Harlem Academy Journal Spring 2017

HARLEM ACADEMY

JOURNAL Spring 2017

INSIDE

Making Their Mark The Creed Comes Home Driving Double-Digit Growth

From the Head of School The centerpiece of Harlem Academy’s school culture is our creed. Underscoring shared values, aspirations, and behaviors, the creed frames a starting point for successful habit-building within the school and beyond our walls.

The creed highlights four core areas that every student strives to improve: •

Initiative inspires our students to become leaders, to express their creativity, and to ask for help when they need it.

•

Integrity underscores the importance of honesty, self-reflection, and making good choices, even when it’s hard or no one is watching.

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Compassion encourages our students to be kind, attentive listeners who care for each other.

•

Determination reinforces resolve in our students, reminding them to push through setbacks, learn from mistakes, and never give up.

Our students internalize these pillars and write about them in their daily reflections. Parents share stories with us about how their children bring the values home. Our graduates repeatedly attest that the creed continues to inform their choices as they move through secondary school and college.

The creed lives on in these new adventures, just as we hope it will live on throughout their lives.

Vincent A. Dotoli Head of School

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More than 85% of Harlem Academy graduates return for one or more alumni events every year.

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A weekly community meeting anchors our school culture, reinforcing habits critical to students’ success. The meeting closes with students reciting the school creed and sharing silent reflection before returning to their classrooms to write about a personal connection to the week’s message.

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CONTENTS

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6 Making Their Mark 8 The Creed Comes Home 10 Driving Double-Digit Growth 13 Board Growth 14 Rising to Challenges: Catching Up with Miles Williams ’16 18 Our Place in the Education Landscape 20 Defending Ideas, Learning from Criticism 22 Math Labs Add Up 24 In Conversation: Alexis Viele and Eunice Lee SPRING 2017

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Making Their Mark Harlem Academy alumni continue to contribute and lead in their communities. We caught up with some recent graduates to hear how they are making their mark.

Joel Mentor ’13 has played ultimate Frisbee since his freshman year at Riverdale Country School. Now a senior, Joel was selected as captain of the team. “I have to plan and run our practices, team meetings, and social functions,” he says. “Ultimate doesn’t have referees, so I have to work with the other team’s captain to keep score and settle any disputes on the field.”

Joel’s leadership skills began to shine as a student at Harlem Academy. He tutored younger students and provided peer leadership in his own grade. “At Harlem Academy, I learned the value of initiative and responsibility,” he says.

“All of this grows out of the school creed.”

When Ami Tall ’13 and Mame Thiam ’13 chose a community service project at St. Jean Baptiste High School, they asked to volunteer at Harlem Academy. “We had options,” says Ami, “but my first choice was always HA. I want to give back to the place that did so much for me.”

Each week, the two spend an afternoon at the school, shelving books in the library and helping young students with reading. “I love reading with Ami and Mame,” says third grader Sofia. “They help me with hard words. I learn so much from them!”

The duo also appreciates the chance to reconnect with their former teachers.

“They still give us great advice,” says Mame. They are moving on to college this fall, where both plan to explore careers in nursing.

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G R A D UAT E P R O F I L E S

As a member of Marymount School of New York’s community service club, Alexandria Brown ’14 volunteers in the school’s development office. “I thought it was a great way to give back to my school community the best way I could,” she explains.

She also spends time at a local soup kitchen called Part of the Solution (POTS).

“Whenever I have free time, I go to POTS to help out,” she says. “At Harlem Academy, I learned to do what is right even when no one is watching. So even after I finished my community service requirements, I continued to volunteer.

It’s important to me to help people in need.”

At the Putney School in Vermont, the work program is an essential part of the school culture. All students participate in the operation of the school, which includes a farm and horses. Jada Cooper ’14 is an elected member of the Work Committee, the leadership group that oversees the entire program.

