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Blue School was a progressive
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
school located in New York City's
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...
. The school offered early-childhood classes for children as young as two years old, as well as kindergarten and elementary school classes that extend through sixth grade as of the 2015–16 school year. Middle school classes began in the 2015–16 school year and continued through eighth grade since 2017. Blue School shut down at the conclusion of the 2022–2023 school year.


Educational approach

Blue School developed an education model which combines elements of other approaches and unique elements of its own. It offers a "dynamically balanced education for seriously curious young people" age 2 through grade 8. The school's advisory board included Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., and Dan Siegel, M.D. Dr. Larry Cohen described it as "more about creativity than control".


History

Blue School was first established as an informal parent-run playgroup by the founders of the
Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...
and their wives when their children approached pre-school age. In September 2007, the playgroup opened as "Blue Man Creativity Center". In September 2018, over 300 students were enrolled in pre-primary, primary, and middle school programs for children ages 2 through 8th grade.Spivack, Caroline
"The Blue School Doubles Capacity With New Building Expansion"
'' Patch'', September 14, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
Edelson, Zachary
"At Rockwell Group’s New Blue School, “the Space Is Almost the Third Teacher"
''
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
'', September 25, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2020.


Facilities

The parent-run playgroup was initially located in a building housing Blue Man Group. As the playgroup grew into a formal education program, the school relocated to accommodate increasing numbers of faculty, staff, and students. In September 2008 the school opened a new space on Avenue B, and in September 2010 it relocated to a building on Astor Place previously owned by
Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...
. In November 2010, Blue School announced that it was acquiring a permanent home and would relocate there in September 2011. The school's building at 241 Water Street, one block south of the
Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...
and one block north of the
Schermerhorn Row Block The Schermerhorn Row Block, located at #2 through #18 Fulton Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, was constructed in 1811–12 in the Federal style, and is now part of the South Street Seaport. Each of the individual ...
, was originally built in 1799 by
Peter Schermerhorn Peter Schermerhorn (October 1, 1749 – January 28, 1826) was an American merchant and landowner in New York City. He was the father of Abraham Schermerhorn and the paternal grandfather of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor. Early life Schermerhorn ...
to house a ships chandlery business."CB Richard Ellis Named Exclusive Agent For Historic Office Building At 241 Water Street In Manhattan"
''NY Inc'', October 20, 2010, accessed November 8, 2010.
The building was rebuilt and significantly enlarged in 1991 by
James Polshek James Stewart Polshek (February 11, 1930September 9, 2022) was an American architect based in New York City. He was the founder of Polshek Partnership, the firm at which he was the principal design partner for more than four decades. He worked ...
and Richard Olcott, and served as the headquarters of the
Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey The Seamen's Church Institute (SCI; formerly known as the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey) is an American maritime nonprofit organization that serves mariners and seafarers through chaplaincy, crisis response, training, feasi ...
until the Institute relocated to Newark in 2010. The building's renovation included design services by David Rockwell of
Rockwell Group Rockwell may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Rockwell (album), ''Rockwell'' (album), a 2009 mini-album by Anni Rossi * Rockwell, a fictional town and setting of ''They Hunger'' * ''Rockwell'', a 1994 film about Porter Rockwell * Rockwell, M ...
, a member of the school's advisory board and designer of the nearby
Imagination Playground Imagination Playground at Burling Slip is a playground on John Street near the South Street Seaport in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip o ...
. In October 2012,
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
caused extensive damage to the Seaport area, flooding the first floor of school with four to five feet of water and forcing it to close for a week while repairs were made and electrical power was restored. In March 2014, Blue School announced that it had secured the adjacent building at 233 Water Street to provide expansion space as it adds a middle school program. The new building was renovated with classrooms, science and arts spaces, and a rooftop garden and play space, and opened for the 2015–16 school year. In December 2016, Blue School acquired additional space nearby at 156 William Street, which opened in September 2018. It would later shut down after the school suffered from significant financial losses.


In media

The association with the Blue Man Group has brought the school some national media attention, including stories in ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', on NBC's ''Today Show'' and National Public Radio. Local stories appeared in ''The Villager'' and the ''New York Post''. The school attracted some controversy after a front-page article about the school in ''The New York Times'' called attention to the school's tuition rates. Although the school's tuition is "right in the middle" of what other private schools in New York City charge, some readers outside of the city were shocked by the cost. Blue School's media visibility has also made it a target for attacks by conservative educators, who are critical of its focus on creativity and the elements it takes from the
Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...
approach to education. A June 2012 article in ''The New York Post'' criticized the school's approach and reported that parents removed their children from the school, claiming that the children weren't learning how to read. In April 2012, ''The New York Times'' published a feature on how Blue School integrates scientific research about child development in the classroom, writing that "the school has become a kind of national laboratory for integrating cognitive neuroscience and cutting-edge educational theory into curriculum, professional development and school design." Blue School was also featured on a March 18, 2012 episode of
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's
The Next List ''The Next List'' is a 30-minute weekend television program on CNN. It aired every Saturday afternoon at 2:30 pm ET/PT and was hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. CNN announced cancellation in September 2013. Each week, the show profiled innova ...
. In March 2014, ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' magazine published school vaccination rates that reflected incomplete reporting for the 2012–13 school year due to damage of student medical records in the flooding from Hurricane Sandy. In 2022, Blue School employees voted to unionize but were met with anti-union tactics by school leadership, who failed to recognize the legal union.


See also

*
Education in New York City Education in New York City is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. New York City has the largest educational system of any city in the world. The city's educational infrastructure spans primary education, secondary educa ...


References


External links

*
TEDx Blue videos
{{coord, 40.70791, -74.002567, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Private elementary schools in Manhattan