9/1/2003

By Jane Flanagan

A unique school for boys is coming to the East Village.

The George Jackson Academy for grades four through eight, will open its doors in September on St. Mark's Pl. The school is for boys from around the city from low-income backgrounds who show academic promise. It will be housed in the former Notre Dame School for Girls, which moved into the St. Bernard's school building on W. 13th St.

The school, the first of its kind in the city, is being spearheaded by Brother Brian Carty, principal of the DeLaSalle Academy on the Upper West Side.

"There's a very clear need for this," said Carty. "Boys who are talented academically suddenly turn off around grade three because it's not cool. We want to get them early and keep the light burning."

The school will be funded primarily through private foundations, according to school head James Turner.

The doors are expected to open on Sept. 3 with roughly 50 students — two fourth-grade classes and one fifth-grade class. A new grade will be added each year. Students were chosen from 185 applicants who took an admissions test last spring. Families were interviewed at the same time.

According to Turner, the tuition will be roughly $7,500. Families, however, will pay only from approximately $100 to $1,000, depending on income, he said. The rest will be financed by the foundations and fundraisers.

The academy is named in honor of George Jackson, a Hollywood film producer who grew up in Harlem. Jackson died several years ago at age 42 from a stroke. Carty taught Jackson as a youngster at a school in the Bronx.

The academy will have its own cafeteria and will use the Boys' Club on 10th St. and Avenue A for a gym. School hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and there will be after-school programs as well.

The academy is located at 104 St. Mark's Pl. between First Ave. and Avenue A. For information call, 212-228-6789.