“I manage one of the six sections, keeping everything running and directing 40 of my peers,” she says. “Having this leadership role was difficult at first, but I am glad that I took the opportunity to uphold such a strong aspect of my school.

Harlem Academy encouraged us to seek opportunities to lead. In my room at Putney I have a copy of HA’s school creed to remind me of these values.”

After seven years as a camper at Camp Timanous in Maine, Javin Michael ’15 earned the camp’s highest leadership honor this past summer when he was chosen to serve as the Head Voyager. As camp director David Suitor explains, “The Voyagers Club is a completely camper-run group that recognizes leadership, loyalty, and all-around good citizenship.” The Head Voyager is the leader of this group.

For the upcoming summer, Javin will continue to give back and serve in a leadership role as he joins the Timanous counselor-in-training (CIT) program.

In her freshman year at Northfield Mount Hermon, Taneyah Jolly ’16 was elected by her classmates to a student-led initiative to strengthen school government called Reconstruction of Student Congress Committee.

“The position comes with a lot of responsibility,” she says. “I have to communicate with the freshman class about the ideas coming forward and the progress we're making. At Harlem Academy, I learned how to give information and receive feedback from my classmates, how to balance my responsibilities, and how to be a good leader for my community and peers.”

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The Creed Comes Home The school creed provides a starting point for habit-building at school, but parents tell us that they see their children live by the creed at home as well. We asked what this looks like.

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Ilaura Walker, mother of fourth grader Shane and first grader Ava “I picked Ava up from school one day, and she told me she had been talking about compassion and integrity with one of her classmates. She even explained to me three examples of compassion: listen carefully, speak kindly, and care for my community.

She was so passionate about it! I kept thinking, ‘Where did those words

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come from?’ Then I remembered, it’s from the creed! They really have it ingrained in their hearts.”

“My children have especially embraced the lines, ‘I am bold and creative’ and ‘I don’t give up.’ Ava is more confident in her work and she’s stopped second guessing herself so often. She enjoys being creative in her artwork and working with new materials.

Meanwhile, I have seen Shane become much more focused since coming to Harlem Academy. The creed taught him the value of determination and making the most of each day.”

Jennifer Gomilla, mother of eighth grader Paulina and seventh grader Rose “Showing initiative, having integrity, being compassionate – those are the things that we as parents hope to instill in our children. It’s nice to have these ideas reinforced at school. It helps them to be good people.”

“Outside of school, Paulina is involved in a swim team, which is a real commitment. She shows determination there, and compassion for her teammates. Both of our girls work really hard. The workload has increased as they’ve gotten older, but they have a good work ethic. Like the creed says, they never give up.”

Chris Middleton, father of seventh grader Malik and fourth grader Malachi “What our family likes most about the creed is that each line is usable.

We post it on the refrigerator at home. During teachable moments with our kids, my wife and I relate any situation to one of the pillars.

We ask them, ‘Which pillar do you think this situation relates to – integrity, determination, compassion, or initiative?’ I think that’s something that all families can do. It ties the home life into the school life. The creed is not only for the school community. It can also be incorporated into daily life.”

Mr. Middleton also believes that Harlem Academy’s emphasis on determination has helped his younger son become more independent and self-directed. “Malachi needed a little extra encouragement to stay on top of his studies. He has gotten more responsible since coming to Harlem Academy. He’s learning to take care of his work and never give up.”

Ilaura Walker's children bring the creed home, and now the whole family uses it in conversations (left). The school creed and pillars are visible in every room at Harlem Academy (right).

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Driving DoubleDigit Growth

Math puzzles develop collaboration and critical thinking skills.

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S T R AT E G I C I M PAC T

Year after year, Harlem Academy students improve their performance on standardized tests. Most notably, scores jump an average of 11 points after a student’s first year at HA. We took a closer look at the second-grade class to see how this growth was accomplished during their first year at Harlem Academy.

