Harlem Academy Journal 2024

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

For 20 years, we have fulfilled our mission to drive equity of opportunity for promising students, holding firm to the values that have guided us along the way while also learning and growing from our experiences.

At this point of reflection, I am reminded of all the firsts within our community and everything we have to celebrate. However, I don’t want to give too much away before you have a chance to take our trivia challenge on page 12. What I will share here is my tremendous thanks to all our students, alumni, parents, teachers, volunteers, and supporters who have continued to come together and contribute in ways that allow Harlem Academy to thrive.

As we look to the next 20 years, Harlem Academy is launching its Campaign for Today, Tomorrow, and the Future – an initiative that promises to support our transformational program, expand enrollment, and develop an endowment. Our mission is as critical as it was in 2004, and we are more committed than ever to ensuring a pathway to success for generations to come.

Vinny Dotoli

Below: Today, the tradition remains – but because we’ve grown,

Bottom right: Vinny shaking hands at the end of an early Community Meeting. In our old campus, we could fit the whole school in one meeting.

each division holds its own meeting.

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.

WELCOME TO THE BOARD

We are pleased to welcome Richard A. Axilrod to the board of trustees.

Richard is currently the managing partner of Axilrod Capital, a family office. He is also currently the chairman of the Investment Committee of Waterside School and a member of the Investment Committee of the Brunswick School, both independent schools.

Prior, Richard was a managing director of Moore Capital Management from 19952023. He acted as a senior advisor to Louis Bacon on trading issues and portfolio composition across the Moore Capital funds. During that time, Richard served on the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee from 1998-2011. Before 1995, he served in a variety of roles which led to the establishment of a hedge fund, the Athena Group, in 1992.

Richard received a B.A. in economics from Kenyon College in 1981 and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1985.

Making Their Mark

Harlem Academy students strive for excellence, meet challenges with determination, and care deeply for their community. No matter what path they choose after leaving our halls, our graduates take these same qualities into the wider world. In the following pages, you’ll meet six alumni continuing to live the School Creed and navigate life’s journey in different and interesting ways. Whether on the cusp of high school graduation, embracing leadership in college, or forging their early careers, one thing is certain: they are all making their mark.

When Mindy Djindjele, a freshman at New York University, interned at New York Presbyterian Hospital while still in high school, it kicked off a summer of discovery.

DjindjeleMindy’19

Plans to major in either biology or neuroscience

Summer intern at New York Presbyterian Freshman at NYU

CuffeKely’20

Fourth grader Kely contemplating her chess strategy.

Alberto Zamora has embraced leadership as a sophomore at DePauw University.

Alberto Zamora ’18

DePauw Honor Scholar Interned at Voices for a Second Chance Sophomore at DePauw

BriannaDouglasTurner’14

after graduation. “Residential life is such an important part of the college experience, and I wanted to be involved with the growth of students, especially students of color. I find so much joy in what I’m doing.”

Brianna plans to continue her career in higher education for a least a few

“Harlem

Academy gave me a very strong work ethic,” says Brianna, here in sixth grade.

Working as a case planner at Abbott Foster Care Agency enables Dylan Brown to do what he loves most: help people.

Seventh grader Dylan, ready to answer a question in class.

Psychology major Plays the saxophone, piano, and guitar

Hobart College Class of 2021

How Well Do You Know Harlem Academy?

Take our 20th anniversary quiz and find out!

Answers are at the bottom of the page.

In what year did middle school students start traveling to the PrincetonBlairstown Center for their three-day team-building & wilderness adventure trip?

2009 2012 2015 2018

When was the first year that civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis met with our eighth-grade students for a leadership seminar in Washington, D.C.? 2012 2016 2014 2018

In what year was the school founded? 2001 2007 2004 2010 1

In what year did the school open its permanent campus? 2020 2022 2021 2023

Harlem Academy has multiple alumni currently attending which of these universities? Tufts RPI

All of the above Yale 10

The school’s mission and program were created through a graduate school project out of which university?

