Bellesini Academy Brochure

94 Bradford Street Lawrence, MA 01840 (978) 989-0004 www.bellesiniacademy.org office@bellesiniacademy.org

MISSION Bellesini Academy is an independent, tuition-free middle school, founded in 2002 in response to the severe crisis of education in the public schools in Lawrence.

The Academy is now in its fourteenth year of providing quality scholarship education to deserving students in grades five through eight in Lawrence.

Bellesini’s mission is to provide an academically challenging and highly structured environment that develops the potential for each student to succeed in competitive secondary schools and colleges.

Believing strongly in the benefits of single-gender education, Bellesini is a co-institutional school: male and female students attend separate classes but also have opportunities to interact in positive ways during after-school programs and in school-wide events.

Bellesini

Academy

Building Bridges to Brighter Futures for Lawrence Boys since 2002...and for Lawrence Girls since 2015!

The Bellesini philosophy is simple: education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The Academy exclusively serves low income students living in Lawrence, the poorest city in Massachusetts. In order to provide students with the extra support they require to achieve their potential, the Academy operates a 12-hour school day 11 months a year.

12 HOUR SCHOOL DAY 7:30-7:50 7:50-8:20 8:20-3:00 3:00-5:00 5:00-6:30 6:30-8:30

Breakfast Homeroom & School Assembly Academic Classes After-School Activities, Sports & Clubs Students Go Home for Dinner Students Return for Evening Study

Students attend more than 2000 hours of instruction each year—nearly double that of public school students. Bellesini’s extended school day and lengthened academic year bring the advantages enjoyed by suburban students to at-risk youth in Lawrence: · A rigorous academic curriculum taught by highly qualified professional faculty in classes

limited to 15 students, with a special emphasis on literacy and writing;

· After-school activities such as clubs, team athletics, recreational activities, and enrichment

programs help students develop their non-academic talents and interests; · Evening study sessions provide a quiet and structured environment in which students are

offered one-on-one tutoring while they complete an average of 2 hours of homework, and;

· A four-week summer program extends learning into an “eleventh month” of school,

offering a safe and fun summer camp experience that continues building academic skills while introducing students to new recreational pursuits in a college preparatory campus setting.

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Expanding to serve 120 boys and girls in grades 5-8 Providing support services to 140+ Alumni All students must qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch Average Family Income: $34,370 Students whose first language is not English: 88% All students reside in Lawrence where the high school graduation rate is just 72%

Bellesini is expanding to serve girls!

The Academy has long considered how we could broaden our impact on the Lawrence community. Specifically, our leadership has focused on the need for more educational opportunities for the 2,500 middle school girls living Lawrence.

Bellesini opened a girls school in 2015, beginning with one class of 15 girls and growing to serve 60 girls in grades five through eight in the 2018-19 school year. Understanding that the needs of girls and boys are unique, classes will remain single gender, utilizing a “co-institutional” rather than coeducational model. The girls' school programs will mirror those of the boys, with a similar schedule, curriculum, and shared faculty and staff. Male and female students will have opportunities to interact during certain afterschool activities and during school wide events.

Although there will be additional expense in educating more students, the net effect of expanding from 60 students to 120 students will drive down our per pupil cost, as many efficiencies are gained. While our general operating budget will increase by about $500,000 from the current fiscal year (currently serving 60 students) to FY '19 (when our enrollment reaches 120 students), our per pupil cost will gradually decrease from about $12,000 in FY '15 to about $10,000 in FY '19 when we reach full capacity. The increase in enrollment will greatly improve our budget efficiency.

"To this day, I think Bellesini has been the most rigorously academic institution I have ever attended. It is with their help that I stand here today ready to meet the challenge of college head on and with confidence. This is why I was thrilled to hear that Bellesini will be opening a school for girls starting this fall. As a social justice advocate, and a big brother, I think it's amazing that my little sister Jeimy, and other girls like her, will have the chance to receive a Bellesini education..."

—Jhoneidy ‘11, St. John’s Prep ‘15, Haverford College ‘19

Lawrence girls face many obstacles to success: · The teen pregnancy rate in Lawrence is the 3rd highest in

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the state. Teens who become mothers are more likely to drop out of school and face a significant increase in economic insecurity.

