In the News
bAL advocates for single shepherd
NY Daily News, June 23, 2020
Bronx educator
wins Amazon teacher of the year
Bronx Times, June 25, 2020
STUDENTS JOIN BAL Alum PRINCE ROYCE AT PROTEST
Organized by the John Lennon Educational Bus Tour, our students joined one of our famed alums to protest gun violence at New York City Hall
City & State New York, September 16, 2019
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WORKS: I’VE SEEN IT UP CLOSE
In an effort to transform the climate at our school, we instituted social-emotional and restorative justice practices, changing the way students, teachers and staff saw one another. We saw this not as an alternative to suspension — as it’s often wrongly described — but as a way to build the relationships necessary to reduce the need for suspensions in the first place...
BY BRANDON CARDET-HERNANDEZ
New York Daily News, June 27, 2019
PLAY INEQUITY: A NATIONAL CRISIS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
“New York City's crisis is profound in its inequitable access, especially for black and Latino students. In New York City, we're definitely failing to provide our students access to the power of sports.”
BAL STUDENTS FOR SPORTS EQUITY
Forbes, December 18, 2018
VOX on the bal walkout
At Bronx Letters, a public school serving about 600 sixth- to 12th-graders in New York City’s poorest school district, students had left class with school permission to attend a demonstration on the athletic field. The event, organized by Robledo, Aileen Villa, 18, and Isis Brache, 17 — lasted 17 minutes, to commemorate the 17 students killed in Parkland.
Vox, March 21, 2018
In Our Voices
In 2015, a BAL learning initiative focused on the importance of racial diversity in the classroom was featured on WNYC:
The American School Counselor Association recommends a counselor-student ratio of 1:250. But the students are in impoverished districts, and many have been affected by the trauma that comes with living in neighborhoods with high crime rates, gang activity or unstable housing situations. Listen to the feature on WNYC below to hear our principal discuss the importance of this guidance.
"We have someone every year of the way through high school who’s going to be able to make sure a kid is tuned in and focused on the academic prowess that’s going to allow them to access college and careers," said Cardet-Hernandez.
By Us
SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS
“These are the times we need poetry most. Poetry gives us something to lean on and provides a way for us to process our lives and world.”
Recent Student Publications
2021
2020
videos
Please enjoy our school's YouTube channel.
Our students got the opportunity of a lifetime to collaborate on an original song and music video with alumnus and Latin superstar Prince Royce on The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus presented by Canon USA.
BAL's belief in the power of words to enable self-expression and empowerment is embodied in this moving community-wide poem that speaks to the artistry, power and bravery of our students.
A central tenet of our school's mission is to enable our students to avail themselves of every opportunity presented to them. Please enjoy this informative video in which our students get to experiment with news production and presentation.