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Orwellian, almost: Student winners of arena tour required to write essay, "What's the best thing about the Barclays Center?"

It's Orwellian, almost.

As indicated in the graphic below, the Invictus Youth Initiative, a program of Atlantic Yards Community Benefits Agreement signatory Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Alliance (best known for distributing free tickets), held a contest in which schools could win a private tour of the Barclays Center.

Three schools were winners: Prep For Success at Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights; JS 113 (presumably MS 113, whose principal is a sister of the DBNA executive director and daughter of the DBNA chairman) in Fort Greene, and PS 181 in East Flatbush.

"Bring a class or use the opportunity as an incentive for student achievement!!!" potential entrants were asked.

Boosting Barclays

Note this requirement: "Students who attend the tour must submit 1-2 page essay/composition, answering the question, 'What's the best thing about Barclays Center?'"

Isn't such a requirement the opposite of education? (Here are some more complicating perspectives on the arena.) Is being told to think one way an incentive for student achievement? 

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:36 AM

    Really sick and shameful. and some of these people do not even see how they manipulate our youth and how wrong this is. Beyond the relatively small amount of participants, all the people who see this poster. Any of those schools have a Debate Club?

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