The recognition is a morale booster, but another round of work is about to begin, said Fusco, an English teacher. Regents exams are three weeks away. Such focus on achievement is what pushed Fowler forward, Area Superintendent Jaime Alicea told the crowd. Until September, Alicea was principal of the school. When he arrived as Fowler principal four years ago, the goal was academic excellence for all students - with no excuses, he said.
Fowler has the highest rate of student poverty of any high school in a four-county region.
When Principal Gregory Walker took over in September, he kept pushing for the magnet program. This fall, the magnet program will open, with a select group of ninth-graders who must apply to get in. Like the teachers in the audience, Walker was thinking ahead as he praised his students and staff for their accomplishments. They say Fowler teachers want students to learn. They would recommend their school to other youngsters.