A Message from the Board of Directors

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Esperanza Academy, as well as the staff, parents, students, and volunteers who comprise the Esperanza community, thank you for your interest and support of our efforts. We are lucky to have partners, friends, and fans like you to participate in the work. And it is work!

While resources are abundant for most in the United States and north suburban Boston in particular, our girls, residents of the City of Lawrence, live in a community struggling to meet their every day needs. A third of Lawrence’s children live in poverty. Close to half of the adults have not finished high school. Many residents struggle with limited English proficiency. Our girls’ families often must choose between food, rent, or clothes. Yet every day, the girls are at Esperanza, in their cheerful yellow uniforms, eager to learn. Their parents are there as well; partners in the educational process, parents work in the kitchen, office, or wherever needed, giving their time and talents to help build this great school.

Following the NatvityMiguel model, our students are at Esperanza for 11 hours a day, 11 months of the year. The girls start school at 7:30am and don’t go home until 6:30pm, which provides them with plenty of time to attend class; participate in a variety of activities, from sports to music to crafts to community service; have study, tutoring, and advisory sessions; and eat three meals. Parents commit to volunteering a minimum of two hours per week, thereby ensuring one of the cornerstones of student success: parent involvement through hands-on family support.

The Esperanza girls have the drive to succeed; they challenge themselves and are challenged by their engaging teachers every day. Even as they sometimes struggle, they make progress. They now have hope that they will reach their dreams, whether as a pediatrician, author, scientist, musician, attorney, or teacher.

Although the extended school day and school year may sound intense, this model has proven to be highly effective. Nativity schools have produced amazing statistics in some of the most challenging neighborhoods in the country: 92% of Nativity students graduate high school and over 73% of Nativity students attend a two- or four-year college. In comparison, just 41% of Lawrence public school students graduate high school.

With your help, Esperanza Academy is providing opportunity for young women in Lawrence. We intend for our girls to finish high school and college and to serve as leaders and role models for the City of Lawrence. Thus far it seems we are on the right track. Our first class of girls graduated in July 2009 and all 16 received invitations to attend independent high schools. Of the 13 girls for whom we receive grade reports, 7 have GPAs of 3.0 or above. None are carrying GPAs below 2.5. Our 18 member class of 2010 will enter 9 different high schools this fall and we expect similar results. Our faculty, staff, and volunteers work hard to provide a nurturing, stimulating environment and the success of our girls validates our efforts.

It will take over one million dollars to run our school next year when we will have nearly 80 girls in the building and 34 graduates. Like the school, the Esperanza girls are growing in so many positive ways. They are working hard so we must work hard to provide more resources, not fewer. As you may know, Esperanza is a tuition free school. We are funded through the kindness and generosity of foundations, corporations, and individuals such as yourself. To keep our girls – and the many generations we hope will follow them – on the path to success, we need your help.

Please consider making an investment in our girls. There is no doubt that it costs more to have just 10 girls in a classroom, an 11 hour day, and 3 meals a day, but look at the dividends. These girls are the future leaders of our community! Where else can you see such a great return on your investment – right down the street? You are helping to transform girls' lives and the lives of their families and to strengthen the Lawrence community. Together, we will break the cycle of poverty through education.

There are many ways to invest and show your support for Esperanza: • contribute to the annual fund, gifts of any amount make a difference; • share your time and talents with the girls as a volunteer or tutor; • name Esperanza as the beneficiary of your next gathering, birthday, or event; • and be sure to come take a tour of the school, meet with Head of School Laurie Bottiger, and get to know the girls!

Again, thank you for your interest in Esperanza Academy. If you have questions, would like to request additional information, or to schedule a tour of the school, please contact Sara Turner, Development Director, at 978-686-4673 ext. 22. I would be delighted to welcome you.

Sincerely, Rosalyn K. Wood President, Board of Trustees