Parents Chart Their Own Course in Washington Heights

By Juan DeJesus

Many schools strive to be part of the community, but very few are actually built by the community they serve.

After hearing complaints from neighborhood parents, Christina Reyes gathered likeminded individuals to help establish a new school. Their goal was to meet the needs she demanded for her pupils at the parochial school at which she was working at the time.

Reyes saw the lack of choice for parents in Washington Heights and Inwood and sat down with other volunteers to write the charter for the Inwood Academy for Leadership. She made sure to include a full repertoire of activities and extracurricular choices for students to partake in.

Now in its second year, the Inwood Academy for Leadership is led by Reyes, the principal, and serves 220 students in the 5th and 6th grades. But the school is more than just a place where children learn facts about mollusks and fractions; it"s a place they can go to feel safe, secure and able to be themselves.

“We offer an engaging, caring, college preparatory environment that lets the students become the people they are meant to be, said Reyes, 33.

The school prides itself on challenging students, providing a safe haven for pupils and parents, following up on academic progress and dealing with problems both academic and social.

The free charter school offers after-school programs, youth development, a music program and even a robotics program that gives students a place to stay and learn.

“We believe that college success is absolutely vital. We give these students an academically rigorous educational environment that tests them and prepares them for college-level work, said Reyes.

Reyes also noted that they fill the community"s needs for special education and English language learners.

“There is a lot of demand for service for these students; we have struck a chord with the population. We make sure that parents and children know they are not treated differently. We work with them to get the best out of the student, noted Reyes.

But the students are not the only people who enjoy coming to the academy. The community has embraced the school and its student population, and local political leaders work closely with the school to ensure parents get quality services.

Reyes also likes to point out that the staff also enjoy coming to work. The principal notes the school"s turnover rate for teachers is very low; they have only lost one teacher in two years, who left because she realized teaching was not for her.

“The staff come here and know that they have the support of the administration. The students, the staff and the administration are all a family. We are here to support each other and that shows in their work ethic, said Reyes, adding that the children see how the teachers act and reflect it in their behavior.

The school is growing steadily, and with the growth comes a demand to develop better techniques and initiatives. The staff recently received three weeks of professional development time this summer to prepare themselves for the coming school year.

The school is also embarking on a new reading program, “The 100 Book Challenge. Each student is asked to read for at least one hour per day; the program asks parents to encourage their children to read half an hour at home while the other half is completed during normal coursework.

This year, the school is starting its first parent council as a way to involve parents in every step of their children"s development.

“We want students to become disciplined independent learners. They will leave accomplished readers and confident leaders, but most of all they will be empowered to go out into the world, said Reyes.