Renaissance Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

Last updated
Renaissance Academy
Baltimore Renaissance Academy (Baltimore, MD - 2008).jpg
Address
Renaissance Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)
1301 McCulloh Street

Baltimore
,
Maryland
21217
Coordinates 39°18′11″N76°37′40″W / 39.30306°N 76.62778°W / 39.30306; -76.62778
Information
School type Public
Founded2005
School district Baltimore City Public Schools
SuperintendentDr. Sonja Brookins Santelises [CEO] [1]
School number433 [2]
PrincipalTammatha Woodhouse [2]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment245 [2]  (2018)
Area Urban
MascotRams

Renaissance Academy is a public high school in the Madison Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPSS) system. [2]

Contents

Administration

Principal Nikkia Rowe was appointed to lead the school in July 2013. [3] Principal Rowe made national headlines in 2015 for her response to the 2015 Baltimore protests which followed the Death of Freddie Gray. Gray was arrested only 1.3 miles away from Renaissance. [4] Rowe instituted new curricula in law and homeland security in the hopes of building a more civic-minded student population. [5] In spring of 2015, Rowe also instituted a mentorship program, Seeds of Promise, which brought young adult men from the community into the school to attempt to connect with disengaged students. [6]

Principal Rowe was replaced by Tammatha Woodhouse, former principal of Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High School in West Baltimore's Poppleton neighborhood in July 2018. Rowe's firing came among concerns by City Schools administrators in regards to falling attendance and graduation rates. [3] Rowe, however, told media that she was terminated due to a failure to resubmit her certification. Rowe's departure led to community fears that it was the preliminary step to the closure of the school. [7]

In 2018, incoming principal Tammatha Woodhouse announced her intention to dramatically increase enrollment to 400 (from 242 in August 2018), and to add organized sports to the school's programming. [8]

Potential moves and closure

Renaissance Academy has been repeatedly reviewed by Baltimore City Schools for closure or relocation.

Initially based in the campus of the former Southwestern Senior High School, City Schools officials first began proposing moving Renaissance to the sites of Harlem Park Middle or Edmondson-Westside High School. [9] The response to the proposal from the public was hostile, with complaints about lack of community involvement, longer commutes and a perception of more dangerous neighborhoods. [10] A month later, the revised plan was released, which announced that Renaissance would instead move to open space in the campus of West Baltimore Middle School. [11]

In November 2015, shortly after the unrest, Renaissance (now at the former West Baltimore Middle School site) was one of several schools in the most highly affected areas to be considered for closure, leading to community outcry and resistance. [4] As a result of this community activism, CEO Gregory Thornton announced a reversal of the proposal, leaving Renaissance open. [12]

Following the death of three students, City Schools, now under the leadership of CEO Sonja Santelises, once more recommended Renaissance for closure, this time at the end of the 2016–2017 school year, although Santelises also stated that she was exploring possible new sites for the school. [13] In December of the same year however, the school board again delayed the vote on closing Renaissance, delaying until January 2017. [14] When the board returned to the matter in January 2017, the Office of New School Initiatives released a report proposing Renaissance be relocated to the campus of Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) in the Burleith-Leighton neighborhood. [15] This plan did not last long though, as management changes at BCCC ended the lease negotiations. After a $1 million donation was made to the school from an anonymous donor, City Schools again changed course, approving Renaissance to remain open at its present site, co-located in the same building as Booker T. Washington Middle School. [16] The two schools share facilities such as the gymnasium and the auditorium, but are otherwise kept separate from one another.

Grants and funding

Owing to both its high need and occasional national and local prominence, Renaissance Academy has been the recipient (in whole or part) of a large amount of outside funding to provide various supplementary services:

Alumni

Related Research Articles

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a public community college in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the only community college in the city and the only state-sponsored community college in the state. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). It was founded in 1947 and has about 5,000 students enrolled in one of its campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Clifton Eastern High School</span> American public high school in Baltimore, Maryland (1971-2005)

Lake Clifton Eastern High School (LCEHS) was a public high school closed in 2005, located in the Clifton Park area of northeast Baltimore, Maryland. Originally called Lake Clifton High School (LCHS), although it was commonly known as Lake High School or Lake Clifton, it is now called the Lake Clifton Campus (LCC).

