Menu
From ten-minute inspirational IMPACT Talks to the Deep Dives into important educational topics and in-depth discussions on Charter Conversations with leaders in the charter school industry, along with captivating “About Us” videos and commercials from schools across the country.
Informative 10-minute talks from winners of the First Annual Building Hope IMPACT Awards.
Informative 10-minute talks from winners of the First Annual Building Hope IMPACT Awards.
Dr. Marco Clark, Michelle Santos, and Skye-Ali Johnson
BH IMPACT $20,000 Grant Award recipients from Richard Wright Public Charter School share how they empower students to use their voices and lead!
Learn more about Richard Wright Public Charter Schools: https://www.richardwrightpcs.org/
Ann Eisenberg
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Palm Beach School for Autism shares her journey to creating an impact-driven charter school for students with autism.
Learn more about Palm Beach School for Autism: https://pbsfa.org/
Dr. Angela Allen
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Prospect Hill Academy gives us a peek inside Prospect Hill Academy and how they support their students as they engage with the world as it unfolds in real-time.
Learn more about Prospect Hill Academy Charter School: https://www.phacs.org/
Ellen Somekawa
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Academy (FACTS) in Philadelphia, PA shares her inspirational story that led to founding this innovative school that embraces cultural traditions as a pathway for connection, collaboration, and student success.
Learn more about the Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Academy (FACTS): https://www.factschool.org/en/home/
Shannon Hillman
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Genesee Community Charter School in Rochester, NY creates innovation through key design elements, arts integration and a deep connection to community. Investing in teachers, paid professional development and sabbaticals bring out the innovator in every teach, so they can bring out the best in their students.
Learn more about Genesee Community Charter School: https://www.gccschool.org/
Les Harrison
BH IMPACT $20,000 Grant Award recipient from Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy in Maple Lake, MN explores how students and teachers thrive in non-traditional learning spaces and structures. Relationships form the solid foundation for this school to be able to continually adapt and innovate to amplify the gifts within each student.
Learn more about Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy: https://www.jgesa.org/
Dr. Jennifer Porter-Smith
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Legends Academy in Orlando draws intriguing connections between neuroscience and educational communities of learning and how to create a school that is truly responsive to its community.
Learn more about the Legends Academy: https://legendsacademy.org/
Alexis Rubin
BH IMPACT $10,000 Grant Award recipient from Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter in Brooklyn, NY shares what a carrot, an airport, and a school have in common? They need a healthy ecosystem for students to thrive. Students learn in community and with school partners to start changing the world by solving real problems every day.
Learn more about Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter: https://www.launchschool.org
Monica Maccera-Filppu
BH IMPACT $20,000 Grant Award recipient from Common Ground High School in New Haven, CT is located in an urban oasis that looks at their city as a complex ecosystem with 98% of the students out in the community learning and contributing. The school grounds serve as an environmental learning center and emergency food distribution site for students and families all over New Haven, CT.
Learn more about Common Ground High School: https://commongroundct.org
The 3L’s of DEI Leadership:
Listen, Learn and Lean-In
Allie Braswell, The Braswell Group
Allie explores the facets of DEI through storytelling and provides effective, practical tools to use in schools, in business, and in life to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Allie Braswell has been an agent of change for the Orlando community where he lives, and he sees plenty of room for more changes coming to the City Beautiful. Braswell was dubbed “The Geek Who Can Speak” when he started his professional career because of his intelligence and the charisma he exudes whenever he speaks. He founded The Braswell Group, a consulting firm that has brought diversity, equity and inclusion into the executive offices of companies like Walt Disney World and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. His proudest accomplishment was marrying Shellie-Ann, for whom the “Shine Brighter Award” is named. He is currently running for the Florida House of Representatives “to keep Shellie’s memory alive and take care of the community she loved.”
Reach and Resources: How to actively serve our most vulnerable students
Melissa Helmbrecht, Give Something Back Foundation
Melissa shares her personal journey and her work with Give Back Foundation in empowering students in the most need with type types of support they most need to succeed.
Melissa Helmbrecht is nationally known as a “social entrepreneur” which is defined as “someone dedicated to finding solutions to serious social problems.” Helmbrecht has been doing just that for America’s children since she was a child. She was just 18 when the Caring Institute named her one of the 10 “Most Caring” young adults in the country for her work with the homeless in Orlando. Awards for organizing and participating in child advocacy programs continued while she earned degrees at American University and the University of Denver College of Law. She founded Hopeloft, in 2016 to inspire change in South New Jersey and currently is the executive director for Give Something Back, a scholarship program that offers educational opportunities to disadvantaged students.”
