Our Mission » Our Mission

Our Mission

"Inspiring young minds today.  Empowering leaders for tomorrow."

"What makes Charles O. Dewey special is the kids! Why? Because we are the ones that make up THIS SCHOOL!"  
- M. Pena, Class 816, age 13 (2013)
 
"We are all accepted even though we're all different religions."
- D. Jimenez, Class 816, age 13 (2013)
 
Charles O. Dewey provides students with a foundation for strong leaders. Dewey adopted The Leader in Me    program to encourage students to be leaders in their personal and public lives. Each week, students have their normal core curriculum focusing on the Common Core instruction and Career Readiness along with a period devoted to lessons on the 7 Habits. The 7 Habits are also reinforced in lessons across content areas. Along with the Habits, students are required to wear school uniforms, so that students focus on school instead of fashion. As a staff and community, our hope is to live by the principles of the 7 Habits so that our behavior produces effective results by providing Dewey students with a well-rounded education to prepare them to be leaders in the 21st Century. Learn more about the 7 Habits under the Leader in Me tab. 
 

Teams, Clubs, and Sports

Brooklyn Nets at MS 136

 

Education Supports, Teams, Clubs, and Sports

"The thing that makes M.S. 136 so special is that almost every week or month there will be a new program and it lets students feel that school can be fun."
- I. Chen. Class 716, age 12 (2013)

National Junior Honor Society, Chinese Language Club, Specialized High School Exam Preparation, Honor Roll, Student Leadership (Lighthouse) Team, New York Road Runners, Boy Scouts, Weight Lifting Fitness Club, CHILL program (snowboarding and surfing-offered seasonally), Anti-Bullying Club, Yearbook Committee, Tech Team, CHAMPS (Soccer, baseball, basketball, karate, floor hockey, handball, football, yoga, and softball), Sushi Club, Penny Harvest, Community Service Team, Center for Family Life, and more.  Everyone will find something they like! 

Academics

8th Grade Science Classroom

 

Academics and Educational Trips

"My favorite thing about M.S. 136 is that every teacher is there to help the students."
- D. Tecuanhuehue, Class 813, age 14(2013)

Students at Dewey are unlike any other Middle School population in Brooklyn. Dewey is a school that welcomes all students! We currently have 493 students in the school. Approximately 49% of students are English Language Learners and 25% Special Education students. Over 80% of students speak a language other than English at home.  While many students speak Spanish, we have students that also speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, and German. We are a very diverse school, which adds to the Dewey experience. It is important that students have opportunities to visit museums, parks, go camping, local court buildings, team building trips out of the state and even out of the country!

The Arts

Student Gallery Installation at Rotunda Gallery

 

Arts and Technology

"The thing that makes Dewey special is that we have one of a kind students, everyone with different talents."
- E. Perez, class 813, age 13 (2013)

At Dewey students study hands-on, project based, cross-curricular units using common core and career readiness standards. The arts play an integral role in this process.  Studio arts classes are classical training that involves observational drawing from objects, to color theory in painting, sculpture, art history, and photography. Towards the end of the year, students experiment with several forms of multimedia and are expected to design art based projects that are completely independent, with minimal direction.  In technology art class, students utilize various technology systems (like: imovie, photoshop, Dell Movie maker, SideFX Houdini, ELMO, GoogleSketchUp, etc.) which will ensure that they are successful in any art form they choose. The Art Department’s goal is to continue to present our students' work to the public and to promote professions in the arts. We now have a full time chorus teacher which allows the school to expand on the Art Department’s goal. Over the years, Dewey students have been successful with several shows where they showcase mutlimedia artwork and perform. Many of which were through partnerships that were formed with NurtureArt, BRIC Rotunda Gallery, Chashama, Brooklyn Arts Council, Rock Band, Open Source and our in-house CBO Center for Family Life. Through these collaborations, students have participated in artist studio tours, art internships, art seminars, and workshops that connect them to artists in their community. Students that participated continue to show their work at Gala events in Chelsea, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Park Slope and the Brooklyn Army Terminal.