Actors, Directors, Athletes, and CEOs Report to the Principal's Office and Go Back to School on Principal For A Day

NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 700 New Yorkers will experience firsthand the achievements and challenges of New York City public schools and their principals during PENCIL's (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning) 12th Annual Principal For A Day. Private sector volunteers from a wide array of New York City businesses will shadow and support principals at schools in all five boroughs. This year's focus on recruiting business people to visit schools in boroughs outside of Manhattan paid off, with 75% of Principals for a Day serving in public schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

During the day, "PFADs" will greet students; read morning announcements; attend classes, assemblies, and operational meetings; and most importantly, discuss school needs, ideas and plans for developing year-long partnerships with their school principals. This day marks the first step in the creation of hundreds of commitments between New York City business leaders and their partner principals. Partners collaborate on projects and activities in a variety of areas, including capital improvements, career awareness, curriculum development, fundraising, leadership development, parental involvement, and technology.

"The hundreds of business/school partnerships that have been developed through PENCIL's efforts are critical to giving all our City's students the quality education they need and deserve," said Chancellor Joel Klein. "I am especially pleased with the diversity of this year's group of Principals for a Day -- from all parts of the City, from many different kinds and sizes of businesses. This human capital -- provided through the Principal for a Day's resources and expertise -- is the most valuable gift that can be given to our students."

For more than a decade, Principal For A Day -- organized annually by PENCIL, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education and sponsored by Merrill Lynch and Citigroup -- has been a primary vehicle for private sector engagement in New York City public schools. The program has evolved from a one-day awareness event to an agent for creating school-based partnerships with the private sector.

"Education is at the heart of any successful business enterprise," said Eddy Bayardelle, president of the Merrill Lynch Foundation. "So, it makes sense for businesses to connect with public schools and the students. We commend PENCIL for designing one the most efficient, successful and sustainable ways of involving business in education. Those who have seen Principal For A Day know that the volunteers don't just spend a day at their school -- they stay engaged long-term to provide invaluable ongoing support to the schools and students."

"PENCIL is so pleased that so many of our City's business leaders are making a commitment to a public school," said Programs Director Gayle Villani. "Our organization is in a unique position to provide the private sector with the support and technical assistance that will help these partnerships flourish throughout the school year."

  Some of PENCIL's notable Principals For A Day this year include:

  Brooklyn

   *  Maryam Banikarim, Chief Marketing Officer of Univision Communications
      Inc., at Science Skills Center High School, 49 Flatbush Avenue
      Extension, Brooklyn, NY 11201
   *  Frank Bisignano, Chief Administrative Officer of JP Morgan Chase, at
      Bushwick Leaders High School For Excellence, 797 Bushwick Ave,
      Brooklyn, NY 11221
   *  Actress Lorraine Bracco, "Dr. Jennifer Melfi" on HBO's The Sopranos,
      at her alma mater, McKinley Park PS 127, 7805 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY
      11228
   *  Bob Catell, Chairman and CEO of Keyspan, at the New Utrecht High
      School, 1601 80th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214
   *  Frank Comerford, President and General Manager of WNBC, at PS 102, 211
      72nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209
   *  Brooklyn Industries Founder Lexy Funk, at the International Arts
      Business School, 600 Kingston Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11203
   *  Earl Graves, Founder and Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, at
      his alma mater, the High School for Youth and Community Development at
      Erasmus, 911 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226
   *  Actor and Director Spike Lee, at JHS 113, 300 Adelphi Street,
      Brooklyn, NY 11205
   *  Author Jonathan Lethem, at the Urban Assembly of Arts and Letters, 225
      Adelphi Street, Brooklyn, NY 11205
   *  Lisa Price, Creator and Founder of Carol's Daughter Inc., at MS 57,
      125 Stuyvesant Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11221
   *  Silda Wall, Founder and President of the Children For Children
      Foundation, at PS 108, 200 Linwood Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11208
   *  New Jersey Nets CEO Brett Yormark, at the ACORN Community High School,
      561 Grand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

