New Tribeca High School Will Open in Fall By Ronald Drenger It doesn’t have a home yet, but the new high school planned for Downtown will open in September. The new school, a partnership between Community School District 2 and the YMCA of Greater New York, will open with as many as 125 ninth graders, adding a grade each of the following three years and growing to about 500 students. District 2 and Community Board 1 are searching for a building to house the school for its first year, as well as a permanent site for September 2003. Roy Moskowitz, the district’s counsel and spokesman, said he hoped both sites would be chosen this month.   "We’ve received a lot of encouragement from the Downtown community and the Board of Education to get this up and running, and we’re excited about opening another high school," Moskowitz said. He would not comment on possible sites but said that Tribeca High School, as it is tentatively named, would be located south of Canal Street. The St. John’s University building, formerly the College of Insurance, at Murray and West streets, is one possibility, university officials confirmed. The Downtown Athletic Club, formerly under consideration, is no longer favored, because Board of Education architects said that a renovation would be too difficult and costly. CB 1 and Downtown community leaders have been pushing for a new high school in Lower Manhattan, but some questioned starting the admissions process so late in the academic year. "The selection process for high schools is p retty much completed," said Ellen Foote, principal of I.S. 89 in Battery Park City. Moskowitz said that students who have already chosen a high school could still apply to the new school. District 2 intends to admit a body of students whose scores on the State English Language Arts exam reflect the performance levels of students districtwide. This breaks down to 65 percent at or above state standards; 30 percent "approaching" standards and five percent significantly below standards. (Information on the school’s anticipated curriculum and its YMCA partnership appeared in a previous story, "‘Tribeca High School’ Is in the Works."). The district held three open houses for the school last month. The first, at I.S. 89 on May 20, was poorly publicized and attracted few parents. But Robert Rhodes, the school’s designated principal, said he sees great interest in the school and anticipates many more applicants than available seats. At the May 20 open house, Rhodes, 34, who served as assistant principal at School of the Future for four years, was enthusiastic about the school’s partnership with the Y. "The YMCA can offer us a lot of things that help students in high school, programs that address how students grow up emotionally and socially," he said. To graduate, students will undertake "a series of exhibitions where they will present and discuss their work." The district and CB1 have to raise at least $15 million to convert a building into a high school. CB1 Chair Madelyn Wils said she expects grant proposals to go out this month. Applications to Tribeca High are due by June 15. Forms are available from Rhodes at 330-9433 or rrhodes@nyc.boe.net, or from middle school guidance counselors.