Fiscal Year | July 2019 – June 2020
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Founded by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR | JULY 2019 – JUNE 2020 “EDUCATION BREEDS CONFIDENCE. CONFIDENCE BREEDS HOPE. HOPE BREEDS PEACE.” CONFUCIUS 1202_TBAnnual2020.indd 1 9/24/20 10:19 AM NATIVITY PREPARATORY SCHOOL | ANNUAL REPORT 2020 FOUNDED BY THE OBLATES OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES | nativitywilmington.org 1202_TBAnnual2020.indd 2 9/24/20 10:19 AM A Message from the President, 2020–2021 Board of Trustees Rev. Dr. Eric Ruoss William Chapman, Esq. Dear Members of the Nativity Prep Community, Chair e 2019–2020 academic school year has been like no other in the Rev. Joseph G. Morrissey, OSFS professional experience of any teacher or administrator. All schools Vice Chair experienced disruption over the past six months and adjusted the delivery of their programs in order to minimize the negative impact Rev. J. Christian Beretta, OSFS on the progress of student learning. Nativity Prep is one of these schools. With its emphasis on the James A. Burke recognition of personal value and character development, Nativity Prep Kathleen Craven is dependent upon direct contact between students and adults for its DeVon Williams Daniels, ChFC, CDFA success. erefore, we have designed a dynamic program that combines in-person instruction with on-line instruction for this fall. rough this Adam DiSabatino design we are able to maintain an eective level of personal contact Very Reverend Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS with each student. LeRoi Hicks, M.D. e delivery of a strong and robust Nativity Prep program is made possible because of the generous support that we have received from Cheryl Jackson, M.D. donors like you. Today the challenge to maintain our strength is Rev. John A. Kolodziej, OSFS tremendous. ese are chaotic times through which you and I need to Dr. Eric Ruoss, Ex Ocio maintain our ability to open our hearts to those who are at risk of losing Fred Sears hope. In this moment we must remain mindful of the truth that chaos around us does not need to result in chaos within the human spirit. Joan Shaw rough a history of giving to Nativity Prep, you and I have experienced Dawn Williams, Esq. the great joy that comes into our life when we can spontaneously Rev. Brian Zumbrum, OSFS respond with generosity to the needs of those who rely on our support. e sta of Nativity Prep continues to provide our young men with School Counsel a sense of belonging, a feeling of pride in their accomplishments, and an appreciation of their own personal value. We are not able to do this Brian Ferry, Esq. alone. Each one of you have reached out at some point during the past David J. Ferry, Jr., Esq. 17 years to join with us as we encourage our students. You recognize that the need for personal, academic, and spiritual guidance for the boys ank you to our departing Board Members for of inner-city Wilmington is no less now than it has been in the past. your dedication to the mission of Nativity Prep: We are grateful for your thoughtful support, your faith in the program, Derrick Wetzel and John McLaughlin and your generous contributions. I encourage you to maintain and to augment your giving to the young men of Nativity Prep throughout the FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ENROLLMENT: 2020–2021 school year. Please contact Yachira Torres, Principal [email protected] With gratitude, I am sincerely yours, FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GIVING, VOLUNTEERING, OR VISITING NATIVITY PREP: Contact Brian Ray, Director of Advancement, Community Relations & Sustainability [email protected] Reverend Dr. Eric Ruoss FOUNDED BY THE OBLATES OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES | nativitywilmington.org 1 1202_TBAnnual2020.indd 1 9/24/20 10:19 AM PRINCIPALLY THINKING We Begin, Our Connections With Each Other By Yachira Torres he month of March saw a complete transformation of the at Prep, students navigated T way we view schooling and education. Teachers were cata- the expectations of respon- pulted into the world of information technology. Parents were sible technology use and thrust into at-home classroom as educators and students were how to use a variety of expected to be mature and responsible enough to take charge of platforms necessary for distance learning. their academic work during some very uncertain times. As the fall approaches, we are looking forward to inviting stu- For some, the transition, albeit inconvenient, was certainly dents back into the building through our unique hybrid model. manageable. For others, COVID-19 upended their traditional During orientation, new students unpack school expectations way of life. At Nativity Prep, we were able to reevaluate our ap- and learn how to use the technology necessary to complete aca- proach to student and family