Columbia Harvard Fordham NYU 2

7

In what competition have our students regularly defeated high school teams to win championships?

Chess Football Table Tennis Shakespeare

The school opened with which grades?

Just kindergarten

Kindergarten and first grade

Just first grade

Kindergarten through fifth grade 3

4

When community meetings started in 2005, which element was not yet in place?

Student Commendations

Community Greeting School Creed School Thanksgiving

11

How many times have leading journals accepted an article from Harlem Academy for publication?

8

How many alumni are now working at the school?

Which poet has worked with Harlem Academy students?

Elizabeth Acevedo

Amanda Gorman

Nikki Giovanni

Ocean Vuong

8 Answer

Building Blocks of Literacy

“What was your favorite part of the book?” kindergarten teacher Maria Fuentes asks her class. Once students eagerly respond, Ms. Fuentes seamlessly redirects their focus to the next task. “Now put that into a sentence, and write it down,” she instructs. Since they are just learning to spell, the sentences will be short and simple, and some students may need assistance, but the activity will help them develop fundamental reading and writing skills. “This is their stepping stone to success in the next grades,” says Ms. Fuentes.

Harlem Academy’s kindergarten literacy program, which is based on the Benchmark Advance reading program, provides students with a challenging, literature-rich environment. It builds confidence, independence, and the ability to engage in above-grade-level materials – setting a foundation for long-term academic success. Students spend more than two hours a day focused on reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with daily read-alouds, in-class discussions, library sessions, and independent reading that all drive students’ comprehension levels and love of reading.

Cherelle Gadsden, mom of first grader Zuri, was eager to enroll her daughter in our kindergarten last year. “My younger cousin graduated from Harlem Academy, and I loved the academic rigor she experienced here starting at a young age,” says Ms. Gadsden. “When I heard that the school was adding kindergarten for the first time, I knew Zuri would thrive.”

The Importance of Small Groups

The kindergarten literacy program covers all the basics: spelling, grammar, phonics, reading, writing, and vocabulary. As recent news coverage on the science of reading has highlighted, cognitive research shows that understanding phonics and building vocabulary are key to helping young children learn to read. Our instruction aligns with these best practices. But our individualized approach is what sets Harlem Academy apart. “A lot of instruction tends to be one-size-fits-all, but that doesn’t work,” says Kristy Castro, primary and elementary school director. “Teachers are really paying attention to what each individual child needs, meeting kids exactly where they are.” Some students may need extra help with phonics, some with reading comprehension, and others with reading fluency. “Small group work allows teachers to tailor the instruction.”

All K-5 students have two literacy blocks built into their daily schedules – one in the morning and another in the afternoon, and whole-class lessons are complemented by small group instruction. During the second literacy

Cameron ’32

block, students are broken into small groups of five or six based on their reading levels. Because our K-5 grades each have two teachers, they are able to rotate from group to group. “There is a lot of interaction between teachers and students,” says Ms. Castro.

Once in their groups, the kindergartners first read independently then take turns joining Ms. Fuentes on the carpet to read together while the rest of their classmates move on to a reading activity, a word game, or a worksheet. It’s an approach Ms. Gadsden valued when her daughter was in the class. “Zuri’s kindergarten teachers started her off where she needed to be, and they pushed her abilities,” she says. “They supported her academic growth and gave her the tools to be successful in first grade.”

Our small-group approach enables kindergarten teacher Maria Fuentes to give each student

Teachers are really paying attention to what each individual child needs, meeting kids exactly where

Kristy Castro, Primary and Elementary School Director

Instilling a Love of Reading

Sometimes a change of scenery is just the thing to jumpstart a reading session. Often, Ms. Fuentes takes one small group of students to the school library, while teacher Denise HargroveBlair, stays in class with the other groups. “Kindergartners like change and get excited to go somewhere different,” says Ms. Fuentes.