“Tell me about your favorite book that you’ve read this year,” asks Head of School Vinny Dotoli. Two students are engaging with him and a visitor to the school. They are the classroom greeters for the second grade this week, and both are eager to answer.

“I liked the Mercy Watson books,” says one, “because they show initiative and determination. They never give up.” The other says, “Sonia Sotomayor’s biography was my favorite because she shows compassion and cares for her community.”

These are seven-year-olds – bright, engaged, confident, and performing above their grade level. But this wasn’t always the case. When these students and their classmates started at Harlem Academy, most were testing in the 75th-85th percentile on nationally standardized tests – too high to be challenged by local charter and public schools, but also too low to gain access to the citywide gifted and talented programs. Without the options available to their peers in more affluent communities, their potential was going unrealized.

By the end of first grade, their scores had jumped an average of 11 percentile points.

First-grade teacher Ashley Barnett remembers this class.

“These are bright kids,” she says, “but often they haven’t been pushed before. Our curriculum challenges them and builds their core academic skills.”

She remembers one student who exemplified this determination. “Sophie started out really behind in first grade. She didn’t know as many words by sight, had to sound more out, didn’t know how to spell. But she put in extra effort and focused on her work. She and her parents looked for extra resources. As the year progressed, we saw

+11

Percentile Points Gain by incoming students on standardized tests in their first year

+4

Percentile Points Additional gain for returning students in each subsequent year

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tremendous growth. By the end of October, she was able to identify 80 out of 100 sight words. By December she was up to at least 95 out of 100.”

Sophie’s parents realized that she was not being challenged at her previous school. “Her preschool and kindergarten didn’t push her hard enough,” says her father. “We knew that she was smart; she just needed some extra help to catch up. Harlem Academy is helping her to realize her full potential. She quotes the school creed to our family sometimes. Her favorite line is ‘I don’t give up.’”

Sophie continued to thrive throughout first grade, ending the year reading at a third-grade level. In fact, the whole class grew considerably, improving an average of 1.5 years in reading levels, with some ending first grade reading at a fourth-grade level.

From the earliest ages, Harlem Academy builds strong, selfdirected learners. When students get blocked, teachers ask what they’ve tried and what they will try next. The goal is to nurture their determination and confidence.

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“The goal at HA is to always set the bar a little bit higher,” explains Mr. Dotoli. “We don’t just stamp excellence and accept the status quo. We actively encourage students to push themselves every day.”

Second-grade teacher Aja Hanna says, “We try different strategies for different kids. We give them the freedom to learn how they learn best.”

“Some of them ask for more reading books,” adds Ms. Barnett. “Some want more math challenges or writing practice. And we help them move that forward.”

The teachers credit this success to Harlem Academy’s holistic approach to education. “We want them to love learning,” says Ms. Barnett. “We focus on more than just teaching reading and math skills. We encourage them to try different approaches and find the right path for them.

We want to give them guidelines and skills they’ll use throughout their lives. That’s the joy of teaching.”

First-grade teacher Angela Bailey sums it up best. “At 6 p.m. our students ask their parents to wait outside because they’re not ready to leave school yet. It’s a great place to be.”

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Board Growth

JOHN BELIZAIRE is a managing partner at the private equity firm NextStage LLC and a Senior Industry Advisor for Guidewire Software. He brings to the board extensive experience in business development and marketing, and hopes to help the school broaden its base of supporters. His involvement at Harlem Academy includes helping to develop the entrepreneurship club, and spending several afternoons on campus working with students on their projects.

DOUG GRIEBEL is the cofounder and Chairman of Rosa Mexicano Restaurants. Under his leadership, the restaurant has grown from one location in New York City to 15 locations in the US and abroad. Doug serves on the boards of several business, restaurant, and nonprofit organizations in New York City. He has helped to lead capital campaigns at both the Collegiate School and Marietta College, and hopes to leverage his own passion for Harlem Academy’s mission to engage others.

