Middle Schools in the New York Province
"Breaking the cycle of poverty through education, the New York Nativity schools provide a quality education to the children of deserving but underserved families."
--From the Mission Statement of the New York Nativity Centers
The first Nativity school opened on Forsyth Street in Manhattan in 1971 and was a natural extension of the work in service to the poor that Jesuits had been involved in for decades on the Lower East Side.
In addition to a solid academic program to foster success in high school, the Nativity Mission Center continues to offer boys in grades 6-8 an extended school day and after-school program as well as an intensive summer leadership program at Camp Monserrat in upstate New York. The two other New York Nativity schools, St. Ignatius School and Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, have a similar structure but enroll boys and girls in grades 5-8.
Nativity Mission Center has served as a model for over 40 other Nativity-model school in 19 states across the country. For more information about the nationwide network of Nativity schools, visit www.nativitynetwork.org.
The New York Province sponsors three Nativity-model middle schools in New York City.
The Jesuits of the New York Province are also involved with the work of two parish-based Nativity-model schools; click on the links below for more information.
-- St. Aloysius School in Harlem
--St. Augustine and St. Monica Programs of The NativityMiguel Middle School in Buffalo
Additionally, McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester includes a middle school division, enrolling boys in 7th and 8th grades. Information about the middle school program at McQuaid can be found at http://middleschool.mcquaid.org
Since September 2004, the Saint Monica Scholars and the Saint Augustine Scholars, called after the African Saints, have been offering intervention in the lives of inner city girls and boys in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The program's success is already evident in Buffalo with graduates of Catholic Central now attending the top private and public high schools in Western New York. Financial assistance is provided through the POLARIS Fund: the Project for Learning, Achievement and Responsibility for Inner-City Students, Inc.
Watch a video about the school.