That’s not the only time they spend in the library, however. They also go once a week to browse and select books to read independently. “It’s important for children this age to read on their own because it increases their love of reading and helps them learn

Exposing children to books early and often inspires them to read more, especially if the books cover topics that interest them. During a recent visit to the kindergarten class, Ms. Castro told the students that she likes reading books about the brain. As she spoke, they began connecting the dots: The brain interests Ms. Castro, so that’s what she reads about. What am I interested in that I can read about?

“We give students the opportunity to look at different types of books, starting when they’re really young, and expose them to fiction and expository texts because some kids are into learning facts and don’t want to read a made-up story,” she says. “They may be interested in penguins or basketball and want to learn about it. So, when they pick out books during library time and on myON and Accelerated Reader, which serve as an online library, their interests drive their choices and fuel their motivation to read.”

Classroom read-alouds are another way our kindergarten program instills a love of books. Ms. Fuentes reads four to five books aloud every day, asking the students questions after each story and having them pair off to discuss the answers – a part of class called turnand-talks. “If someone doesn’t know a word as I’m reading, they’ll ask me what it means,” she says. “We go over how the word is used in a sentence and talk it through until they understand. They’re always eager to learn new words.”

Read-alouds were one of Zuri’s favorite parts of kindergarten. “She’d come home excited to tell me what books the teachers read that day,” says Ms. Gadsden. “We read together at home all the time.” It’s a small act that makes a big difference, points out Ms. Fuentes. “Reading with your child is one of the most important things you can do, and Harlem Academy parents know that. When I ask my students what they did when they got home, they tell me, ‘I read to my mom.’”

Thank you

We are grateful to the Benchmark Education Company, the Edith Glick Shoolman Children’s Foundation, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) for generously supporting the development and implementation of this programming.

Our Middle School is Growing!

When middle schooler Blake returned to Harlem Academy in September, he was excited to see several new faces – a new cohort of sixth graders. Blake made sure to say “hi” when he passed them in the hallway, and invited a few to sit with him and his friends during lunch. “I wanted them to feel included, and now I’ve made lots of new friends,” he says. Classmate Issys used storytelling in an attempt to make connections – and it worked. “I told the new kids stories about fun times we’ve had here in the past and that they’ll have a great time too. It’s been exciting to learn about new people and make new friends.”

A Widespread Impact

Like Blake and Issys, the rest of our students have shown a warm welcome to the 20 new sixth graders who joined Harlem Academy this year, bringing the total to 34. “Moving into the new building gave us the chance to expand our impact to more promising students,” says Head of School Vinny Dotoli. This year, we added a second section of sixth grade, a natural entry point for New York City schools that allowed us to better meet the needs of the community. “This growth enhances our program and offers our middle schoolers broader social and academic opportunities.”

New students felt the impact immediately thanks to our rigorous curriculum and teachers who strive to bring out the best in every student. “Harlem Academy is more challenging than my old school,” says sixth grader Andrew. “My teacher calls on me a lot in class, and the work is really engaging. I feel like I’m getting more of an education here.”

For sixth grader Jamie, an important difference between Harlem Academy and her old school is the sense of connection. “Harlem Academy isn’t only more advanced, it’s more of a community,” she says. “At my old school we just worked, but here we have chances to get together.” Recently, during a growth block, Jamie’s teacher had the class take turns sharing their thoughts. “Everyone was talking about their day and what they like about school,” she says. “To me, Harlem Academy represents togetherness.”

Middle school students aren’t the only ones excited about the school’s expansion; parents are as well. Just ask Brittany Wiggins, mom of sixth grader Skylah who’s been attending Harlem Academy since first grade.

“I’m excited that more children will benefit from a quality education that they may not receive at another school,” she says. “I’ve seen it firsthand. Harlem Academy has been the right school for Skylah. She's in a supportive

Blake ’26

Jalen Nougues ‘13 and his mentor Mike Levine, co-head of CAA Sports and HA advisory council member, speaking with our middle school students.

atmosphere where she’s challenged and encouraged to push herself.”

