Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School

CONGRATULATIONS to the incredible Brooklyn LAB Class of 2024! Your hard work PAID OFF! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see what you accomplish #UnapologeticallyCollegePrep #Excellence

As we welcome our own Shawn Harris into his role as Brooklyn LAB’s middle school principal, we are also excited to launch a new investment in STEAM curriculum for our scholars. Through a partnership with Project Lead The Way and coursework centered around real-world tools and resources, we’re proud to be creating a pipeline for LAB’s scholars to thrive in the tech industry and beyond. Mr. Harris authored an op-ed in the BK Reader on the topic! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gngS6a8N

Relationships are the currency of all business. Trust and teamwork are key – no one succeeds alone. These are the lessons I use to guide my working leading Brooklyn LAB and manage our school’s board’s expectations and engagement. Thank you to BuyQ and Daniel Casselli for the opportunity to be a guest on the Charter School Insider podcast to talk about the importance of cultivating trust and strong relationships, navigating transitions, building your bench, and staying rooted in your mission. Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/gtamS6Q7

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all teachers out there, especially those who teach at Lab!

We are very excited to announce that Brooklyn Lab’s own Mr. Shawn Harris will be stepping into the role of Interim Middle School Principal for the 2024-25 school year! Mr. Harris has been at Brooklyn LAB for seven years, and his leadership will be focused on amplifying our STEAM programming. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Harris on this new role and welcoming him as he leads our scholars to feel prepared and equipped with the academic foundation, digital literacy, and leadership skills they need to succeed in college and professional life as they grow as ethical leaders.

A big thank you to Usher's New Look for bringing their Powered By Service program to Brooklyn Lab. The day was filled with motivating and immersive peer-led workshops and training sessions, where our scholars got to practice important leadership skills in financial literacy, branding, networking and social change. We're so happy News 12 Brooklyn attended and featured the event. Check out their piece here: https://lnkd.in/gYEbzJu6

Celebrating #BlackExcellence is something we do all year round at Brooklyn Lab. Our annual Success Looks Like Me #careerday event aims to inspire our scholars with real role models who relate to them beyond the classroom walls. “So picture this: Black folks from a range of professions packing a majority-Black school to tell students about their careers — and the skills and education they needed to get there.” This year, 70 Black and Brown professionals from across the country spent the day with our scholars, some that come from big social nonprofits like THEBLACKMANCAN INC, handbag buyers from CHANEL, marketing professionals, tailors, even a federal judge. Thank you Aziah Siid for spending the day with us, and sharing your experience and observations with the world! I hope you’ll read the full piece to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gKQvDGuw

It was an honor to be interviewed by Authority Magazine on the five things you need to know to be a highly effective educator or teacher. As CEO of Brooklyn Lab Charter School, it is my responsibility to set up an environment in which my team — from classroom teachers to custodians – are set up for success. Here’s what we prioritize: · Compensation · Supporting teammates’ wellbeing · Investing in development · Representation · Cultivating a culture of belonging I hope you’ll read the full piece to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gD9rqmDy

Happy birthday to Lab board member, Sobande Afolabi, who celebrated at tonight’s board meeting! Thank you, Sobande, for your guidance and support. Here’s to many more!

We are excited to welcome Janique Robinson, our new Director of Academic Support! Janique is an experienced educator, leader, and visionary. Driven by a student-first approach, she takes pride in providing the best educational support and guidance possible. Born and raised in Chicago, she worked at Brooklyn Lab from 2016-2019 across different leadership roles and has recently been a consultant with Brooklyn Lab prior to rejoining Lab full time. Janique is currently in her 20th year in education and prior to becoming Director of Academic Support, she has been a teacher, instructional coach, Family Engagement/Enrollment Manager, Dean of Culture, Dean of College Prep, Assistant Principal, Senior Manager of New Teacher Development and a consultant across different areas in education. Even with all of her experience, she will always be a teacher at heart with over 8 years of experience as a middle school and high school teacher. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from LeMoyne-Owen College, a Masters in Education from Freed-Hardeman University and educational leadership certificates. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, the arts, dining, mentoring/volunteering, or managing her businesses. Her mother is her everything! She loves her family and considers her nieces and nephews her babies. With that, she has always wanted to provide students with the same excellent education and safe environment that she would want for her nieces and nephews. Janique has a student- and family-first approach along with a do-what-it-takes growth mindset. Her educational experiences have allowed her to collaborate with a diverse group to meet the goal of increasing student achievement and well-being. As she embarks on this new journey, she looks forward to joining the Brooklyn Lab team full-time to continue moving the educational needle by providing students with a quality education that will allow them access to colleges and careers of their choice and a path that will help them succeed post-high school.