Our Success
The Julian Reiss Foundation provides the facilities and related sponsorship for summer camp programs that support the personal development of youth and families, with a particular focus on underserved communities. Their programs are conducted in partnership with select schools, such as St. Ignatius School, and other non-profits to promote spiritual, educational and character development, leadership skills, and physical and emotional well being.
Our relationship with the Julian Reiss Foundation began with our sister school, the Nativity Mission Center, formerly located on the lower east side of Manhattan in 1962. St. Ignatius School opened in 1995, with our Summer Leadership Program beginning in 1998, interrupted only for two years during the pandemic. Our missions are closely aligned with the goal of promoting spiritual, educational and personal development for underserved students and giving them an amazing opportunity to escape the inner-city and explore the outdoors.
Rocking the Boat empowers young people challenged by severe economic, educational, and social conditions to develop the self-confidence they need to set ambitious goals and gain the skills necessary to achieve them. Students work collaboratively as a “crew” to build wooden boats and learn to row and sail on the Bronx River.
Thanks to the generous support of the Ardagh Group, SIS is able to partner with Project Lead The Way (PLTW), to provide our teachers and students with high-quality, engaging, hands-on STEM learning experiences. PLTW’s approach is to provide students access to real world-applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career and beyond. They believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring their students.
SIS has a long-standing, fruitful partnership with the Hunts Point Alliance for Children (HPAC). Our students are eligible to participate in two wonderful programs offered by HPAC – The Storefront Ensemble and The Shakespeare Ensemble.
The GSP also collaborates with HPAC on an annual workshop to help future college students learn and prepare for college life.
SIS graduates participate in the High School Scholars program at HPAC. The program engages students in the community, and connects them with mentors and community service projects. Students can participate in free academic tutoring and monthly coaching sessions focused on goal setting and college planning.
The Storefront Ensemble is an after-school program for 7th and 8th graders that focuses on the importance of storytelling and on strengthening school engagement, self-confidence, and social skills for youth through writing and performance.
The year-long program culminates in the creation of a theater performance composed of students’ selected pieces performed for their peers, family, and community. The Storefront Ensemble offers students the opportunity to write about themselves, their neighborhood, or the world, finding their own voice and the strength and importance of their personal stories. At the end of the program, students’ writing is adapted into a script and performed for their parents and the community.
The Shakespeare Ensemble is a year-long after-school theater program for 6th graders. The program gives students the opportunity to study, understand, and perform a Shakespeare play. The year concludes with a full Public Theater production of the play including sets, costumes, and originally composed music.
Focused on increasing student literacy skills, critical thinking, school engagement, social skills, emotional intelligence, and commitment, students explore the universal human themes in Shakespeare’s work, while also developing the mental focus, emotional discipline, and long term commitment necessary to accomplish putting on a 90-minute piece of theater. HPAC recruits students in April for the following school year and accepts referrals from teachers, parents, and community members.
The Point is dedicated to youth development and the cultural and economic revitalization in Hunts Point. Students have the opportunity to develop skills in arts-related programs, such as photography. They are encouraged to continue using The Point’s darkroom resources during high school.
SIS partners with both HPAC and Rocking the Boat to increase college access and success for Hunts Point residents. Enabled by the funding of GraduateNYC’s College and Completion Innovation Fund (CCIF), Hunts Point Alliance for Children, St. Ignatius School, and Rocking the Boat have developed a peer-mentoring program for college-aged alumni. Initially, the purpose of the program was to increase retention and graduation for commuter students, but was expanded to include all students, both commuter and out of state.
The peer-mentoring program recruits juniors and seniors in college to guide a small cohort of underclassmen who are transitioning into college. The mentors (juniors and seniors) help their mentees (freshmen and sophomores) better understand the many processes within college: reapplication for FAFSA, course selection, financial holds on account, transcript requests, social acclimation, professor-student relationships, and much more. As Directors of our respective programs, we meet monthly to evaluate mentor-mentee interactions as well as to discuss room for improvement. Additionally, we provide guidance to the mentors and provide feedback on effective practices to increase engagement. We regularly meet with GraduateNYC to provide updates on the program but to also be connected with other community programs doing similar work.
A partnership that began in the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York Common Pantry provides St. Ignatius School families and neighbors with bags of groceries twice a month to alleviate food insecurity in the community.
SIS students, families, and friends volunteer at the New York Common Pantry mobile hub located in Hunts Point. It has become a regular Saturday Service outing.
Peak Performance, a Westchester based educational company, has worked hand in hand with SIS over the past five years to offer a comprehensive SAT preparation program for alums in 11th grade. SIS alums have shown great commitment to their academics, dedicating Friday nights throughout the months of January, February, March, and April to prepare for their spring exams. The program also includes practice tests, with occasional tests offered onsite at SIS or in Rye.
Campus Ministry
The senior class ministry leader team (MLT) leads our eighth graders in their annual retreat on the Fordham campus.
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Clubs
Each Christmas the Fordham Prep Mothers’ Club does a toy drive for our students and their families. During the fall, spring, and summer, members of the Fordham Prep Fathers’ Club perform renovations and maintenance at St. Ignatius School.
Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC)
St. Ignatius School hosts English classes for adults through the IALC. The IALC provides teachers and infrastructure. Students include neighbors and family members of current and former students.
West Wing Integrated Learning Community (WWILC)
WWILC is a community of civic-minded sophomores from Fordham University. They perform service with our students by making lunches twice a year for the homeless population in Hunts Point. They also host a Fordham fun day for our eighth graders in the spring.
Project FRESH Air
Dr. Stephen Holler from the Fordham University Physics Department created Project FRESH Air to work with Bronx schools to build their own air sensors and measure air quality. St. Ignatius School students built their own in our STEM club.