RODNEY POPE is Vice President and Senior Human Relations Director at Turner Construction, where he has worked since 1995. Originally trained in architecture and construction technologies, he has a BS in organizational management and an MS in construction management.

For more than a decade, Rodney has led Turner’s extensive volunteer participation in Harlem Academy’s fundraising events and family partnership.

HARLEM ACADEMY

Spring Benefit HONORING MARK H . JOHNSTON

T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 2 7 T H , 2 0 1 7 6:30 p.m. Cocktails + Silent Auction 7:30 p.m. Seated Dinner + Live Auction with Hugh Hildesley of Sotheby’s GOTHAM HALL 1356 Broadway at W. 36th Street W I T H YO U R H E L P Harlem Academy drives opportunity for promising, low-income children who might otherwise be left behind. We prepare our students to compete with higher-income peers, succeed at secondary schools and colleges, and one day make a mark on the world.

TAB LE S AN D TICKETS AVAIL AB LE AT WWW.HARLEMACADEMY.ORG

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Miles with his parents at the 2016 Harlem Academy graduation.

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Rising to Challenges: Catching Up with Miles Williams ’16

G R A D UAT E P R O F I L E S

Harlem Academy guides our students to thrive at the highest academic levels. Miles Williams ’16 was not challenged by his former school, so he came to Harlem Academy.

Now he is attending one of the most challenging schools in the nation. We caught up with him in his freshman year at Lawrenceville to see how Harlem Academy prepared him.

Miles and his teachers knew that he had the potential to succeed at a school as rigorous as Harlem Academy, but it took hard work and perseverance to get there.

“The line in the creed that resonates most for me is the last one: I don’t give up,” he says. “I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t give up meeting the standards, but I also can’t give up improving myself and raising the standards.”

At Harlem Academy, he discovered new passions. He developed a love for science, and Harlem Academy’s curriculum gave him a chance to explore the subject in depth. The middle school’s annual three-day trips to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute introduced him to chemistry, something he continues to pursue.

Lawrenceville’s bucolic campus, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is a far cry from the repurposed storefronts of Harlem Academy. Miles points, however, to the strength of his preparation at Harlem Academy to meet the academic rigor of his new school.

This is not the first time that Miles has had to adjust to a demanding environment. He excelled in his fourth-grade class at a New York City public school, reading above grade level, and tutoring a classmate in math and reading each week.

His mother knew, however, that a student with his abilities needed a more rigorous learning environment to reach his potential. On the application to Harlem Academy, she wrote, “I am very concerned that Miles is not being challenged. It is a good school, and we learn at home, but Miles needs consistent work at his level.”

At Harlem Academy, Miles found the challenge that he and his mother were seeking.

New Discoveries

“When I took my first trimester exams at HA, I did poorly on all of them,” he says. “Before I came to Harlem Academy, I had no idea what studying was. My teachers noticed, and they introduced me to what good work habits are all about.”

Miles explores the library at Lawrenceville.

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He’s keeping busy with a host of clubs and extracurricular activities, including chess, improvisational acting, and competitive rock climbing.

“At first, I was nervous about standing out,” he says. “My mom said to just put myself out there and try new things. I don’t think I would have listened to her if that idea hadn’t been taught so strongly at Harlem Academy.”

Miles is especially excited about the Chemistry Olympiad Club competition. This involves several successive rounds, first within the school, then at national research centers, and culminating in an international competition where the top four American students will represent their country.

He’s motivated by the possibility of making it to the end of this competition, but he knows he’ll need perseverance and initiative to get there.

“I don’t think I’ll get that far this year or even next year,” he says, “but I know that I want to do things like that eventually. I spend a few hours a week studying from a massive, college-level chemistry textbook. I’ll learn what I can and take notes and create flash cards. We’ll see what happens.”

In the meantime, Miles is happy to explore all that his new school has to offer.

Miles hitting the slopes for the first time this past winter.