90% of Lawrence students are low-income. Low-income students score lower on standardized tests, engage in more risk behaviors during adolescence, and are five times more likely to drop out of high school. Only 1 in 10 low-income students go on to earn a college degree.

The graduation rate for girls attending Lawrence public schools is 72%--the 7th lowest graduation rate in the state.

Lawrence is labeled a “chronically underperforming district” that needs “substantial intervention” because of its poor MCAS scores. 51% of Lawrence's female students scored proficient on the 2014 English MCAS, while only 44% were proficient in math and just 21% were proficient in Science/Tech Ed. 91% of students in Lawrence are Latino. Latina girls face significant challenges in making successful transitions to adulthood:

Þ Latinas have lower proficiency in math and reading and are most likely to drop out of high school compared to other girls. Þ They are underrepresented in AP classes & are less likely to take the SAT Þ Latinas are less engaged in out-of-school time activities than their peers, suffer higher obesity rates, and have the highest pregnancy rates among their peers. 9% of Latina teens have been pregnant at least once. Þ Only 3% of Latina women have jobs in STEM fields. Þ Poverty rates for Latina women are nearly 3x those of white women.

Annual Cost to Educate a Bellesini Student

Preparing at-risk students from Lawrence for college preparatory high schools is challenging. To achieve this goal we must provide them with an outstanding tuition-free education 12 hours a day, 11 months a year.

The cost to educate a child at Bellesini Academy is approximately $12,000 per year. When considering the annual cost of educating a student in the local public school system, it becomes clear that Bellesini is operating efficiently to deliver unparalleled instruction and support to its students. Lawrence Public Schools Academic Classes: $7,000 spends $13,272 per year to educate a student seven hours a day, After-School Activities: $1,500 ten months a year. Bellesini’s $12,000 per student cost includes Evening Study Sessions: $500 daily academic instruction from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., afterSummer Program: $1,000 school enrichment from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., supervised study from Text Books & Supplies: $1,000 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and four weeks of instruction during the Total Cost Per Pupil: $11,000 summer months. Bellesini students participate in more than 2000 hours of instruction each year—nearly double the hours of public school students.

COST PER PUPIL

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Supervised Evening Study

7:50 a.m.

Homeroom

7:30 a.m.

Arrive at school & eat breakfast

3:00—5:00 p.m.

Clubs, Enrichment & Athletics

Bellesini’s 12-Hour School Day

8:05 a.m.

Morning Assembly

8:20 a.m.

Morning Classes (Periods 1 & 2)

10:10 a.m.

Morning Recess 12:45 p.m.

Afternoon Classes (Periods 5 & 6)

12:15 p.m.

Lunch in the cafeteria

12:30 p.m.

Lunchtime Recess

10:25 a.m.

Late morning classes (Periods 3 & 4)

"Your time at Bellesini defines who you become, and the knowledge you have found here will shape the rest of your life. You realize just how lucky you are to have received the education that you have. And you'll come back and thank Ms. DiFilippo and your teachers for the time they've invested in you."

Peter Laboy ‘08, Groton ‘12, Lafayette University ‘16

Our Students’ Success

PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENTS AUSTIN PREP BROOKS SCHOOL CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL GROTON SCHOOL NOBLE & GREENOUGH NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL PHILLIPS ACADEMY ANDOVER PINGREE SCHOOL PRESENTATION OF MARY ST. JOHN’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL

COLLEGE PLACEMENTS

ASSUMPTION COLLEGE ANNA MARIA COLLEGE BOSTON COLLEGE BOWDOIN COLLEGE CLARK UNIVERSITY EMMANUEL COLLEGE HOLY CROSS HAVERFORD COLLEGE ITT TECHNICAL INSTITUTE JOHNSON & WALES KEENE STATE LAFAYETTE COLLEGE MERRIMACK COLLEGE NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEWBURY COLLEGE NORTHERN ESSEX CC PACE UNIVERSITY PITZER COLLEGE PROVIDENCE COLLEGE ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY U MASS AMHERST U MASS BOSTON U MASS DARTMOUTH U MASS LOWELL UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA WHEATON COLLEGE

Not one Bellesini alumnus has dropped out of high school.

100% have gone on to graduate!