Hyde Leadership Charter School Celebrates Its 1st High School Graduating Class

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Published on June 15, 2013, 4:34 am
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Innovative family-based character education model helps class of 2013 achieve 95% college acceptance rate.

Two years after breaking ground as the first high school to be built in Hunts Point in more than three decades—and the only college preparatory high school in the Hunts Point area of the South Bronx—Hyde Leadership Charter School (K-12) is graduating its first senior class. The commencement ceremony is taking place at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 29, 2013 at Columbia University, Roone Arledge Auditorium, Alfred Lerner Hall (1st floor) 116th Street and Broadway, NY. 95 percent of 66 graduating seniors have been accepted to colleges and universities, including Ithaca, Syracuse, Brandeis and Drexel.

Hyde Leadership Charter School (Hyde-Bronx) is located in Hunts Point, NY, the poorest Congressional district in the nation. In a 2012 study by the Citizens Committee for Children (CCC), more than two-thirds of all area residents and three-quarters of children were found to live in extreme poverty. Nearly 50 percent of the students at Hyde-Bronx come from households earning less than $15,000 per year, and 95 percent qualify for free lunch. Sixty percent of the school’s student population is Hispanic, 40 percent African-American. Academically, students work hard to catch up, often arriving at Hyde-Bronx two or more years behind grade level.

This first commencement is an achievement for the class of 66 seniors as well as a true testament to Hyde-Bronx’s e!ective learning model, officially known as Family-Based Character Education. It was developed in 1966 by Joe Gauld who founded the first Hyde boarding school campuses in Bath, Maine and Woodstock, Connecticut with this philosophy in mind. The education model calls for a rigorous academic structure with an intense focus on character development and parent involvement to instill and emphasize in students the qualities of leadership, courage, integrity, curiosity and concern. 

“The graduating class of 2013 marks a huge milestone for us,” said Head of School Betsy Olney. “Our students face many challenges, and against all odds, they have overcome these obstacles with strength and character development. We have no doubt that the Hyde family-based character model will continue to prepare students for success in college and life.”

Unlike traditional public schools, Hyde-Bronx, as a charter public school, does not receive full government funding from the Department of Education. To maintain its successful supplementary programs, such as After School Programs, Intervention Specialists, a robust library, and college preparatory classes, the school must raise $500,000 in donations in the next fiscal year, starting July 1, 2013. Previous fundraising e!orts have attracted notable donors and programs, including the Roberta Flack School of Music.

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To support Hyde-Bronx’s mission, please visit here for more information, or send contributions to: 

Development Office
Hyde Leadership Charter School

830 Hunts Point Avenue
Bronx, NY 10474

More About The Hyde Leadership Charter School

The Hyde Leadership Charter School (Hyde-Bronx) is a New York City public school, chartered by the New York State Education Department. It is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Using the unique Hyde Process for Family-Based Character Education, the school unites families,teachers and students in helping children develop their deeper character and recognize their individual potential. Hyde-Bronx believes that character building is key to life preparation so that students may become responsible, contributing and fulfilled adults. Hyde-Bronx integrates leadership skills within a rigorous academic curriculum, instilling a dedication to socially conscientious behavior.

Founded in 2006 in Hunts Point, South Bronx – the poorest Congressional district in the U.S. – Hyde-Bronx first opened its doors to kindergartners and 6th graders. It has since added two grades each year, and in 2013, Hyde-Bronx is home to nearly 1,000 students in grades K-12. Hyde-Bronx is the home of the Roberta Flack School of Music.

To learn more, please go here.

 

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Jonas Bronck is the pseudonym under which we publish and manage the content and operations of The Bronx Daily.™ | Bronx.com - the largest daily news publication in the borough of "the" Bronx with over 1.5 million annual readers. Publishing under the alias Jonas Bronck is our humble way of paying tribute to the person, whose name lives on in the name of our beloved borough.