Schools

AMY Northwest Principals Say They're Preparing To Move

The school is expected to move to the Levering School building in Roxborough.

"My punch list is going to be as long as my arm," Principal Marco Zanoni said as he stood outside of the East Mt. Airy school after dismissal last week.

Zanoni's already thinking ahead. Last week, the School District of Philadelphia issued that included moving the magnet middle school to the William Levering School building in Roxborough at 6000 Ridge Ave.

Nothing's official yet. There will be several public meetings about the matter; one is scheduled to take place at Nov. 19.

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But Zanoni and others at the school, including fellow principal Michael Garafolo, are preparing for the move with the thought that it will probably happen. AMY Northwest is now located on the campus of ; the church recently shelled out thousands of dollars to give the school a new sign and have generally been supportive of the institution.

The principal said he'll miss that. But he's excited, he said, for what lies ahead.

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"I think that it's a win-win situation," he said.

He's excited, in part, to get the opportunity to move to a permanent, district owned building. The school now leases space from the church and before that leased space from in Mt. Airy. that the district pays $200,000 per year to lease the St. Therese space.

Zanoni also said it will be nice to be inside such a large building. Levering, which would close if the recommendations are adopted by the School Reform Commission in the spring, is a K-8 school.

AMY Northwest serves students in grades 6-8; the change means that it will likely have more space than it does now (although some Levering middle school students would likely be relocated to AMY Northwest).

"They want us to replicated what we're doing there," Zanoni said. "They want us to replicate success."

He said he met with district officials for an hour last week, and they said they would listen to any requests he made.

Some of those requests could include new lockers (the school doesn't really have them right now), an updated library and new science labs.

As of now, the school has a gymnasium with a stage for theater performances.

At least one teacher from AMY Northwest has already visited Levering, and he said the Roxborough school has been very welcoming thus far and willing to work with its Mt. Airy counterparts.

The process is just now beginning. "It's a big challenge," Zanoni said. "(You're) moving all the stuff—you're moving a school."

But, to some extent, he's looking forward to it.

"It's going to be painful," he said. "It's always painful when you leave the comfort zone. But there's room for growth."


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