Ms. Wiggins is also a big fan of Harlem Academy’s extended day, which helps many more families now that our student population has grown. “It definitely helps students get a start on homework and studying, plus gives them time to interact with their friends. It’s also beneficial to parents who work later hours.”

A Well-Planned Expansion

Growing the middle school wasn’t happenstance or a stroke of luck. It entailed extensive, yearslong planning, from developing a sixthgrade admission pipeline to increasing staff. “We implemented the plan with intentionality and care to meet the needs of our students and maintain our high standards in every area,” says Mr. Dotoli. “This deliberate, organized approach is the reason our first year

Harlem Academy isn’t only more advanced, it’s more of a community.”

Jamie, Sixth Grade

doubling middle school has been such a success.”

Harlem Academy will continue to expand, doubling the size of both seventh and eighth grades over the next two years. “For a school that’s never had more than 16 students in a graduating class, it’s exciting to think about 35 students walking across the stage to receive their diplomas,” says Mr. Dotoli.

Adds Ms. Wiggins, “I’m very happy to see Harlem Academy growing. It signifies a commitment to providing more opportunities for learning, personal development, and a thriving community.”

Issys ’26

Out of the City, Into the Wilderness

Whether rappelling down a dam, navigating a high ropes course, canoeing on the lake, or taking a hike in the woods, Harlem Academy middle school students are up for every challenge during their annual three-day trip to the Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) in New Jersey – an outing that has been an integral part of our program for more than a decade.

Building Confidence and Resilience

Each October, beginning in sixth grade, our students travel with teachers and parent chaperones to PBC for team-building exercises, physical challenges, and outdoor educational activities in acres of wilderness. “The experience brings the school pillars of initiative, integrity, compassion, and determination to life in ways that motivate our students to push themselves,” says Head of School Vinny Dotoli. Students gain exposure to an unfamiliar environment, and because they participate for three years in a row, they feel at home at PBC by eighth grade.

During the course of their stay, students participate in adventurebased learning – fun yet challenging activities that enable them to work together as a team, lead and motivate others, move beyond their comfort zones, and bond with classmates.

Eighth grader Chase was anxious about rock climbing, but he went for it anyway. “I was definitely nervous because I have a fear of heights,” he says. “But I showed determination, and I did it. When I got to the top, it was amazing.”

Classmate Joshua felt the same pride when he successfully tackled a vertical obstacle course. “I’d never done it before, and it was challenging,” he says. “Everyone was cheering me on,

Kennedy Scott ’23 excitedly rappels down a dam at the PrincetonBlairstown Center.

Hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing are just a few of the many outdoor activities middle schoolers tackle during their trip.

Learning to act despite my fear was an incredible life lesson, and I remind myself of it each time I’m met with a new challenge.”

Wassa Bagayoko ’13, Chapin ’17, Brown ’21

and that motivated me to keep going. I’m thankful to my classmates for supporting me.”

The trip is designed to build confidence and teach the importance of continuous effort, points out Mr. Dotoli. “Fostering that growth mindset now helps our students as they navigate secondary school, college, and beyond.”

Alumni years removed from their time at PBC still recall feelings of accomplishment – and the “can-do” mentality has stayed with them. During her eighth-grade trip, Arielle Benjamin ’17, a junior at Georgetown, was scared to climb up a tree and then walk across a wooden beam nearly 40 feet high. “After my classmates and my teacher encouraged me to try, I gave it a shot,” she says. “I told myself I’d only climb the tree and come back down.” But she summoned the courage to complete the entire challenge. “Every now and

then, when I need motivation, I think of that moment at PBC, and it never fails to inspire me.”

Wassa Bagayoko ’13, a full-time consultant at EY, agrees. Her biggest fear at PBC was rappelling down the dam. “I was terrified, but I faced it head on. Learning to act despite my fear was an incredible life lesson, and I remind myself of it each time I’m met with a new challenge.”