Life at Lawrenceville

“At Lawrenceville, there are a lot of things to experience that can change you profoundly. If I could talk with new Harlem Academy students, I would tell them to come with an open mind, because you’re going to be exposed to a lot of subjects that are going to be different from what you already know or think. Harlem Academy really cracked a barrier for me, so I’m prepared for these opportunities to flow in. Instead of having to figure this out during freshman and sophomore year, I can really experience all four years of high school.”

In his first year at Lawrenceville, Miles has thrown himself into challenging coursework, including geometry and French.

“Lawrenceville requires a lot of its students,” he says.

“If I hadn't attended Harlem Academy, I think I'd be in a lot of trouble. Harlem Academy instilled in me a very good work ethic.”

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“Harlem Academy really cracked a barrier for me so I’m prepared for these opportunities.”

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Miles introduces a classmate as part of Harlem Academy’s graduation in June 2016.

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Our Place in the Education Landscape In 90% of the school districts that Harlem Academy serves, no kindergartner scored high enough in 2016 to be eligible for the citywide gifted and talented programs. These opportunities are available only to students already testing above the 97th percentile.

NYC Gifted and Talented Access

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Manhattan

83

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0 Bronx

Source: NYC Dept of Education (2016)

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Promising children from lowincome communities don’t have the resources or preparation to compete for these spots, and the programs are dominated by children from more affluent communities.

At the same time, local public and charter schools in these communities must focus on the 80% of students not meeting basic proficiency. They have few resources left to help highpotential students thrive.

The result is that children in lowincome communities rarely get to realize their personal and academic potential: •

By first grade, low-income children are only half as likely to be high achievers as their more affluent peers.

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By fifth grade, only 56% of these high achievers maintain this status in reading.

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During high school, they drop out or do not graduate on time at twice the rate of their higherincome peers.

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By college, only 14% of freshmen at the nation’s top 160 colleges come from the bottom half of the income distribution.

These are the students that Harlem Academy serves. Most enter with standardized test scores in the 70th85th percentile. On average, they improve 11 percentile points during their first year alone at Harlem Academy. Last year’s graduates gained a cumulative 24 points on average from when they entered the school.

Our goal is to prepare students to thrive and compete in secondary school, college, and beyond. All of them move on to strong collegeprep programs, and most receive full scholarships – averaging nearly $43,000 per year – to independent schools including Chapin, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Riverdale, and more.

Our earliest classes are now moving on to college. 100% have graduated high school on time (compared to 56% of their community peers) and almost all are enrolled at four-year colleges.

Only as a private school can we succeed at this. We can identify and admit promising, low-income children who might otherwise be left behind. We can develop a program that engages and inspires them, building a love of learning with the skills and habits they need for success. We can prepare them to compete at the highest academic levels with their peers from more affluent communities.

Harlem Academy is a pathway to realizing potential – academically, personally, and as contributing members of their communities.

We look forward to seeing how our graduates make a mark on the world.

Instruction emphasizes core skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking.

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Defending Ideas, Learning from Criticism

Eighth grader Herby pinned his blueprints to the wall of the conference room at Rafael ViĂąoly Architects and picked up his model. His classmates sat watching him as he presented the details of his design.

Jay Bargmann, Vice President of Rafael ViĂąoly Architects and Harlem Academy trustee, leads the critique of student projects.

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A jury of professional architects from the firm listened, and then peppered him with questions. “What community need is it filling? How will the design complement the existing buildings in the neighborhood? What flexibility does it have to adapt in the future?”

Herby responded to each question, unflustered by the rigorous critique. His answers demonstrated the depth of thinking that had gone into the project.

One by one, each student in the class traded places with him and took their turn with the jury. Designs were presented, models were passed around, ideas were challenged and defended.

The unit culminates with the visit to RVA, where students present their designs to a panel of professionals. “They get critiqued like they’re real architects, presenting real design proposals,” says Ms. Philbin. “Some of the feedback was negative, but the students weren’t intimidated. It was constructive criticism, and they could see how it improved their ideas.”