engagement and meet our students demic work at home. Returning students are quite familiar with and their families wherever they were, making our curriculum these practices. accessible, but keeping our expectations high. For the start of the school year, students have been split up into COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted low-income two dierent pods and will be housed in two dierent parts of the communities of color. e families of the population that Nativ- building. While one half of the population is in school from 8am ity Prep serves and the neighborhoods where our families live are to 12pm, the other half will be online from 1pm to 3pm on any more likely to be impacted by chronic illness, underlying health given day. e pods switch on a bi-weekly basis. All students and conditions, and other adverse side eects of poverty. We knew sta are expected to be tested for COVID before they return to that the way we approached the transition from in-school to on- campus. Masks are required for everyone. Temperature checks and line instruction had to be calculated and compassionate, oering health questionnaires are completed at the door. support to access quality internet at home, providing students While we have had to sacrice sports and large community with electronic devices to complete academic work, and informal gatherings, we are fortunate to be able to add formal home visits to visits for tech support and a little motivation. our safety net. On a bi-weekly or monthly basis, two sta members We were able to rene our approach in preparation for our from Nativity will be able to meet families where they are most virtual Summer Program. e biggest goal was for students to comfortable and discuss the ongoing impact COVID-19 has had on complete three classes online. Additionally, our 8th Graders were them. We will conrm students have all the materials they need to able to have access to the building and invited to social events on complete academic work, connect them to community resources that and o-campus. may benet them, and remind them that Nativity’s mission would e co-curricular classes covered topics critical to understand- not be possible without their ongoing inspiration and support. ing the importance of celebrating diversity, embracing inclu- e last six months have tested the limits of our ingenuity, sion, and navigating a digital world. For ELA, all students read creativity, and compassion. We have all yearned for genuine human Sherman Alexie’s “Absolutely Tr u e Diary of a Part-Time Indian” contact and connection and have struggled to be kind to ourselves and discussed the impact of segregation on indigenous commu- and to one another. However, as we begin to make our way through nities in the United States. During their class on Social Justice, the other side of COVID-19, we must remember our responsibility students discussed the impact of national protests and eective to one another, and Nativity Prep is excited to be a place where ways to create change in a challenging political climate. For Tech those we serve will be at the center of all the things we do. NP Nativity Prep teachers attended Teacher Orientation to prepare for student’s return to school. Nativity Prep students returned to a hybrid schedule with 7th and 8th graders attending in-person classes in the morning and 5th and 6th graders attending virtual classes in the afternoon week one, and then alternate each week until we are able to once again provide an all in-person program. 2 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | Fiscal Year July 2019 – June 2020 FOUNDED BY THE OBLATES OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES | nativitywilmington.org 1202_TBAnnual2020.indd 2 9/24/20 10:19 AM PRINCIPALLYWELCOME TO THINKING NATIVITY PREP Introducing Brian Ray Nativity’s New Director of Advancement, Community Relations & Sustainability rian Ray joins Nativity Prep as e expanded role that Ray is tasked with will focus on the Director of Advancement, the yearly need to fundraise 100% of the budget, but also with B Community Relations & Sustain- raising the prole of the school within the broad Wilmington ability. Prior to joining Nativity, community and developing and implementing a strategy of he was Head of School at Saint sustainability for Nativity Prep. “e work is not easy, but vital for the continued success of the school and students. Looking Edmond’s Academy for ve years. towards the future, during these uncertain times, is paramount Brian is not new to the Nativity School model. He was the Chief for Nativity Prep.” Business Ocer at e Washington Jesuit Academy in Washing- “I am very thankful to be part of a mission of the Oblates of ton, D.C., for ten years. During his time at WJA, he developed Saint Francis de Sales and the need to impact the city of Wilm- a sincere and deep appreciation for the work done in Nativity ington in successful way.