Astoria gets Young Women’s Leadership School

The blackboards of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria will be put to use again next year, but not by the Catholic school teachers.
Once renovated, the building, located at 23-15 Newtown Avenue, will be the home for a new Young Women’s Leadership School, the sixth to open in the nation.
The all girls public school signed a 20-year lease with the Archdiocese for the facility. To start, 80 sixth graders will be enrolled as the first class this fall, and the school will eventually hold 560 girls in grades six through 12.
Our Lady of Carmel was among nine Catholic elementary schools closed last year in Queens.
“It’s a great space, one where we can grow all the way to twelfth-grade comfortably,” said Laura Mitchell, who will serve as the school’s principal. Mitchell said that over time the school will be equipped with state-of-the-art science labs. The focus of the Young Women’s Leadership Schools is science, math, and technology.
Mitchell said that after holding an information session with Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioners earlier this year, she has seen growing interest in the school.
“There seems to be a lot of parents that want a different kind of education for their girls.”
The highly competitive institution requires interviews, essays and a written statement from parents. All students are expected to go to college, and preparation for secondary education will begin in sixth grade.
“We believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to build a strong base for her future,” Mitchell said.
Moreover, with the large population of immigrants from around the world, the Astoria school will be one with the greatest diversity, Mitchell said.
While renovations are completed, which are expected to finish by January 2007, the first class of the school will attend class at P.S. 85 in Long Island City.
Meanwhile, the Young Women’s Leadership School will hold open houses at the Astoria school on Thursday, April 27 and Saturday, April 29.
BY