Bronx School of Hip Hop, Bronx School of Arts and Exploration welcome their first class of students

The Bronx School of Arts and Exploration and the Bronx School of Hip Hop welcomed their inaugural classes Thursday, offering families new educational options focused on specialized education, the arts and hip-hop culture.

A live DJ welcomed students and families Thursday, with the celebration continuing later in the day with a block party and open-mic performances. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels also visited the school as part of their tour of New York City schools.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city is excited to give the next generation new opportunities to learn and grow.

“Today, the promise and possibility of a new school year is especially meaningful in the South Bronx, where students are starting a new chapter at the Bronx School of Hip Hop. Born right here in New York City in the 1970s, hip hop has long given young New Yorkers a powerful way to express themselves and build community,” Mamdani said.

For Amanda Rasnick, whose 14-year-old daughter Anastasia is entering high school, the school’s focus on hip-hop was one of the reasons they chose it.

Amanda said she wanted her daughter to attend a diverse school where she would feel comfortable. The school’s emphasis on hip-hop also gave her daughter an opportunity to learn about the culture and history behind the music she enjoys.

“I want her to know our history, cause music is part of our history too,” Amanda said. “So I hope she knows that as well as everything else, like Black history.”

Oneikah Delgado was similarly optimistic about her 14-year-old daughter Aviva’s decision to attend the school.

Aviva had been homeschooled since third grade and was looking to join a school that aligned with her musical interests. When the principal of the Bronx School of Hip Hop called her directly and explained that she would be part of the school’s first graduating class, Aviva saw the opportunity differently.

“She thought that was really cool,” Delgado said.

For Delgado, however, the school’s efforts to build a community before classes began were just as important as its curriculum.

“They were getting the kids together, getting them to meet each other and build a sense of community before starting school,” she said.

A few blocks away at the Bronx School of Arts and Exploration, Zeynabou Maman was hopeful as she watched her 4-year-old son begin kindergarten at the new District 75 school, which was created to address the growing need for specialized education programs for students with autism, intellectual disabilities and other significant learning needs in the borough.

Maman said she found the school while looking for an educational environment that could support her son with autism. Although the school is a bit of a commute from their home near East 166th Street, she said her son was excited to start.

Still, as a parent sending her child to school for the first time, Maman said she had some concerns about how he would adjust and how his teachers would work with him.

“With autistic kids, it’s not easy to handle them, so you don’t know,” Maman said. “This is his first day. I don’t know the teachers. I don’t know how they’re gonna handle him. So I’m worrying a lot.”

Maman said she plans to give the school time and see how her son adjusts before forming an opinion.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson also attended the first day at the Bronx School of Hip Hop. In a statement to the Bronx Times, she highlighted the significance of both schools opening in the borough.

“The opening of both the Bronx School of Hip Hop and Bronx School of Arts and Exploration is significant for our borough and is an opportunity for our scholars to expand their creativity and critical thinking skills while further positioning the Bronx as a leader in culturally responsive public education that prepares our students for a successful future,” Gibson said.

“Our youth are destined for greatness and having schools like the Bronx School of Hip Hop and Bronx School of Arts and Exploration are essential to putting them on the path to success.”