MOTHER CAROLINE ACADEMY
TRANSFORMING LIVES
EMPOWERING GIRLS
CREATING LEGACY
100% of Academy students graduate from high school Arlington Catholic High School Fenway High School Beacon Academy Fontbonne Academy Beaver Country Day School Groton School Bedford High School Health Careers Academy Boston Trinity Academy Lexington Christian Academy Boston Arts Academy Marianapolis Preparatory School
Boston Latin Academy Matignon High School Brimmer & May School Melrose High School Brooks School Milton Academy Buckingham, Browne & Nichols Miss Hall’s School Cambridge Rindge and Latin Miss Porter’s School Cambridge School of Weston Cathedral High School
TRANSFORMING LIVES Located in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mother Caroline Academy (MCA) is a private, tuition-free school for girls in grades 4-8 from limited financial means. It serves girls of all faiths, races and cultures from Boston neighborhoods. The mission of the school is to provide a high quality education that develops the individual gifts of each student and prepares her for success in competitive secondary schools and college. Rooted in the Catholic tradition that recognizes the dignity of each person, the Academy emphasizes the importance of scholarship, leadership, spiritual, social and moral development. The Mother Caroline community continues to
support and nourish its graduates through their secondary and college education.
Saint Joseph Academy Newton Country Day School Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall Newman School City on a Hill Public Charter Noble and Greenough School Codman Academy Charter North Cambridge Catholic Commonwealth School Proctor Academy Concord Academy Prospect Hill Academy
Concord Carlisle High (METCO) Rivers School Cristo Rey Boston St. Andrew’s School Dana Hall School St. Paul’s School Elizabeth Seton Academy Waldorf School Emma Willard School Woodward School for Girls
For girls living in the communities we serve, many are at risk of falling into the path laid down by poverty, leaving school and likely becoming a mother at an early age. Many live in distressed neighborhoods marked by violence and often face the risk of omnipresent harassment. MCA offers a powerful option that opens a door to lifelong opportunity and interrupts the cycle of poverty. Through an excellent education in a safe environment, MCA girls develop a strong sense of self-awareness, self-worth, and self-confidence in making healthy decisions.
EMPOWERING GIRLS Rigorous and Integrated Curriculum Lower School Academic Program (4-5) • Social curriculum for character development • Rigorous math program to develop computational fluency and problem-solving skills • Intensive daily reading and writing workshops • Extended day for support and enrichment • Integrated arts and music program to enhance academic success
Upper School Academic Program (6-8) Writing
Math
Focus on vocabulary, grammar and critical reading skills; understanding of literary forms; production of critical, descriptive, and narrative essays as well as creative pieces and poetry
Rigorous, skills-based math curriculum that results in the ability to apply mathematical concepts and strategies to solve complex problems
Humanities
High School Prep
Development of students’ innate curiosity, encouraging them to ask “why?” and strive for answers related to historical and current events
Preparation for the rigors of a challenging high school
Engaging Co-Curricular Program Activities
Arts
• Student centered activities such as knitting, yoga, baking
• Arts, drama, and music embedded into academic curriculum
• Collaborations with community programs such as Girl Scouts
• Afternoon art electives
Athletics
Music
• Competitive sports such as soccer, basketball, and softball
• School-wide chorus
• Collaborations with community athletic programs for other athletics such as tennis and running
• Annual Christmas Pageant featuring student vocalists and musicians
• Participation in at least one athletic activity each year
• Annual student art show
• Instrument instruction
• Annual performances from Handel and Hayden Society
Enduring Relationships with Teachers and Mentors Teaching Fellows A hallmark of the Academy is the Teaching Fellows Program. Each year, a group of recent college graduates dedicate two years to teach at the Academy. They share enthusiasm, talent, and a sincere desire to make a difference in the lives of young girls. The Fellows receive room and board, health benefits and a small stipend.
Mentoring Beginning in grade 7 and continuing through grade 12 and beyond, the Mentoring Program provides support to current students and graduates as they transition away from the Academy, adapt to high school culture and rigor, and undertake the college selection and application process.
CREATING LEGACY Yasmin Cruz Growing up in Dorchester, Yasmin Cruz attended MCA, graduating in 1998. For high school, Yasmin attended Noble and Greenough and graduated from Babson College in 2008. After working several years as a financial analyst, Yasmin is now the Program & Grants Manager for Corporate Responsibility at John Hancock Financial Services. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at Mother Caroline.
Zakiya Lewis Graduating from MCA in 2007, Zakiya Lewis went on to Milton Academy. At Milton, Zakiya honed her leadership skills as head of a Christian fellowship group, served on the Board of the Caribbean Student Association, and played on the junior varsity basketball team. Zakiya is now at Harvard College, Class of 2015, where she was recently elected Action Committee Chair for the Association of Black Harvard Women focusing on political and social issues.
Miriam Alves Miriam Alves graduated from MCA in 2001. After attending Newman Prep, Miriam went on to earn two degrees from Lasell College – a BS in Accounting and BS in Finance. Miriam is currently a Grants Accountant for the Boston Public Health Commission. She oversees accounting and grants management for the Homeless Bureau that is dedicated to providing housing and transitional assistance to men and women of Boston. Miriam is in the process of earning her CPA license.
96% of Academy graduates attend college Amherst College Middlebury College Babson College Mt. Ida College Barry University New York University Bates College Northeastern University Bay State College Ohio Wesleyan University Becker College
Pine Manor College Bennett College Providence College Boston College Quincy College Bowdoin College Regis College Bridgewater State College Roxbury Community College Bunker Hill Community College
Salem State College Clark Atlanta University Salva Regina University Clark University Simmons College College of the Holy Cross Smith College Connecticut College Spelman College Community College of Rhode Island
Michelle Albert, Academy Principal – Middlebury College, Groton Academy, Mother Caroline Academy
Vallerie DePina Graduating from MCA in 2003, Vallerie DePina attended Milton Academy and graduated from Amherst College in 2002. After leaving Amherst, Vallerie relocated to Spain where she taught English for one year. Vallerie spent the past two summers as a residential counselor at Wediko Children’s Services, a non-profit that provides therapeutic and educational services to children with serious emotional and behavioral challenges. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree at Boston College’s School of Social Work.
MaryCelie DeJesus MaryCelie DeJesus was a member of the first graduating class in 1996. After graduation, she moved back to Puerto Rico for high school. MaryCelie returned to Massachusetts and graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (Forsyth). She is currently working as a Registered Dental Hygienist and is now a mentor to a student at the Academy.
Yesenia Vargas Yesenia Vargas graduated from Mother Caroline Academy in 2001. She attended Brooks School in North Andover and graduated from Wellesley College in 2009. Yesenia earned a Masters in Education from Boston College and taught ESL in East Boston. She moved to Chile where she currently works as a teacher and also works for a NGO, Ciudadano Global, coordinating a project called Grupo Calle that focuses on changing perceptions held by Chileans about immigration.
St. John’s University Cornell University St. Leo’s University Curry College Stonehill College Dean College Suffolk University Duke University Trinity College Emerson College Tufts University
Emmanuel College University of Delaware Endicott College University of Hartford Fairfield University University of Massachusetts Fisher College Georgia State College University of Rhode Island Gordon College Wellesley College
Hampton University Wentworth Institute of Technology Harvard University Westfield State College Lake Forest Wheelock College Lasell College Williams College Lincoln University Worcester State College
515 Blue Hill Avenue Dorchester, MA 02121 (617) 427-1177 www.mcaec.org