Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers

Dear Friends and Visitors:

It is with tremendous pride that I welcome you to the new website of the Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. With our new name, logo and website we are launching an important new era in the life of our school.

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	Kennedy Academy Welcomes Its 2010 Alumni! In a sea of new Kennedy Academy red robes, the Class of 2010 celebrated graduation at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum with faculty, family and friends, marking the apex of a year long transformation for the school. They came to the Health Careers Academy in the fall of 2006, and they leave us as the first graduates of the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. Be sure to check out photos of the celebration posted in our photo album here on the website. Congratulations graduates!
	Kennedy Academy Student Places Second at Statewide Science Fair! Kennedy Academy congratulates sophomore Arismar Medina Solano on her second place award at the 2010 Massachusetts State Science Fair, held at MIT on May 1, 2010. This marks the highest ever finish for a Kennedy Academy student. The award will bring Arismar a scholarship to Regis College worth $40,000, as well as a $200 award from the U.S. Army Natick Labs. Arismar's presentation was entitled "Which Prophylactic Latex is Most Durable", and she received outstanding scores at the school, district and state levels. Way to go Arismar!
	Kennedy Academy Senior Kwame Adams Speaks at Citywide Valedictorian Luncheon On Wednesday June 2, 2010, Kennedy Academy valedictorian Kwame Adams was honored among his peers to address those gathered for the 2010 Valedictorian Luncheon. The celebration was held at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and included valedictorians from 36 Boston high schools, as well as Mayor Menino, Superintendent Johnson, School Committee Chairman Groover, and many proud headmasters and families. Kwame spoke beautifully about his educational path and his aspirations in the health care field. Kwame will continue his education at Wesleyan University in the fall. We are so proud of you Kwame!
	Celebration of Student Achievement The annual Celebration of Student Achievement is always a highlight of the Kennedy Academy school year. Students, family members and staff members gathered in Blackman Auditorium on the Northeastern University campus on Thursday May 27, 2010 for an evening of festivities. It is the time we take to recognize the outstanding achievements and academic improvement of many of our students across all grade levels and all academic disciplines. We also recognize the personal qualities we seek to encourage in our young people, including leadership, citizenship, and service. And with the support of our partners at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we announced more than $65,000 in scholarships to support the higher education aspirations of our Class of 2010.
	Kennedy Academy Faculty - Making A Difference! Congratulations to Mary-Alyce McLaughlin and Sam Grosso – Kennedy Academy teachers who were recognized at the Celebration of Student Achievement with the 2010 “Making A Difference” Professional Development Awards. These two awards, supported for a third year through our partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, give faculty members the freedom and financial support to pursue innovative professional development activities of their choosing. Congratulations!
	Kennedy Academy Celebrates Boston Educator of the Year Ilsa Bruer! Congratulations are in order for Ilsa Bruer, Kennedy Academy English teacher, who was selected today as 2010 Boston Educator of the Year. Ms. Bruer was nominated by students and colleagues at the school for the energy and creativity that she brings to her work, and for the high standards she holds for all of her students. Ms. Bruer holds a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Education from Northeastern University. She joined the Academy full time in 2006, after completing her student teaching at the school.
	Kennedy Academy Applauds Its First Doctor of Pharmacy! Among the graduates who will be celebrating in Blackman Auditorium at Northeastern University on Thursday, May 6, 2010 is Adeolu Odewale, a Health Careers Academy alumni from the Class of 2002.
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Health Careers Academy (HCa) is a college preparatory high school for Boston students exploring careers in health and health-related professions. The Academy provides a supportive learning environment that promotes respect and embraces diversity. Students will attain the life skills needed to become productive and positive members of society.

In 1995, a group of community health care providers and higher education leaders recognized that too few inner-city children were envisioning the career possibilities in the health professions. Too few had the role models, mentors, and rigorous academic preparation needed to nurture these dreams. And, consequently, too few were finding their way into professional health care futures.

Health Careers Academy was created as their solution to this problem, providing a seamless pathway of opportunity for Boston children to access the city's rich educational resources in the health professions. Founded as one of Boston's original pilot schools, the school was a partnership of the Boston Public Schools and the Center for Community Health Education Research and Service (CCHERS) at Northeastern University. In 1998, seeking greater autonomy and program flexibility, the school applied for and received designation from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as one of the first Horace Mann Charter Schools. Since that time the school has been located on the main campus of Northeastern University, in the heart of Boston's higher education and health care community. Beyond the college campus, partnerships with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mass General Hospital, and a variety of other community health care providers bring rich career-focused experiential learning opportunities to HCa students.

HCa is a school that prepares children for the academically rigorous higher education needed for health professions. In the classroom and in extracurricular activities, our students are challenged to reach their full potential every day. HCa is a place where students prepare themselves to realize their own dreams of becoming the doctors, nurses, researchers, and social workers who will make up the diverse healthcare workforce of tomorrow.

• We offer a rigorous academic program because it is the cornerstone for success in both higher education and professional futures.
  
  
• We establish high expectations for effort and progress because this helps students develop the discipline and confidence they will need to succeed at whatever life goals they establish for themselves.
  
  
• We focus on health and science to excite student interest and establish relevance in education, to promote a career focus, and ultimately, to address the health care needs of underserved communities.
  
  
• We help our students to become responsible adult citizens by nurturing their commitment to and responsibility for their own community.
  
  
• We take a holistic view of the student, providing support for social, emotional and intellectual development, and recognizing the particular importance of families in the process of education.
  
  
• We believe that all students have the potential to achieve at high levels, and so we enroll students based only on their interest in exploring the health careers and their willingness to meet the challenge of learning with their best effort.
  
  
• We are part of a search for educational strategies that can have broader applicability and can lead to systemic change in the schools and in the community.

We believe this comprehensive approach to secondary education will produce graduates who understand the value of learning, who have mastered important skills and knowledge, who recognize the dividends of hard work, and who have meaningful choices about their future. This is how we will measure our success.

 

U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy's lifetime of public service leaves an extraordinary legacy in health care, education and civil rights. He fought tirelessly for the needy, the disabled, and the less advantaged. His work touched the life of every American and created a safety net for the most vulnerable among us. On April 25, 2010, to honor his service and his memory, the Health Careers Academy was renamed to become the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers.

	Activities Fair (Town Meeting) Date: 9/15/2010 Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
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