“The student work was truly amazing,” says Jay Bargmann, managing partner of the firm. “I have seen first-year architecture students whose work was not as good as this. They should be congratulated for their ability to conceptualize and to communicate.”

“The students have a great work ethic,” says Elizabeth Geldres, project manager at RVA who led the workshops at the school. “They work on their individual designs, but they also work as a team. Students who were particularly good at the model-making also made time to help their peers. They all provided constructive feedback to each other to help make their projects better.”

Bargmann added, “I hope this experience has sparked an interest for some of them. The world could use a few more good architects.”

“I have seen first-year architecture students whose work was not as good as this.”

Eighth grader Herby references his diagram in response to the critique.

– Jay Bargmann, Vice President of Rafael Viñoly Architects and Harlem Academy trustee

Each student had designed a building for a vacant lot near the Harlem Academy campus to benefit the community. As part of the school’s applied sciences program, eighth-grade students participate in a four-week unit led by the worldrenowned firm. “It’s very intense,” says science teacher Meredith Philbin. “It’s a college-level course.”

The students developed ideas, drew blueprints, and built scale models. This year’s designs included a bookstore, a yoga studio, restaurants, a laser tag facility, and a black box theater.

Student designs included a bookstore, a yoga studio, restaurants, a laser tag facility, and a black box theater.

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Math Labs Add Up

Math coach Jeff Newman teaches a course on financial literacy to the seventh grade.

One by one, math coach Jeff Newman pulls the eighth graders into the hallway to share their individual scores with them. This is their first meeting since the rigorous MathCounts competition.

His discretion proves unnecessary as each student returns to the classroom and blurts out their score to the rest of the group. They are competitive, but also supportive of each other.

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When Arielle and Caden step back in, they both share the highest individual scores that any Harlem Academy students have ever achieved on the “Sprint” portion of the examination.

On average, Harlem Academy scores have increased from the previous year, in many cases, substantially.

The success comes as no surprise to Newman. He has volunteered for six years with Harlem Academy students,

providing supplemental math instruction to keep them challenged.

A retired actuary, he holds a math lab one full day per week for the top students from each middle school grade to instruct them on advanced concepts.

If you’re good in math,” says Newman, “traditional concepts, even advanced ones, can get stale quickly. Fast-paced students need to have their horizons expanded. In my classes, I always

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explain that most students routinely respond incorrectly to the problems posed. They get used to struggling with adversity in the math realm.

It encourages them to think more critically about problems.”

“With math especially,” explains Middle School Director Leah Weintraub, “Harlem Academy provides differentiated instruction to push everyone. Students who master math concepts get to be challenged beyond standard curriculum, while other students get more time to review.”

Newman’s fifth-grade class focuses on unusual mathematical problemsolving while the sixth-grade class focuses on advanced probability theory. “If you know your odds, you make better decisions,” Newman says with a laugh. “It’s valuable in life, not just for math’s sake.”

For seventh graders, Newman’s focus shifts to finance, including a comprehensive, ten-week financial literacy course. Eighth graders participate in a stock market simulation, starting with $100,000 to invest. They do their own research and assess risk, buying and selling equities in real time with the stock market.

Each week they review the portfolios and compete over performance.

Newman also coaches students in national math contests throughout the year. “These are important because our students get to see their scores relative to their peers. Although they may be the best students at Harlem Academy, they see what their place is among other seventh or eighth graders. It opens up a whole world for them about what their potential could be.”

The populations Harlem Academy serves are historically

underrepresented in the fields of math, science, technology, and engineering.

Harlem Academy inspires them to overcome systemic barriers and pursue careers in these influential fields.

“I love math and science,” eighth grader Caden shares, still beaming about his recent success at the MathCounts competition. His classmate Mikaella agrees. She is planning to become an astrophysicist and already has some ideas for her thesis.