The First Award-winning IMPACT charter school leadership cohort digs deep into what defines community engagement, and schools and share how they’ve been able to become integral parts of their communities and how to involve their internal communities of parents. These leaders discuss the impact of school safety measures on students, as well as the inspiring opportunity we face today to create a paradigm change in education.
In order to uplift, inspire, and empower, we must first break down the barriers students face in education. The IMPACT of schools who focus on Student Empowerment is discussed in depth with student leader Skye-Ali Johnson from Richard Wright Public Schools and the award-winning charter school IMPACT leaders from the 1 st Annual BH IMPACT Summit and Awards.
Charter Schools create unique programs to best serve the needs of their students and the hopes of their communities. Please enjoy these short peeks into these great educational models.
From its origins as a homeschool program to an IB program for K-5 students.
From its origins as a homeschool program to an IB program for K-5 students.
This 6-12 IB school excels at empowering students to discovering their unique gifts.
This 6-12 IB school excels at empowering students to discovering their unique gifts.
One of the oldest charter school in Idaho features a STEAM education for K-4 students.
Culture and family is celebrated at this growing K-8!
Culture and family is celebrated at this growing K-8!
In this K-8 character-and-leadership focused campus, students start planning their future from the earliest ages.
In this K-8 character-and-leadership focused campus, students start planning their future from the earliest ages.
This award-winning K-8 global IB school is creating a generation of world-changers.
This biliterate Montessori charter school creates a family community for its K-5 students.
This student-focused school helps clear the way for students to succeed in career and college.
Creating future leaders and empowering students to shine is a hallmark of this 8-12 school.
Nov 11, 2022
Monica Macerra Filppu from Common Ground High School, Dr. Jennifer
Porter-Smith from Legends Academy, and Alexis Rubin from Launch
Expeditionary Leaning Charter school were the first Inaugural BH IMPACT
Grant Award winners in Community Engagement. These inspirational charter
school leaders share their insights on connecting with internal and external
community to benefit students.
https://legendsacademy.org/
https://www.launchschool.org
https://commongroundct.org
Nov 2, 2022
Les Harrison from Jane Goodall Environmental Sciences Academy, Ellen
Somekawa from Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Academy (FACTS), Shannon
Hillman from Genesee Community Charter School were the first Inaugural
BH IMPACT Grant Award winners in Educational Innovation. These
inspirational charter school leaders share the innovative practices in their
award-winning schools.
https://www.factschool.org/en/home/
https://www.gccschool.org/
https://www.jgesa.org/
Oct 19, 2022
Dr. Angela Allen from Prospect Academy, Ann Eisenberg from Palm Beach School for Autism, and Dr. Marco Clark from Richard Wright PCS were the first Inaugural BH IMPACT Grant Award winners in Student Empowerment. These inspirational charter school leaders share their insights on empowering students to be independent, game-changers of the future.
https://pbsfa.org
https://www.phacs.org
https://www.richardwrightpcs.org
Sept 20, 2022
Three winners of the first Shellie Anne Braswell Shine Brighter Awards share how volunteering for their charter schools gave them an opportunity to shine brighter and impact the lives of students and their families.
Aug 27, 2020
Mark Thaler of global design firm Gensler talks about effective pandemic-related changes to educational spaces that are adaptable to future changes and challenges.
Aug 6, 2020
Eric Tucker and Tricia Forrest join Dru Damico on Charter Conversations for a deep dive into the considerations needed for a comprehensive back-to-school reopening plan.
Jul 21, 2020
Joseph Khoury, MCN Build, and Raj Setty, Setty & Associates, discuss critical items to consider when making facilities upgrades for a safer school opening in Fall 2020.
Jun 6, 2020
Matt Strong and Monica White, co-founders of Elevate Academy, share their unique journey to charter school success through community-building and public-private partnerships.
Jun 12, 2020
A candid conversation with Joe Bruno, president of Building Hope Holdings, about the importance of relationships.
“It’s not one-to-one, it’s organization-to-organization.”
May 22, 2020
Why America’s Toughest Principal holds students and parents accountable.
May 29, 2020
Paul Morrissey, Founder & CEO of Compass Rose Academy in Austin, TX, shares the inspiration for his educational career, his unique parent-engagement strategies, and his advice for new charter school leaders.
May 15, 2020
How access to data and community outreach improves school choice | Opportunity 180.
May 8, 2020
In twenty years, IDEA Public Schools grew from an afterschool program in Donna, Texas into a network of charter schools that will serve more than 100,000 students nationwide.
For more information about how Building Hope can help your charter school succeed, or to find out how to invest in the mission, please fill out the short form below.
I am interested in:
Thank you for trusting Building Hope with your community’s unique needs. We are excited to learn more about your charter school project and how we can partner to create opportunities for children.