The International High School

About Us

School History

Former Principal Eric Nadelstern founded The International High School at LaGuardia Community College in 1985 as a joint venture by the New York City Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York. The school has been designated as an Academic Excellence Project and has twice been cited as a Center of Excellence for the teaching of English communication arts.

International High School
International High School Logo

Curriculum

IHS curriculum requirements meet or exceed all New York State Education Department standards for a high school diploma. All classes are heterogeneous (mixed) by language, achievement, grade level, and age. Classes are structured around the development of thematic projects in cooperative learning groups. Students work in depth, both collaboratively and independently. Students fulfill graduation requirements by passing year-long interdisciplinary programs incorporating the Humanities, Math/Science/Technology, and Applied Learning. There are six interdisciplinary programs based on such themes as:

Applied Learning Opportunities

Interdisciplinary programs give students a variety of opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life situations, such as working with architects to build bridges or environmentalists to clean up polluted bodies of ware. Two special programs include internship and community service.
Internship: Some teams offer career education internships where students explore careers they are interested in while attending high school. During internship, students take two regular classes and, for the rest of their day, work for various organizations and companies. Internship sites include government agencies, big and small businesses, and hospitals.
Community Service: The school also offers students an opportunity to develop a community service project and put it into practice. In the past, students have researched and presented material on teen issues, developed a website, and have worked together to try to create green space near Long Island City schools.

The International High School at LaGuardia Community College is a proud member of the Internationals Network for Public Schools.
http://www.internationalsnps.org

International High School
John Starkey, Principal

John Starkey, Principal

The Principal provides leadership to help constantly improve instruction and to support personnel in order to produce the best performance of the school as a whole. This will ultimately provide the best possible opportunities for students' educational and personal growth and development. John Starkey started at International High School as a social studies teacher on the American Dream Interdisciplinary Team. He was UFT Chapter Leader and also Personnel Committee Chairperson. He later became the Programs Leader and then the Assistant Principal of Guidance. Mr. John started as principal of I.H.S in September, 2011. As Principal of International HS, Mr. John has many responsibilities, however you can still find him walking through the hallways, visiting a class, or throwing some basketballs with students in the gym. His office is MB52A.

International High School
Harry Schutz, Assistant Principal, Administration

Harry Schutz, Assistant Principal

An Assistant Principal supports the Principal's instructional programs and helps to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff. He supports the management of the school and also of human and financial resources. He establishes an effective relationship with students, parents, staff and the DOE office support staff. Harry Schutz came to International High School as an Assistant Principal after being a social studies teacher at Middle College High School. He began his role as Assistant Principal in 2004. You can find him in his office working hard or helping a teacher or student with an issue. Mr. Harry's office is MB52B.

International High School
Jackie Valane, School Leader

Jackie Valane, School Leader

The School Leader plays a very important role in improving the school image by guiding and motivating students and teachers towards the right direction. Jackie Valane was a science teacher on Origins and Personnel Committee Chairperson. Today she is a science teacher on the American Dream Interdisciplinary Team and the School Leader. You may see her visiting classes or talking with students. Her office is MB52C.

Dan Kaplan, Early College Coordinator

An early college coordinator helps students to plan for college and their careers. He plays a major role in the social, emotional, and academic development of students by helping them select their classes, colleges and careers. Dan Kaplan was a social studies teacher and then a guidance counselor at International High School. Then Mr. Dan became the Assistant Principal of Guidance and is currently the Early College Coordinator. As Early College Coordinator, Mr. Dan will help you when you start to take college classes at LaGuardia Community College. His office is MB95.

International High School
Harold Vega, Safety Director

Harold Vega, Safety Director

The safety director position is a guidance and managerial position for our school. He performs a variety of administrative, supervisory, guidance and professional work in enforcement of public safety planning and coordinating. He administers the public safety activities in the school and coordinates public safety activities with the College Safety Department and The NYC Police Department. He is also the authority of the Wednesday Clubs and all other clubs activities throughout the school. Mr. Harold's office is MB50C.

Graduation Certification

Students are graduated when they have successfully completed a minimum of four years of interdisciplinary study and have been certified by a panel including faculty, students, and representatives from the educational community. Each student is sponsored by a faculty mentor in 10th grade and then again in 12th grade who assists the student in assembling a portfolio of performance-based assessment tasks drawn from course work for presentation. Student may include college course work, and other evidence of growth and mastery as part of their petition for graduation. This panel determines whether the student’s progress meets or exceeds the student performance standards for graduation in New York State, and merits graduation from The International High School. Certification for graduation is based on a consensus of the panel and is also subject to successful completion of course work. Graduation panels are scheduled throughout the year for 10th grade and 12th grade students.

Performance Based Assessment Tasks Included in Portfolio:

Additionally, students complete an oral presentation and defense of the work.

Graduate Profile

Over 80% of IHS students graduate and go on to two or four year colleges. In addition to CUNY, many of our graduates continue to study and complete their college degrees with partial or full financial aid, including scholarships at many of the top universities in the country. These have included:
Bard College, Barnard, Bennington, Brandeis University, Clark University, Cooper Union, Cornell University, DePauw University, Georgetown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, New York University, Rice University, Skidmore College, SUNY at Albany, SUNY at Binghamton, SUNY at New Paltz, SUNY at Stony Brook, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University.