Chancellor Samuels Visits School for First-Hand Look at the Midwood Experience

In the robotics room, the chancellor successfully piloted a robot, earning cheers from onlookers. *Photo: Francis Lindaman*

By OMAR GONZALEZ and HUI SHAN ZHANG

Classrooms came to life on April 1 as Chancellor Kamar Samuels visited Midwood on a tour of public schools in the city, observing classes and programs while speaking with students to gain insight into their experiences.

The chancellor was greeted at the entrance by a lively welcome, with cheerleaders chanting, the school band performing "Manteca," and the student government gathering alongside other Hornets and staff with a welcome banner to receive him.

“I’ve heard so much about this school and how much it has to offer,” Chancellor Samuels said during a speech in the conference room. “In many ways, it represents what I think is the best for New York City public schools.”

“I want to make sure that in every single way, this school has a sense of belonging, and you can find a place for yourself here,” he added. “When I think about our city, I want to make sure our schools [and students] have really strong, vigorous experiences.”

Among the classes he visited were AP African American Studies (AP AAS) and the robotics class.

“We had to be strategic with the visit,” said Principal Robert Quinlan. “I really wanted to pick an academic class and an alternative class, so to speak, something to represent Midwood.”

In the AP AAS class taught by Ms. Eiren Tasher, the chancellor observed as students presented their individual projects. “He was very impressed by their presentation skills,” said Dr. Quinlan.

Amongst other things, the chancellor commented on his appreciation for senior Cherry-Blue Amancio’s sourcing of the 13th and Central Park Five documentaries for her project on racial inequality and the criminalization of African-Americans.

During the presentations, he sat with a group of students. “I think he's just understanding that he's not separate from us, that it's not him over here and them over here,” said Ms. Tasher. “He made himself a part of the class.”

One of the students the chancellor sat with, Justin Courtois ‘27, spoke about his trip to Barbados to learn about child slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

Courtois explained that the trip was also about “being able to connect with people from different schools in a whole different place” and that he wanted to demonstrate to the chancellor “why this pilot trip should be something that is replicable for the rest of the state.”

Next, Dr. Quinlan guided Chancellor Samuels to the robotics room, where students were piloting drones and robots.

Kenson Fenelon ‘26 offered the chancellor a chance to drive a robot that projects balls. Fenelon put the controls in the chancellor's hands for a moment, and he caught on immediately, putting the ball into the bucket on his first shot.

“I hope he learned that robotics is an immersive program and that anyone can participate,” said Fenelon. “You don't need to have a deep knowledge in building or programming. With even a little ability you can catch on and learn something, and there's always a role for everyone. So to spread that message on to someone who has the power to spread it out on a bigger scale was a great accomplishment for me.”

“The chancellor was very personable with the kids,” said robotics teacher Ms. Lisa Ali. “He actually talked to them and referred to them by name. One student called out to another, and he turned around and referred to that student whose name he heard, motivating her to fly her drone. The kids said they really felt seen by him.”

Among the other students who spoke to Chancellor Samuels, Gabrielle Toussaint ‘27 shared her experiences in the HE3AT program. She talked about how Cisco, a technology company that deals in hardware and software, provides her with networking opportunities.

“We represent Midwood every time we step out of the building to go to our sites,” said Toussaint. “And every day we are representing what a Hornet is, while also learning to be somebody else in the world outside.”

Counselor Kadidja Theodore said the day was a great opportunity for the chancellor to see the school community. “I wanted him to know that we are tight-knit, that we all stand together. And his coming in and seeing us all together showed what we’re really like,” she said.

“If we didn't have the community we have, we couldn't pull this together,” said Dr. Quinlan. “I had a tough time picking what to show him because you bump into greatness everywhere around here, right? It's difficult to try to encapsulate Midwood in one hour. I've been here for four years, and I'm still learning something new every day.”

From classroom visits to students' conversations, Chancellor Samuels' visit gave the head of our school system a closer look at in-class learning and student experiences, highlighting the strengths of the Midwood community and the importance of direct engagement with schools.