Eastern Technical High School (ETHS) is high school in Essex, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It was designated as a Maryland Blue Ribbon High School in 1997, 2009, and 2010, a National Blue Ribbon High School in 2010, and a USDE New American High School in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris M. Johnson High School</span> Former high school in Maryland, USA

Doris M. Johnson High School was a public high school located in the northeast area known as Clifton Park of Baltimore, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western High School (Maryland)</span> Public secondary magnet school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Western High School is the oldest public all-girls high school remaining in the United States. It is the third-oldest public high school in the state of Maryland and part of the Baltimore City Public Schools. Western High was named a "National Blue Ribbon School" of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009 and a "Silver Medal High School" by the news magazine U.S. News & World Report in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Freedom Academy</span> A former charter middle-high school in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA) was a Baltimore City middle-high school, located for most of its existence in the Washington Hill neighborhood. Founded in 2003 as a public "innovation school," beginning in 2008 it operated as a charter school. The school was open to students citywide through the Baltimore City Public Schools lottery system. Baltimore Freedom Academy was closed by Baltimore City Public Schools following the 2013 school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achievement Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)</span> An alternative high school in Baltimore, Maryland

Achievement Academy, officially Achievement Academy at Harbor City High School, is a public alternative high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school currently resides in the former Northern High School campus, at 2201 Pinewood Avenue. Achievement Academy is an alternative school program operated by Baltimore City Public Schools to serve students with severe academic and/or behavior issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage High School (Baltimore, Maryland)</span> Former high school in Maryland, USA

Heritage High School was a public high school located in the northeast area known as Clifton Park of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It served Baltimore City high schoolers from 2004 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Frances Academy (Baltimore)</span> Historically Black Catholic school in Maryland, USA

Saint Frances Academy is an independent Catholic high school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1828 to educate African-American children, it is the first and oldest continually operating Black Catholic school in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts</span> Public high school in Maryland, USA

The Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts (AFSIVA) is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is named after Augusta Savage, a sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance. The school opened in 2004 within the former campus of Southwestern High School as part of a program intended to break up larger high schools in to smaller, more individualized schools. It graduated its first class in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Fenwick High School (Peabody, Massachusetts)</span> Private, coeducational school in Peabody, , Massachusetts, United States

Bishop Fenwick High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Peabody, Massachusetts. While located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the school is operated independently and with the blessing of the Archdiocese. Students who attend Bishop Fenwick come from over 40 towns and communities in New England, primarily those closest to the campus such as Saugus, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Marblehead, and Danvers, Massachusetts. The school also has a small number of international students, having welcomed its first international students in 2014.

Ronald Joel Daniels is a Canadian academic and the current president of the Johns Hopkins University, a position which he assumed on March 2, 2009. Daniels' tenure in this role has been extended twice, and is currently set to run through 2029. Daniels was previously the vice-president and provost at the University of Pennsylvania, and prior to that was dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Daniels received his B.A. (1982) and J.D. (1986) degrees from the University of Toronto, and his LL.M. (1988) degree from Yale Law School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern High School (Maryland)</span> Historic school building in Maryland, USA

Eastern High School, established in 1844 along with its sister school Western High School, was a historic all-female, public high school located in Baltimore City, Maryland, 21218, U.S.A. Its final building, at 1101 East 33rd Street, is to the west of The Baltimore City College, also at 33rd Street, and across the street from the former site of Memorial Stadium. E.H.S. was operated by the Baltimore City Public Schools system at successive locations until it was closed in 1986. The final building was renovated in the 1990s and is currently owned and used for offices by the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore City Public Schools</span> School district in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore City. Traditionally, however, the Baltimore City Public Schools system has not referred to itself as a "district," as the operation of the schools was synonymous with the city of Baltimore. Its headquarters are located on 200 East North Avenue at North Calvert Street in the Dr. Alice G. Pinderhughes Administration Building.

Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women is a public charter middle and high school for girls in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the first public all girls' secondary school in the city that had both middle and senior high school levels.

Sonja Santelises has been the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools since May 2016.

Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy West, is an all-boy public middle/high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school's focus is on Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

Youth Opportunity Academy is a public, alternative high school located in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The school allows students who have dropped out to obtain either high school diplomas or GEDs. The school is located in the Lafayette Square Community Center, in a building that was originally built in 1972 and originally served as a branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Baltimore is a public contract high school located in the Hanlon Longwood neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Opened in 2015, BHSEC Baltimore became the seventh branch of the larger Bard High School Early College program, a group of high schools established in partnership with the private liberal arts college Bard College.

City Neighbors High School is a public charter high school located in the Glenham-Benhar neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Opened in 2010, City Neighbors High was the third school launched by the larger City Neighbors Foundation program, a Baltimore-based charter organization. The school operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation under the name "City Neighbors High School Inc."

References

  1. ↑ "Meet CEO Sonja Brookins Santelises", Baltimore City Public Schools Website (retrieved April 2014)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Renaissance Academy, Baltimore City Public Schools".
  3. 1 2 Green, Erica (2018-09-21). "Santelises orders shake-up of principals - Expectations have changed, city schools CEO says". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  4. 1 2 Green, Erica (2015-11-05). "City schools begin mobilizing, meeting to fight upcoming closure recommendations". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  5. ↑ Goldberg, Eleanor (2015-04-30). "How This Inner-City Baltimore Principal Is 'Tearing Down Barriers' Between Students And Police". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  6. ↑ Ludden, Jennifer (2015-10-29). "For At-Risk Kids, Mentors Provide Far More Than Just Homework Help". National Public Radio . Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  7. ↑ Yoes, Sean (2018-07-11). "Will Renaissance Academy Survive?". Baltimore Afro-American. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  8. ↑ Bailey, Deborah (2018-08-23). "New Year and New Leadership for Troubled Renaissance Academy". Baltimore Afro-American. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  9. ↑ Neufeld, Sara (2006-01-07). "4 city high schools may go - Officials are proposing closing and selling some campuses 2 public forums are set for today". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
  10. ↑ Marech, Rona (2006-01-08). "School options get tense response - Anger, confusion arise at public forums about consolidation proposals". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
  11. ↑ Neufeld, Sara (2006-02-15). "School closings favored by panel - 5,300 students in city will be moved in fall if board OKs plan aimed at increasing efficiency". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
  12. 1 2 Green, Erica (2015-11-10). "Thornton calls for closing five city schools". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  13. ↑ Green, Erica (2016-11-10). "Renaissance Academy is facing closure again - Santelises would reconsider if a suitable location is found". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
  14. ↑ "Board to Close Several Baltimore Schools in 2017". Baltimore Afro-American . Baltimore. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  15. ↑ "Renaissance Academy Eyes Move to BCCC Campus". Baltimore Afro-American. Baltimore. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  16. 1 2 Marbella, Jean (2017-02-25). "School district will keep Renaissance Academy open after all". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  17. ↑ Wenger, Yvonne (2012-12-31). "W. Baltimore wins U.S. grant \ - $500,000 federal award meant to foster health, fight poverty". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
  18. ↑ Green, Erica (2016-09-06). "U.S. Department of Education awards grant to Renaissance Academy". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  19. ↑ Yoes, Sean (2017-07-21). "Baltimore Ravens Invest $1.5 Million in Embattled West Baltimore's Renaissance Academy". Baltimore Afro-American. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  20. ↑ Tkacik, Christina (2018-09-20). "Promise Heights gets $30 million to expand in West Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  21. ↑ Case, Wesley (2018-09-21). "Rapper inspired by city 'swamp' - Rising star wants to be an example of a Baltimore success story". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.