Dear Hope Academy Community,

I am pleased and excited to announce that Nerise Beckford-Joly, our Assistant Head of School, has accepted our offer to become The Hope Academy’s new Head of School effective July 1st.

As you know, Nerise brought a wealth of experience and knowledge working with students and adults, specifically around school culture, high expectations and Restorative Justice when she joined us as Assistant Head of School last year. Over the course of the past year, she has built upon this expertise and consistently demonstrated effective leadership skills that benefited our entire school community including revamping our Response to Intervention process, providing effective faculty professional development opportunities, evaluation, and support, and helping us continue to create a positive school culture while also serving as a strong advocate for our students and their families.

In our discussions regarding the Head of School position, Nerise has stated that one of her main focuses will be increasing all our students’ reading and writing skills, as well as, embedding Restorative Justice practices throughout our school community

Over the past year, I have consistently been impressed with Nerise’s inclusive decision-making process and her analytical skills. I personally have learned a great deal from Nerise and am excited about her leading The Hope Academy. I know that she will do a great job as our Head of School and will help The Hope Academy become the learning community we all want it to be.

Please join me in congratulating Nerise on her promotion. Please know that we will post and recruit for the assistant head of school position.

I hope that each of you have a relaxing and refreshing summer.

Sincerely,

Margaret Knowlton | Superintendent