Nora Cronin Presentation Academy (NCPA) is a private, Catholic middle school, located in Newburgh, NY, exclusively serving girls from low-income families. NCPA’s mission is to provide a path out of poverty through education and accomplishes this by promoting Gospel values with special emphasis on faith, hope, justice, freedom and human dignity. The school follows the NativityMiguel model for addressing the needs of urban, underserved children. This model takes a faith based, holistic approach to education addressing the academic, physical, social, emotional, moral, and spiritual needs of the student, thus developing the growth of the student in all areas.
One student’s story shows how transformational attending NCPA can be. A newly arrived 5th grader described a life marked by floundering in school, having scant assistance with schoolwork from parents who spoke very little English, lacked an education themselves, and worked many hours to make ends meet. These long work hours also necessitated unsupervised time for their children outside of school hours and in the summer. This student claims she wasn’t inspired by what she saw on the streets of Newburgh: “…homeless people not having jobs. I didn’t know I could be something.” The Academy has changed all that. She learned to have confidence in herself, to forge on despite challenges, to speak in front of people, to lead prayers and project her voice, and to greet someone by standing up, shaking hands and looking them in the eye. In her graduation year she earned the General Excellence award for finishing first in her class and spoke at graduation in Spanish as well as English.
To address the unique challenges of its students, NCPA offers: a tuition-free program that fully engages students’ parents as partners in the school community; extended day and extended school year programs; early intervention; a Graduate Support Program of mentoring and academic support; and connections to successful women who serve as role models. During the extended day and year program, the school offers homework help, tutoring, enrichment, career exploration and health and well-being sessions, including Catholic Charities’ Too Good For Drugs program. A STEM partnership with Mount St. Mary College brings coding classes to NCPA students. The school’s Graduate Support Program assists its graduates through the adjustments to and during high school and into post high school education.
Every student must qualify for the free or reduced fee Federal Meal Program as a demonstration of financial need and is at high risk for academic failure. The poverty level in Newburgh by age 6 – 11 years was 42.5% in 2016 and 33.4% for 12 – 14-year-olds. The students reside in a community where crime and teen pregnancy rates have traditionally been among the highest in the state. Many of Newburgh’s youth face daunting challenges including poverty, safety and social issues such as gang violence in the City, the availability of drugs, and a lack of needed supports to aspire to succeed in school.
In contrast, NCPA is a nurturing place that simultaneously holds students to the highest standards while providing individualized assistance at every turn. Its students are taught perseverance in the face of obstacles, are guided to realize their true potential and are taught the social and personal skills needed to navigate the academic settings they now aspire to and a work life that will support them and their families into the future. The success of NCPA’s methodology is demonstrated by a graduation rate of 100% (excluding students who moved out of the area after enrollment,) of whom 99.8% graduate from high school, and 98.9% enroll in college, vocational schools or enlist in the military. This contrasts with a 74% high school graduation rate in 2018 for economically disadvantaged youth living in Newburgh.
NCPA students grow to be great assets to the Newburgh community as self-sufficient earners, whose ability to support themselves will have an impact on them as individuals as well as their families of origin and those in their care into the future. The lessons learned at NCPA regarding the necessity to offer community service has already born fruit as alumnae are staying connected to the school, offering assistance to its students and in one case, serving on the Board of Trustees.