ext. 281. Please note: If you quote one of our faculty, parents or students, always include the school’s name: Manhattan Country School.
RECENT PRESS
Newsday: Student-driven MLK march focuses on civil rights issues
“Every year for 25 years, children have researched, written and spoken out about a civil rights issues of their choice. One of the founding goals of Manhattan Country School, which was based on the principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is to teach students to be activists. From a young age, students are encouraged to discover their voices, stand up for their beliefs, and work together to create positive change.” READ MORE
Phoenix New Times: Is Phoenix Doing Enough to Honor and Celebrate Martin Luther King? Growing up in New York City I was privileged to attend a school, Manhattan Country School, where civil rights was at the forefront of our learning experience. READ MORE
Time Out NY Kids: 15 ways to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. for kids
Amsterdam News: Eighth graders to lead march for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
New York Family: 19 Kid-Friendly Martin Luther King Day Celebrations
Harlem-Gal Blog: East Harlem school to lead peaceful march in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Huffington Post: Manhattan Country School’s Kids Ask You To ‘Vote For Me Until I Can’
“I would like to bring about a change, but I’m too young to play the voting game. Won’t somebody hear my plea and go to the polls and vote for me?” the students sing. “Mommy, daddy, take a stand. Vote for me until I can. Sister, brother, take my hand. Vote for me until I can. College students, woman or man, vote for me until I can.” WATCH A CLIP
New York Times: Is Private School Not Expensive Enough?
Manhattan Country School’s sliding-scale tuition model was recently touted as a way to make a private school education more affordable by Op-Ed contributor R. Scott Asen in the New York Times. READ MORE
New York Times: School as Wonder, or Way Out
Writer/author Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote that Manhattan Country School “was the sort of school I thought I would have wanted as a kid” in a New York Times column. READ MORE
Wall Street Journal photograph highlights MCS student activists
MCS eighth graders who led the school’s 24th annual MLK March were featured in the Wall Street Journal in a photograph shot by our Communications Coordinator Corris Little. “In Harlem, Honoring the Memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.” - VIEW IMAGE
New York Times: Manhattan Country School Students See Civil Rights Battles Still to Be Fought Students at Manhattan Country School are establishing themselves as keepers of the Martin Luther King Jr. flame. On Sunday, three students dazzled hundreds of people at the Brooklyn Museum by reading excerpts from their essays about civil rights, a tradition at Manhattan Country, a private school on East 96th Street. And on Monday, the Martin Luther King’s Birthday holiday, they braved the frigid temperatures to walk a self-designed freedom trail, stopping along the way for more eighth graders to read their essays aloud.
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Amsterdam News: Young New York City activists lobby for the DREAM Act in Washington, D.C.
Taking part in the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s National Day of Action, 35 seventh and eighth grade Manhattan Country School (MCS) students traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to lobby for the DREAM Act. READ MORE
Amsterdam News: Fifth-graders debate Mitt Romney vs. Barack Obama
Manhattan Country School fifth-graders, as part of debate class, will be debating the merits of Mitt Romney versus President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Oct. 17. They will have two weeks to prepare their debates and then will face-off in an interactive and representational argument. READ MORE
The Daily Star: Roxbury’s ties to Manhattan school date back to the mid-1960s
Augustus and Martha Trowbridge grew up and firmly believed in the civil-rights movement. They founded the MCS in 1966, to teach students in a community with no racial majority and broad economic diversity. In that first year, the farm was also established as part of the school. READ MORE
Channel 7 Eyewitness News profiles MCS
WABC-TV education reporter Art McFarland interviewed Director Michele Sola and MCS students as they took to the streets to march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. WATCH A CLIP
NYTimes Schoolbook Blog: Teachers Trade Tips on Teaching MLK
