When my daughter, Sofia, started third grade earlier this year at Success Academy Bensonhurst, I was nervous. Third grade — that means the start of state testing. And while I knew that Success Academy scholars generally do very well on these tests, I was concerned that “test prep” was all she would get out of […]

With 112 chronically underutilized school buildings and a total of 65,000 empty seats available — parents are asking why is the city taking so long to find space for Success Academy middle schoolers. District families know what their middle school options are — why are Success parents treated differently?

If you had dropped by Success Academy Bensonhurst last Wednesday, you would have been in for quite a treat: Music, dance — and even magic tricks — from countries like China, Georgia, and Russia filled the auditorium during our school’s first ever Multicultural Week Talent Show.

It’s easy to put down a book after finishing the last page, but a great book like the one our school read can open up many possibilities and bring people closer together.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Success Academy Bensonhurst principal Jonathan Dant opened the school doors at 7:15 a.m. to greet scholars as usual, only to be surprised by a large crowd of families and scholars singing “Happy Birthday” and wearing outfits that looked, well, a little familiar.

I am the parent of a kindergarten scholar who attends Success Academy in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When my daughter started, she did not know any English since we only speak Spanish at home. I was so worried about this because I thought she would stay behind due to her poor language. But no, she did not; her teachers really took the time and worked very hard with her.

My daughter, Miah, attends Success Academy Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, and I had ample opportunity to decline my seat to the academy if I felt like it was going to be too much. The discipline of the school is well needed for schools and, truthfully, it’s NOTHING different from how I raise my daughter. My expectations of her effort, knowledge, and determination are on the same level as that of Success Academy.

Recently, The New York Times published an article about Success Academy, and it left me with a heavy heart. Success Academy is known for its joyful rigor, but the Times reporter described only the “rigor.” So I felt that I had to share my family’s experience and talk about the “joyful” part.