Newman is thrilled by his students’ engagement and passion for this work. “That’s my whole reason for being here,” he says. “It’s so rewarding to get these students to stretch the mathematical parts of their brains.”

Special thanks to the Cat MacRae Fund, lead sponsor of Harlem Academy’s Singapore math program.

Eighth grader Caden solves a logic puzzle, in an exercise to strengthen critical thinking.

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In Conversation

Alexis Viele and Eunice Lee: Lead Teachers for Third and Fourth Grades After teaching at Harlem Academy for four years, Alexis Viele convinced her most esteemed colleague from her former school to come teach the grade above her.

Viele: Before she started, we talked about how it's a lot of work, but it's worth it. You can see the impact that it’s making. It is inspiring and encouraging. Even the long days or the hard days are good days.

With 11 years of teaching experience, why is Harlem Academy where you want to teach?

Lee: I love teaching math because there is hands-on connection, and opportunity to relate concepts to real life. I like that there is only one answer, but there are so many ways to get to that answer, which makes math beautiful. On the opposite end of the spectrum, writing is my favorite, because you can draw out the creativity in students. They start to realize, “Oh wow, I'm sharing my voice with somebody, and I’m sharing my story,” and then they start to love it.

Viele: The families and the students are a huge piece of why I want to teach here. Our families are so committed to making sure their children get every opportunity. It’s inspiring to see our kids’ earnestness and willingness to approach difficult situations. They may stumble a few times, but they work hard to achieve their goals. That’s exciting to see, and I think it’s something special to Harlem Academy.

It’s also the passion and integrity of the administration, their desire to constantly improve, their willingness to partner with teachers to find our strengths. At Harlem Academy, teacher voices are really heard.

Is that how you convinced Ms. Lee to join the Harlem Academy team?

Lee: She had been telling me about HA for years. She knew the mission of Harlem Academy would fit into my identity as a teacher much more than where we were before.

Do you have a favorite subject to teach?

Viele: For me, it’s math and reading. As a student I found math challenging, so I get excited watching kids have their “aha” moment as we work through it. In reading, we’ve refined the third-grade curriculum

to help them find the patterns in storytelling and to begin doing character analysis in a thoughtful way.

They love this.

What do you want to make sure your students know by the time they move on to the next grade?

Viele: I hope they walk away knowing that that no matter what challenges happen in the future – inside or outside of school – that they have advocates. I teach them to try and to stumble and to enjoy the messiness that is learning, both educationally and in life.

Lee: Well, I just want them to know how to spell there, their, and they’re correctly! Really though, I want to prepare students for the challenges ahead in middle school.

In fourth grade, we stress maturity, independence, and responsibility.

We model what these skills look like – studying for a test or keeping organized, for example – and then encourage them to practice on their own so it becomes a habit.

As a student I found math challenging, so I get excited watching kids have their “aha” moment as we work through it.

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Where Are Alumni Now?

9%

Other

31%

Selective Catholic & Public

60%

Independent Day & Boarding

$42,713 AV E R AG E A N N UA L S C H O L A R S H I P E A R N E D BY H A R L E M AC A D E M Y G R A D UAT E S AT I N D E P E N D E N T S C H O O L S

SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT (5-YEAR)

92% 100%

VS.

56%

100% of students in our first graduating class (2012) achieved on-time graduation from high school vs. 56% of their peers in Harlem, the Bronx, and Washington Heights.

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H A R L E M AC A D E M Y

Students in this first graduating class who are already enrolled in four-year colleges.

I N S I D E H A R L E M AC A D E M Y

School Creed I am bold and creative.

I take opportunities to lead.

I seek help when I need it.

I am honest and reflective.

I choose to do what is right Even when it is hard or no one is watching.

I listen carefully.

I speak kindly.

I care for my community.

I make the most of each day.

I learn from my mistakes.

I don’t give up.

SPRING 2017

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