Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (D) and City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) yesterday helped the Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 elementary school celebrate their recent winning of a National Blue Ribbon Award.
The U.S. Department of Education doles out the award annually and the Bed-Stuy charter school was nominated as an “Exemplary High Performing School,” defined at a minimum as being in the top 15 percent of all schools in the state, ranked on state assessments in reading and mathematics.
The school was one of one of nine public and private schools recognized in the city and 349 nationally to win the Blue Ribbon Award.
“National Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for their overall academic excellence and their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. As one of the most segregated school systems in this country, New York City has for too long provided an environment in which too few black and brown children are afforded the greatest opportunity to succeed,” said Cornegy.
SA Founder and CEO, Eva Moskowitz noted that Cornegy, who has six children, some of whom attended charter schools and some of whom attended regular public schools. “He has been an outspoken advocate for every child having access to a high-quality education, regardless of zip code. He supports parent choice in finding the best schools for their children,” said Moskowitz.
Moskowitz said that Bed-Stuy 1 was the first SA school Brooklyn opened in 2011. Next year that first class of first graders will start high school and there are now 10 more SA elementary schools in Brooklyn, she said.
SA Bed-Stuy 1 Principal Marni Aronson said she joined Success Academy in July 2015 – coming off the heels of teaching 2nd-grade in Baltimore.
“At SA Bed-Stuy 1, we constantly ask ourselves, ‘Would our scholars choose to come to school, even if they didn’t have to?’,” said Aronson. “The answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’ This results from setting the bar high while providing endless opportunities for scholars to explore, engage, learn and laugh in our classrooms.”
While the school has placed in the upper percentile in both math and English tests, it also has a vast electives program, where scholars take art, soccer, other sports, musical theater, and chess. In February 2018, scholars from SA Bed-Stuy 1 traveled to Saratoga Springs, NY, for the NYS Chess Championship where they placed in both the individual and team tournaments for the K-5 Division.
Additionally, a SA Bed-Stuy 1, 9-year-old scholar received awards and has been recognized by elected officials for using her lyrics and DJ skills to help end bullying and to support victims of bullying.
“The National Blue Ribbon award received by Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 is testament to the extraordinary leadership and commitment to excellence by the staff, parents, and scholars at the school – an institution that is making meaningful change in the educational opportunities afforded to our children and in the process, creating profound promise for our future,” he added.
