Brooklyn HS for Troubled Transfers Will Get New Fleet of Laptops

West Brooklyn Community High School. Image via Google Maps

BOROUGH PARK, BROOKLYN — The 200 students at West Brooklyn Community High School have 1,275 neighbors to thank for dozens of new laptops coming their way.

Councilman Brad Lander, who represents part of Borough Park, announced Thursday that the school was a winner during this year's participatory budgeting process.

The school had asked for a grant of $105,000 for new computers. Nearly 1,300 area residents give the project their thumbs-up.

Assistant Principal Malik Lewis said Thursday that the money will purchase three carts of 25 laptops each — equipment that is critical to the curriculum at West Brooklyn.

All of the school's 16- to 21-year-old students have transferred to West Brooklyn from other schools, the assistant principal said.

Many of the transfers come from unstable homes and have spotty attendance records or past arrests.

Others are young parents. Most have few, if any, high-school credits to their name.

"They are all looking for a small environment with [a staff that] can ease their transition into the school," Lewis said. "These students are trying to make up for lost time."

To help make that happen, West Brooklyn allows students to take extra courses online, Malik said.

And some teachers at the school, like English professor Kevin Murphy, conduct writing workshops using Google Docs — allowing for interactive editing.

Others, like specialist Darrius Harper, help students draw up resumes and apply for jobs and internships online.

All of this work requires laptops. Until now, however, the school got by with three carts containing 15 to 20 computers each, Malik said. Some were old or broken.

As a result, Malik said, "teachers would have to really jockey" for available equipment.

"A majority of [the existing laptops] don't charge completely," Harper added. "Some have buttons that are missing."

What's more, Harper said, as many as four teens sometimes have to share a computer in class, which "makes it really difficult for all the students."

Harper said the equipment will allow him to expand his programming — even offer new typing classes to students and community members.

"I'm super excited," he said.