Nurturing Teamwork, Strengthening Bonds

Many of the activities require cooperation and communication for success, and our students work together to make it happen. “At one point, we had to walk across a line of blocks while also holding a block and not dropping it,” recalls Lisa Lushtak ’20, a senior at Spence. “At first it

seemed easy, but once we began, we realized that it required more attention to detail than we thought. People went too fast or accidentally dropped the block. We had to think and work as a team in order to finish.”

For sixth grader Jasmine, who entered Harlem Academy this school year, the benefits extended beyond tackling physical feats. “As a new student, the trip helped me feel like part of a community and become closer to my classmates,” she says. “We learned a lot about each other.”

Just as important as team building and confidence boosting, the PBC trips give students a chance to get out of the city, stay in rustic cabins, share stories around the campfire, make s’mores, and simply have fun in nature. “I got to stargaze at night, and I saw so many more stars in the sky compared to when I’m home in the city,” says Lisa. “It was beautiful.”

11 years. What inspired you to pursue teaching?

A: My mother taught for more than 30 years in Jamaica. She was my inspiration. As I grew up, I saw how skilled she was in helping students find success. I was intrigued by the process of learning – day by day, adapting and reacting to the evolving needs of every student. That is what I enjoy about teaching, especially at Harlem Academy.

Q: This isn’t your first time teaching here. What was it like to return?

A: I began at Harlem Academy ten

Middle school English teacher Mohan Bell is always ready to help students master challenging classwork.

I love when my students ask me to further articulate an idea that I’ve introduced in class. They challenge me.”

Mohan Bell, Middle School English Teacher

Q: Why do you love working with your students?

A: I moved to America at the age of 14. Starting life over was an endeavor of epic proportions, especially for someone who was in the early stages of their teenage years and trying to find their sense of identity. Education was my life raft, something I could hold onto as a constant. My students look like me. Many of them have immigrant backgrounds. Many have lives that mirror the one I had growing up. I see the curiosity I possessed as a child looking back at me daily.

I love when my students ask me to further articulate an idea that I’ve introduced in class. They challenge me. That is the kind of classroom I believe we should all strive for – one in which students challenge the teacher intellectually to better understand what they are being taught.

Q: How do you approach teaching?

A: I have high expectations for my students, including being prepared and meeting deadlines. But at the end of the day, fairness and justice are the cornerstones. I want my students to have a learning experience that leaves them with positive memories. Sometimes that requires me to be straightforward. Sometimes it requires me to be flexible.

I’m also a big believer in project-based learning. I love to give students the opportunity to not only interact with the texts being read in class but to put themselves into the shoes of a biographer, novelist, or poet. I want them to understand how to approach the art of writing as a craftsperson similar to a blacksmith or wheelwright.

Q: How do you make English engaging for your students?

A: Literature teaches you what it means to be a human being. Approaching it from this real-world perspective allows for more active engagement. For instance, when we read “Home” by Gwendolyn Brooks, students get a bird’s-eye view of a family sticking together through difficult times, overcoming challenges, and supporting one another. There is relevancy within the work for all of us,

and I make sure my students approach the text with that understanding.

Bringing in strong supplemental material also helps to boost engagement and comprehension, because it immerses students in the content and enables them to visualize what they’re reading. For example, when we read “Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali” in seventh grade this year, we watched videos from the Dakar Rally, a series of car and motorcycle races in the Sahara Desert. They were so excited to watch it. It gave them an emotional tie to the place they were reading about. Students were then able to reference what they saw in the video to help inform their questions and insights about the caravan across the desert.

Q: How do you drive students’ motivation?

A: My students get excited in class because the conversations are active and engaging. Students want to learn, and when they have wins in class, they are eager to be in the room. One of the ways we accomplish this is by breaking down texts into

Mohan, at age 11, with his mother in Jamaica.

bite-size sections and taking breaks along the way to summarize or ask questions. It helps the class build a rich understanding as they read. We call it pit stops. By the time they reach the end of the text, students have spent so much time talking and developing theories that they walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. That’s very motivating.

