The Beacon Beat

By Hannah Rajalingam and Anna Di Iorio-Reyes

You could probably spot him in any number of places. Spending time with his family, mixing beats at his home studio, or editing his newest book. That’s all to say that Johnny Ventura, Beacon’s new principal, is a man of many sides.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Mr. J (as he prefers to be called) has viewed New York as home throughout his life. After dropping out of high school his freshman year, Mr. J went on to get his GED and later attend Binghamton University. He now holds 3 degrees, all focused in uplifting students and school communities. As an undergraduate student, Mr. J volunteered with a nonprofit college prep program, where he exposed students of color to higher education. Most recently, he was an Assistant Principal at Brooklyn Tech. 

But there is a creative side to Mr. J, too. He currently has four books published (a memoir and three children’s books), with a science-fiction novel he’s “falling in love with” on the way, he says. Drawing inspiration from his favorite artists like Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, and Jay-Z, Mr. J even makes his own R&B and rap music in his home studio.

There’s no question that Mr. J already has taken a liking to Beacon in his short time here: “Oh, I love Beacon!” he said with no hesitation after being asked of his first impressions. “Beacon is beautiful, for one,” he added. “I love the basement, that’s probably my favorite floor because of all the music and art.” 

One thing Mr. J is hoping to accomplish within Beacon is allowing for more equal access to the school’s spaces. “How do we use the common spaces so that it’s equitable? So that groups, clubs, and organizations get to use some of these really nice spaces throughout the year, versus it being dominated by one specific group?” he said. 

With only a month and half under his belt as principal, Mr. J assured us he has no blockbuster changes to Beacon planned. Instead of pointing out the school’s shortcomings, he says “I’m here to see where Beacon shines. I want to get to understand more about what the spirit of Beacon is, and what it means to ignite one’s ‘inner Beacon,’” a phrase already familiar to much of the student body (Mr. J said himself that he aims to be a Beacon of love). 

“If there’s anything that I want to enhance it’s how we engage with each other as a community,” he added. This would include physically bringing the school together, whether at a game to support a Beacon sports team (even if that entails another trek out to Randall’s Island) or engaging in a student assembly. He said he would also like to gradually bring parents back into the building.

As for Beacon’s hesitation towards AP classes, Mr. J indicated that he doesn’t plan to increase the number of AP’s offered: “one of the reasons I chose to come to Beacon was the consortium PBA model.” He added that he likes the school’s emphasis on projects rather than tests. “It was refreshing to come to Beacon,” Mr. J said, because students are less stressed about AP exams. He noted that “if Beacon was around when I was in high school, maybe I wouldn’t have dropped out of high school.”

With many students approaching him to say “hi” or to discuss the coming year within his first few weeks, Mr. J is excited to be a part of the tight-knit student community. Additionally, he’s been warmly welcomed by the staff, and describes them as an amazing group of people who are “really committed to doing what’s best for all of [the student body].”

“I feel lucky to be here. I do. I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at, but I feel lucky.”