Manhattan Village Academy (MVA) is a small, public high school located in Chelsea, Manhattan

Chelsea, Manhattan

Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...

, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. It consists of grades 9–12. The school is part of the New York City Department of Education

New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...

. The administration is currently headed by principal Hector Geager.

History

Manhattan Village Academy was founded in 1993 by Mary Butz, a 25-year veteran of the New York City Board of Education. Butz was invited to establish this new small public high school by famed educator Deborah Meier, who worked closely with Ted Sizer and the Center for Collaborative Education. Butz persuaded nationally known architect Beverly Willis to design the space for the school in a commercial loft building in Chelsea, Manhattan, pro bono; Butz recruited the students and faculty, and shaped the culture of the school around the ideas of "reason, respect, and responsibility." The motto of the school from its inception was "a good school dedicated to the liberal arts."

Facilities

Manhattan Village Academy is currently housed within two floors of an office building. It was part of a NYC Board of Education decision to place small schools in rented places. The historic art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 styled tower which houses the school is a New York City landmark. The interior of the school was designed by renowned architect Beverly Willis

Beverly Willis

Beverly Willis, FAIA, , is an American architect known for her design achievements, her development of new technology and her philanthropic efforts on behalf of architects, urban planning and public policy. Willis played a major role in the development of many creative and professional concepts...

 and the Architecture Research Institute. The floor plan features minimal long corridor spaces and emphasizes the "Locus" plan, clusters of classrooms for each grade, four in total, each with a common area. Freshmen and sophomores have classes on the second floor while juniors and seniors have classes on the third floor. On the second floor, the two clusters are divided by a cafeteria space fenced in by small rails. The two clusters on the third floor are separated by a dance studio, now used as the music room. The third floor also features a multimedia center complete with a library, computer lab, study space, and another classroom. The entrance is on the first floor and is accentuated with a long curved industrial-styled

Industrial Style

Industrial Style refers to an aesthetic trend in design that emphasizes sharp lines, abrupt connections and dynamic interactions of motion. It is derivative of the same forces that created the architectural movement Deconstructivism and the anime genre Mecha, and can be seen in such automobile...

 staircase. The designs for the school were completed in 1996 within a time period of 12 months

Dress Code

The school observes a strict uniform

School uniform

A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...

 policy. Students are required to wear gray slacks with a white button-down shirt or white polo with the school logo, and black shoes. Clothing must be ordered from Flynn & O'Hara, an Irish uniform company in The Bronx

The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...

.

Entrance requirements

Students applying for admission to Manhattan Village Academy are screened and a specified level of academic achievement is required for admission. In the 2009 school year, there were 2,883 applicants for admission for only 100 seats available for 9th grade.

Partnerships

The school is partnered with New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

, Bard College

Bard College

Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...

, John Jay College, and Hunter College

Hunter College

Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...

.