Although I ask tough questions of my students, I always give them space to think. If someone is confused, I tell them it’s ok; that’s part of the reading process. Then I use it as an opening to explore the text more deeply: What makes it confusing? When students know that their teacher is there to help them access the text and to facilitate their understanding, they are much more willing to jump in and take risks.

Mohan’s mom, a teacher for more than three decades, inspired him to become an educator.

Where Are Alumni Now?

3.7 is the average GPA reported by high school freshmen

96% of students matriculate at four-year colleges

100% of students matriculate at selective secondary schools

Secondary School Enrollment College Enrollment

INDEPENDENT DAY

Brearley

Browning

Calhoun

Chapin

Columbia Grammar & Prep (2)

Convent of the Sacred Heart

Dalton

Fieldston (2)

Friends Seminary (2)

INDEPENDENT BOARDING

Church Farm (7)

Frederick Gunn (3)

Grace Church (5)

Greenwich Country Day

Horace Mann (4)

Nightingale

Rudolph Steiner

Riverdale (4)

Spence (3)

Trevor Day (2)

Trinity (3)

SELECTIVE PUBLIC & CATHOLIC

Beacon

Cardinal Spellman (2)

American (2)

Baruch (2)

Boston U. (2)

Bowie State

Carnegie Mellon

Case Western Reserve

City College

Clark

Cornell Dartmouth

DePauw

Drexel

Fordham

George Washington (3)

Georgetown

Georgia State

Hamilton

Morgan State

North Carolina A&T

NYU (5)

Northeastern

Northwestern

Oberlin

Pace

Princeton

Quinnipiac

RPI (6)

St. Anselm

St. John’s

Stanford

Stonehill

Suffolk

SUNY Albany (5)

SUNY Binghamton

George

Kent

Marvelwood

Miss Hall’s

Miss Porter’s (2)

Northfield Mount Hermon

Peddie (5)

Purnell (2)

Rabun Gap (3)

Stoneleigh-Burnham

Westover (2)

Cristo Rey Brooklyn (2)

Cristo Rey New York (2)

Dominican Humanities Prep

Inwood Early College

Mount St. Ursula

NYC Museum School

St. Jean Baptiste (2)

St. Raymond

Lists include the six most recent classes.

Haverford

Hobart and William Smith (2)

Holy Cross

Howard (4)

Ithaca

John Jay

LaGuardia

Lehman

Mercy

Miami (2)

Morehouse

SUNY Maritime

SUNY Purchase (3)

Syracuse

Tufts (3)

Union (3)

Univ. of Buffalo

Univ. of Kansas

UNLV

Wesleyan

Yale (2)

Graduates returned to Harlem Academy for a night of reminiscing and reconnecting with old friends at our annual Alumni Holiday Dinner.

655 St. Nicholas Avenue

New York, NY 10030

harlemacademy.org

212.348.2600

Board of Trustees

David B. Peterson, Chair

Rodney Pope, Secretary

Carol B. Kenney, Treasurer

Tony Asnes

Richard A. Axilrod

Avi Banyasz

W. Graham Cole

Will Cook

Vincent Dotoli, Ex-Officio

Joshua Easterly

Ty Elie

Mary Ganzenmuller

Robert L. Harteveldt

Valarie A. Hing

Thomas Klein

Ann MacRae

Elizabeth McHenry

Betsy S. Michel

Hank Prybylski

Tom Reycraft

Richard Schaps

Hillary Thomas

Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt

Alan Washington

Trustees Emeriti

Mark H. Johnston

Laura B. Sillerman

Advisory Council

John Belizaire

Jane Bierwirth

James V. Gemus

Doug Griebel

Shirley A. Jackson, Ph.D.

Ben Lavely

Michael Levine

Rashanna Lynch, M.D.

Lauren W. Marrus

William E. Mayer

Alice Quinn

Jeremy Raccio

David R. Salomon

Hunter Serenbetz