CELEBRATED PRINCIPAL SHIMON WARONKER TO SPEAK IN WESTPORT

The Chabad of Westport presents “Inspiration About The Power of Education” featuring speaker Shimon Waronker, the principal whose leadership lead to the transformation of Junior High School 22 in the South Bronx, one of the most violent schools in New York City.   Waronker has recently been featured on the front page of The New York Times and has been featured on The Today Show and CNN.  Shimon is the founder of The New American Academy, an innovative educational model built around collaboration, empowerment, transparency and reflection.   At the Chabad event, Waronker will present “Relationships: The Secret to Education” in Westport on Sunday evening, September 9 at 7:30pm

Jordan L. Mott, Junior High School 22 in the South Bronx used to be one of the most poorly rated in New York City, better known for drug dealing and violence than for class attendance.  The junior high school had been through six principals in two years and was in utter chaos when a soft-spoken man with a vision arrived.   In 2004, thirty-nine-year-old Shimon Waronker, a Hasidic Jew from the Chabad Lubovitcher sect was hired to be the school’s new principal.   At first, parents, teachers and children were stunned when they saw him; they never though he would last. The teachers at P.S. 22 thought that the board of education had had a momentary lapse in judgment in hiring Waronker and thought that his time at the school was limited.  Happily, they were all wrong.

Waronker entered the school for the first time and witnessed a student being arrested for assault as the police officer called for backup.   At first, Waronker admitted he was “scared,” and this was his very first time as a Principal.  Waronker certainly looked different— and the teachers were curious.  The South Bronx location was a far cry from his home in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.  Within a short time at the school, however, the father of six surprised the skeptics. 

Waronker, it turns out, had a secret weapon.  At his first parent meeting at the school, it was standing-room only and Waronker delivered his message first in English and then translated it entirely into Spanish—the first language of many of the student families at P.S. 22 and Waronker’s first language as well.  Waronker was just eleven years old when he his family emigrated from South America to Maryland and Shimon didn’t speak a word of English.  Waronker could identify with the children at the junior high school on a personal level.  He understood their feelings of isolation and confusion. “I see myself in the children here.  Some of them have recently arrived and they share the same fears and concerns that I had,” says Waronker.

Waronker’s experience as an Army Officer in the military, including studies in tactical intelligence proved most effective when working to stop the violence at the school.  “I saw this as a textbook counter insurgency,” as he had to take back the home place.  Waronker instituted discipline, school uniforms and innovative programming at Junior High 22.

Most important, Waronker opened the door to possibilities at the ravaged school. “I think we need to understand what the purpose of education is.  Are we trying to produce just people who can read and write and do arithmetic?  Or are we trying to create good citizens for our republic? And that’s the heart of it,” says Waronker.

Waronker’s efforts are evident in the enormous pride that the students of Junior High 22 now have.  The students feel that he cares about them and takes the time to know all of the students individually.  The students can now focus on their studies without the fear of violence and dream of promising futures that are more likely to become reality. 

Not only are the students at Junior High 22 impressed by their Principal’s efforts, but veteran teachers at the school have also witnessed the enormous positive changes as a result of Waronker’s leadership.  The school is now safe, beautiful and the staff is happy.   Waronker told his staff that he had a vision to bring Junior High 22 out of the depths and create one of the best schools in the city and he had the tools to do it.  Inspired by Waronker, he and the staff were able to achieve this very goal. 

When asked how he was able to makes these positive changes in so little time, Waronker first gives his thanks to G-d and believes that divine help was key to the success of the school.  But, “the teachers, the parents, the students,” he says, “they took back the school. I feel very much a part of this community and I love the kids like my own, and the kids know that too.”

Shimon Waronker’s work at the school garnered him two fellowships: a Cahn Fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College and a Presidential Fellowship at Harvard University. He has an MSc in School Administration from Touro College; a MEd from Harvard University; and is completing his Doctorate in Education, again, at Harvard University.  His awards include the Humanitarian Lamplighter Award and the National Urban Alliance Educational Leadership Award.

The event takes place at 79 Newtown Turnpike in Westport.  To attend, please register at www.chabadofwestport.com  Couvert is $18/person.  Program sponsorship is $180.