The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School is opening in the south Bronx in three years. In the meantime, it will have a temporary location in Pelham Bay beginning this fall.
On March 18, Community Board 10 approved a letter of support for New Renaissance to be at the Our Lady of Assumption School at 1617 Parkview Avenue.
It is a three-year lease with the Archdiocese of New York. There will be auditorium and building-wide renovations. Classrooms will have roughly 18 to 20 students with a full-time psychology and security department.
There will be a lottery for the school from School District 8 students. It will have capacity for 440 students by the end of year three. The school officials have already met with the 45th Precinct.
“If an incoming freshman boy or girl loves the game and is interested in majoring in the different facets of the sport: broadcast journalism, analytics, being an agent, a coach, a physical therapist, a designer, a print or digital reporter, a scout, or in business, finance, law, psychology, with all the New York State core curriculum, then the school will change your life,” said Dan Klores, the Peabody award winning filmmaker and founder of the school.
According to Klores, the school is the first of its kind in the entire nation. He stressed it is a specialized charter high school for basketball, but not for the playing of the game.
The school will have two teachers in most classes, summer internships, college and career counselors, first class facilities, honors programs and 15 percent of the 110 students in the first year will be children with special needs.
“We have the full support of the community, the borough president and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver,” Klores stated. “To us, every family is as important to our success as each child.
David Stern, the great NBA commissioner was our lead trustee until his tragic death 15 months ago, he would say, ‘a ball and a book can change the world.’ That’s our motto.”
Deadline to register is April 2 and the lottery will commence April 6 for school enrollment. CB 10 board members would like to see OLA staff working at the school and would assist with any databases for sharing resumes of staff.