Six teachers from a range of city schools recently gathered around the microphones in a WNYC studio to talk about teaching the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. They each shared a tip or resource as they acknowledged the need to keep it fresh and relevant for their students. READ MORE
WNYC: The Brian Lehrer Show: In MLK’s Footsteps: Education as a Civil Right
MCS eighth graders read their speeches on education during the Brian Lehrer Show. Listen to excerpts from this special event hosted by Brian Lehrer and Jami Floyd, managing editor of The Global Game, as they discuss Dr. King’s battle for equal education for all. LISTEN HERE
WCBS 880: Nation, New York Mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Instead of taking the day off, students from the Manhattan Country School took to the streets carrying posters decorated with images of Dr. Martun Luther King, Jr. and his quotes on MLK Day to to draw attention to present day civil rights issues. READ MORE
DNAINFO: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Legacy Kept Alive by Harlem Youth
Manhattan Country School students are marching through the streets of Harlem highlighting contemporary civil rights issues, and 900 volunteers from City Year New York will complete service projects at local schools and in the Wagner Houses in East Harlem. READ MORE
Newsday features MCS’ 23rd annual MLK March
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights legacy is not a one-day affair but a yearlong vocation for eighth graders at Manhattan Country School. READ MORE
WBAI Radio interviews MCS community on MLK Day
Listen up! Manhattan Country School students and staff were interviewed by radio host Dred Scott Keyes for “Begin With A Dream with Dred Scott Keyes” as part of the Martin Luther King Day programming on WBAI, a listener-supported radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM in New York City. LISTEN HERE
NPR: Lee Gelernt takes civil rights fight to U.S. Supreme Court
MCS parent and alumnus (1975) Lee Gelernt is a senior attorney at the ACLU’s national office, is representing Abdullah al-Kidd in the Supreme Court case against former Attorney General John Ashcroft over the Bush administration’s detention practices. READ MORE
Truthout Profiles Cornerstone Learning Community
In this article, Truthout.org profiles Cornerstone Learning Community, a school in Tallahassee modeled after Manhattan Country School. Founded by Betsey and Tony Brown, the school is based on the MCS ideals of social justice and kids’ activism, but with a curriculum focused around science. READ MORE
MCS History Teacher to Travel to Bangladesh
Rachel Sussman is one of 40 exceptional teachers from around the United States who has been selected by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) to participate in a two-way exchange program that provides professional development opportunities to secondary school teachers from around the world. READ MORE
7-8s Teacher Aimee Ostensen Featured in New York Metro Parents
This article in New York Metro Parent featured 7-8s Teacher Aimee Ostensen and her work with the Center for Environmental Literacy. READ MORE
Solar Panels in Catskill Mountain News
The Catskill Mountain News chronicled the process that led up to the installation of solar panels at the MCS Farm. The article also notes how the solar panels complement the school’s sustainability curriculum in the city and at the farm. READ MORE
MCS Shop Teacher and Tennis Coach Leo Reynoso Featured on USTA Website
Leo Reynoso, MCS Shop Teacher, is also the President of Washington Heights Tennis Association. The Tennis Association, sponsored by individuals within the community and by a number of institutions, includes a Summer Camp, a Winter Program, and two open tournaments each for both children and adults. Recently Leo’s work was featured on the USTA Eastern Metro Web site. READ MORE
MCS Tuition System in West Side Spirit
Admissions Director Lois Gelernt was quoted in a May West Side Spirit article about the effects of the financial crisis on independent schools. READ MORE
Manhattan Country School Receives Diversity Citation from Blackboard Awards
Manhattan Media, the publishers of Our Town, West Side Spirit, and New York Family, celebrate city schools annually with the Blackboard Awards. In 2008, MCS was recognized as a leader in diversity.
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Rachel Sussman Awarded Rising Star Independent Middle School Teacher Award
7th/8th Grade History Teacher Rachel Sussman was recognized for her work engaging students in authentic historical research, creative multimedia projects and personally and intellectually challenging activism endeavors with a Blackboard Award, sponsored by Manhattan Media. READ MORE