  Queens

   *  BET commentator Julissa Bermudez, at PS 123, 145-01 119th Ave, South
      Ozone Park, NY 11436
   *  Designer Dana Buchman, at PS 219, 144-39 Gravett Road, Flushing, NY
      11367
   *  Kim Fennebresque, CEO of SG Cowen Securities, at PS 129, 128-02 7th
      Ave, College Point, NY 11356
   *  Jeffrey Gural, Chairman of Newmark Knight Frank, at PS 45, 126-28
      150th Street, South Ozone, NY 11436
   *  David Neeleman, Chairman and CEO of JetBlue, at Beach Channel High
      School, 100-00 Beach Channel Drive, Rockaway Park NY, 11694
   *  Abbe Raven, CEO of A&E Television, at Humanities and the Arts Magnet
      School, 207-01 116 Avenue, Cambria Heights, NY 11411
   *  Suzanne Wright, NBC, at PS 255Q, 158-40 76th Road, Flushing, NY 11336
   *  MTV News Reporter Gideon Yago at Queens High School for the Sciences
      at York College, 94-50 159th Street, Jamaica, NY 11451

  Manhattan

   *  Jeffrey Aronsson, CEO of Donna Karan International, at IS 10, 2581
      Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, New York, NY 10039
   *  Disney's Cheetah Girl Adrian Bailon, at PS 15, 333 E 4th Street,
      New York, NY 10009
   *  June Beckstead, Vice President of Design for Sears Holding, at Fashion
      Industries High School, 225 W. 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
   *  Frank Bennack, Chairman of Lincoln Center, at the High School of Arts,
      Imagination and Inquiry, 122 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023
   *  Paul Caine, Publisher of The PEOPLE Group, at IS 117, 240 East 109th
      Street, New York, NY 10029
   *  Lisa Caputo, President of Women and Co. at Citigroup, at PS 198, 1700
      Third Ave, New York, NY 10128
   *  Jeffrey Edwards, CFO of Merrill Lynch, at Stuyvesant High School, 345
      Chambers Street, New York, NY 10282
   *  Michael Gould, Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale's, at PS 59, 228 E.
      57th Street, New York, NY 10022
   *  Lew Leone, Vice President and General Manager, Fox 5/My 9, at Vanguard
      High School, 317 E. 67th Street, New York, NY 10021
   *  Robert Sillerman, Founder of SFX Entertainment and owner of the Elvis
      Presley estate, at PS 290, 311 East 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028

  Bronx

   *  E. Scott Beattie, Chairman and CEO of Elizabeth Arden, at MS 142, 3750
      Baychester Ave, Bronx, NY 10466
   *  Peter Boneparth, CEO of the Jones Apparel Group, at the Global
      Enterprises High School, 925 Astor Ave, Bronx, NY 10469(He isn't going
      on the 19th)
   *  Bobbi Brown, CEO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, at Jane Addams High School,
      900 Tinton Ave, Bronx, NY 10456
   *  New York Knick Jamal Crawford, at PS 58, 459 E. 176th Street, Bronx,
      NY 10457
   *  Donny Deutsch, Chairman of Deutsch Inc., at Hospital Schools, 3450
      East Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10469
   *  Jay Cross, President of the New York Jets, at the Pablo Neruda Academy
      for Architecture, 1980 Lafayette Ave, Bronx, NY 10473
   *  Robert Friedman, CEO of Loehmann's, at Pelham Preparatory High School,
      925 Astor Ave, Bronx, NY 10469
   *  Author Fran Lebowitz, at IS 254, 2452 Washington Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

  Staten Island

   *  Jeff Berardelli, WCBS Weatherman, at IS 34, 528 Academy Ave,
      Staten Island, NY, 10307
   *  John Caltabiano, Director of the Staten Island Zoo, at IS 24, 225
      Cleveland Ave, Staten Island, NY, 10308
   *  Addy Manipella, Director of the Staten Island Children's Museum, at
      PS 31, 55 Layton Ave, Staten Island, NY 10301
   *  Heather Miller, Marketing Manager at Time For Kids, at PS 22, 1860
      Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10303

If you are interested in shadowing a Principal For A Day, please contact Nastassia Lopez at PENCIL.

The day will conclude with a "Principal For A Day Celebration," at 1:30 pm at Tavern on The Green. Both Principals For A Day and principals will be in attendance to share future partnership goals and objectives.

PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning) was founded in 1995 to galvanize and coordinate meaningful civic involvement in New York City public education to improve student achievement. Its flagship program, Principal For A Day, has paired over 7,000 New Yorkers from the private sector with the city's schools. This and other PENCIL programs foster hundreds of long-term partnerships with schools, and generate millions of dollars worth of donations of cash, goods, and services for schools and school districts. PENCIL's programs serve as national and international models of private sector engagement in public education.

  Contact: Nastassia Lopez
           646.638.0565
     Cell: 626-991-1527