Who We Are

"Esperanza has opened my daughter up a lot. She has grown so much in her schoolwork especially reading. She loves to do her schoolwork. I used to have to force her and now she enjoys learning."


–Belkys Rivera, Parent

A Message from the Head of School

Dear Friends,

As Esperanza enters our fifth year as an educational institution in the fall of 2010, we have a great deal to celebrate. With the support of our community, we have graduated 2 classes of girls, sending 34 alumni to 11 high schools.

With the arrival of our newest group of fifth graders, selected at random through our April admissions lottery, Esperanza will once again be at a full compliment of 80 girls.

Staff teamwork has strengthened our academic curriculum, creating a culture of success. We are using the results of regular assessments to ensure that we are properly addressing the needs of our students, developing individualized academic plans for each and every girl.

In addition to core academics, Esperanza’s holistic programming recognizes the importance of the arts and athletics. Our girls have the opportunity to be involved with choir, theater, instrument lessons, and other forms of creative expression. They also row with the crew club, play softball and basketball, and are active members of the community, traveling to the library, the Y, and to other non-profit organizations for programs and community service activities.

Despite daunting statistics facing the young people of the city of Lawrence, including a 41% high school graduation rate, the highest early pregnancy rate in the state, and unfathomable poverty levels, our girls are thriving on Garden Street. The 11 hour days and 11 month school years are working; our girls are growing into confident, competent, connected individuals.

We would not be able to put them on this path to success without the support of our caring community. Parents, volunteers, donors, teachers, and Trustees are an essential piece of the Esperanza equation. If you are already active in the Esperanza community, thank you.

If not, I hope you will consider becoming part of our Esperanza family, whether through volunteering to help cook a meal, making a financial contribution, or gathering a group of people to participate in one of our Saturday “deep clean” days. Supporting our girls is supporting the broader community. Together we CAN flip the statistics. We WILL show the general population that the children in Lawrence are full of potential and will reach their potential through education.

With “Esperanza”,

Laurie Bottiger, PhD
Head of School