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January 23, 2008
Boxford classroom technology shows 'unlimited potential'  - Eagle Tribune: Town Crossings
Lawrence is roughly a 20-minute drive from most areas of Boxford, but last week, the figurative distance between the two towns became a lot smaller.

November 20, 2007
Andover effort brings school to Kenyan orphans  - Andover Townsman
What does Andover have to do with North Kinangop, Kenya? Thanks to Tom Maher, a lot more than you might think.

November 8, 2007
Robinson & Cole Held 3rd Annual Wine Tasting Benefit  - Boston Bar Association
Robinson & Cole LLP's* women attorneys in the firm's Boston office hosted their 3rd Annual Wine Tasting Benefit. This year, Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free girls' school in Lawrence, MA was the beneficiary.

October 18, 2007
Woman Donates 25 Foot Sailboat for Esperanza Auction  - The Eagle Tribune
Carolyn Shilling Gill says she learned a lot about herself as the skipper of her 25-foot sailboat "Dutch Treat."

Now, Shilling Gill, of Andover, hopes that "Dutch Treat" will help other young women at Esperanza Academy explore their own possibilities.

April 12, 2007
School Of 'Hope' To Be Built In Africa-Man Helps Funds School For Underprivileged Families  - The Boston Globe
In Spanish, Esperanza means hope. It's also the name of a tuition-free school for girls in Lawrence --a school devoted to excellence and opportunity.

NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported Thursday that much of the success of Esperanza Academy is due to the financial support of real estate developer Tom Maher. Now, Maher is taking that message of hope to Africa.

April 9, 2007
Academy hopes girls become inspired - The Eagle-Tribune
Students at Esperanza Academy are too young to take the boss out to dinner, but Teresa Duggan plans to share some business etiquette with them in preparation for the future.

She is a member of a local group of professional women that is teaming with Esperanza Academy, an all-girls, tuition-free middle school in Lawrence that opened in September.

April 8, 2007
A través de composiciones alumnas de Esperanza Academy motivan inscripción - Rumbo News
El calendario escolar de este año finalizará en unas semanas y desde ya los centros educativos están trabajando en el proceso de reclutamiento de nuevos estudiantes, por lo que es común que en estos días estas entidades estén llevando a cabo sesiones de orienación dirigidas a los padres que aún no han escogido la escuela donde enviar a sus hijos.

Spring 2007, page 16
Free, Private Schools Empower Lawrence Youth - Merrimack Valley Magazine
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March 20, 2007
Opening the doors to a better future: Andover couple pave way for city girl to go to N.H. prep school  - The Eagle-Tribune
She can already envision the young woman going on an environmental trip, standing on stage and acting in a show, or running on the field in a soccer game.

But the teenager Nancy Maher sees is not her daughter.

January 14, 2007
Academy gets deserved attention-Letter to the Editor  - The Boston Globe
Thank you so much for an outstanding job capturing the essence of the life and history of Esperanza Academy ("For young Latinas, hope," Globe NorthWest, Dec. 31). Your piece has already generated response to our website and has even prompted Marisa Treviño, a Dallas freelance writer, to compare our school to Oprah Winfrey's in South Africa on her blog, Latina Lista.

January 26, 2007
Recycling lesson makes girls giggle, think  - The Eagle-Tribune
As part of a recycling lesson, students at Esperanza Academy were given colored-construction paper and told to tear it into bits and add water.

Fall 2006/Winter 2007 Issue, page 11
Parish partnerships bring forth 'School of hope'  - Episcopal Times
Earlier this year, when Esperanza Academy was still under construction at Grace Church in Lawrence, Alejandra, a middle-school-ages girl touring the site, told a visitor, "We should have a chance to have a school like this, especially for the girls."

December 31, 2006
For young Latinas, hope- A new Lawrence school opens their eyes to opportunities  - The Boston Globe
Until this year, Rosa Segura didn't have fun in school. Reading felt like a forced chore, social studies bored her, and math . . . don't get her started. By all accounts, her grades weren't great, and she knew that.

September 7, 2006
Esperanza Academy opens with high expectations; All-girls school is first in city since closing of St. Mary High  - The Eagle-Tribune
Ashly Urbaez had so much trouble falling asleep that she counted backward from 100 to 1. The last thing she remembered before dozing off was that her bedroom clock read 1:24 a.m.

Just four hours later she awoke, jumped out of bed and got ready for her first day at the new Esperanza Academy - a private all-girls middle school with a demanding curriculum and high expectations.

October 13, 2005
Esperanza Academy looking to future  - The Eagle-Tribune
The image from over 30 years ago has never left Tom Maher's mind.

His late mother, Jeanne, volunteered at a Nativity school in New York's Lower East Side, taking the children out to play and donating clothing.

"I remember how hard they worked for the simple pleasure of being able to stay in a safe environment," said Maher, who now lives in Andover.

June 23, 2005
Esperanza Academy Secures Start Up Funding And National Recognition  - Siglo 21
The Esperanza Academy Board of Directors last week announced the receipt of close to $330,000, a strong start in an ambitious campaign to create a tuition-free middle school for Lawrence girls. In addition to the funds, the Esperanza Academy has become a part of the nationwide Nativity Network, a critical step in school certification.

March 25, 2005
Girls School Moves to Lawrence  - The Eagle-Tribune
Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free private middle school for girls set to open in 2006, announced Wednesday it will move to 35 Jackson St. in Lawrence.

November 20, 2004
School of Hope to Open in Lawrence  - Episcopal Times
...Lawrence has the state’s highest urban unemployment rate. Poverty and crime trouble this once-thriving industrial community. Renovation of former mills and other properties offers hope for future revitalization, but right now jobs and educational opportunities are limited...

The school hopes to offer small classes and tutoring that will develop life skills and prepare girls for a positive future. The selection process for students will be through a lottery system and also in coordination with the Department of Social Services.

The mission statement for Esperanza Academy captures the school’s hope for all ofits girls: to provide a quality education in the Episcopal tradition,welcoming girls of diverse faiths, races and cultures and to challenge each student to realize her potential. If it lives up to its name...