New Uniforms Unveiled for Jamaica Plain's English High School

[Editor's note: The following is a press release from the Boston Public Schools.]

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson yesterday joined executives from Parsons Brinckerhoff to celebrate the donation of $20,000 to supplement the purchase of school uniforms for students. English High school students designed the new uniforms that will be worn by their classmates starting next fall. The students modeled the new outfits.
 
“These uniforms are just one of the latest remarkable changes happening at English High School,” said Menino. “This school is turning around and can be a model of transformation for other schools around the country. There is a new energy here and students are embracing the change. We thank Parsons Brinckerhoff for being a community partner willing to step up and make a difference.”
 
Several top employees of Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the world's leading planning, engineering, and program and construction management organizations, are graduates of urban public schools, including English High School.

"Parsons Brinckerhoff has a long-term commitment to Boston, and a special commitment to the Boston Public Schools," said Richard O'Brien, Vice President and New England area manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff. “Among them is Henry Russell, EHS class of 1961, a Senior Vice President of Parsons Brinckerhoff, who credits English High for his success in engineering. The oldest public high school in America, English High faces significant challenges today, and PB is proud to do what it can to help."  
 
As a state designated turnaround school, English High School has been able to utilize special provisions, including extending the school day, to help improve student achievement. In just one year the school has been able to raise the four-year graduation rate by nearly six points. School leaders also report fewer incidents of misconduct by students.
 
“We are working with a great intensity to turn around our low-performing schools and English High School is making great progress,” said Johnson. “What is so great about this donation for school uniforms is that by helping design the clothes, our students took a direct role in shaping their school’s future. They are a part of the process. This type of empowerment will serve our schools, students, and city well.”
 
English High School is the first public high school in America.
 
“English High School has a proud reputation here in Boston and beyond,” said Headmaster Sito Narcisse. “I’m thrilled an alum of the school has come back home with this donation to help us as we blaze a path of educational excellence that is unlike anything anyone has seen in quite some time.”