Ribbon-Cutting Held For Hoboken Charter School's High School

Hoboken NJ

26 March, 2021

6:07 PM

Description

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Charter School's long-term plan to build a single, permanent home for its K-12 program was tested by a fire, superstorm, and pandemic relocations, but has finally come to fruition with the opening of its brand-new high school building at 711 Washington St. The plans included connecting it to the adjacent Hoboken Charter lower and middle school facility at 713 Washington St. David White StudioLocal leaders cut the ribbon this week on the renovated property, a four-story, former residential building purchased by The Friends of Hoboken Charter School, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. In August 2019, The Friends initiated a renovation and modernization of the building to convert it to educational space. The project, carried out with input from the Hoboken Historical Commission, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and community leaders, included preserving the building's original façade and connecting it to the adjacent Hoboken Charter lower and middle school facility at 713 Washington St. through glass-enclosed bridges and a cantilevered external stair system. "It's a thrilling moment to finally and fully realize two key aspects of our original vision for the Hoboken Charter School," said Mark Silberberg, one of the founders of Hoboken Charter School. "The first is the creation of a single campus for the K-12 community. The second is a mission-aligned learning space for our high school students. We have always believed in the power of a multi-age learning community and now all of our students and teachers will benefit from hard work and dedication that has gone into realizing this dream." Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said, "I am so happy to see this vibrant public high school program finally have permanent space to continue to fulfill its mission of social justice and service-learning. Over the past years, I have personally seen the benefit HCS Upper School has brought to the community in providing a small, personalized program with a unique mission." "Hoboken Charter School provides a 13-year mission-driven experience through which students engage in learning experiences, grounded in principles of social justice education and service-learning," said school Director Deirdra Grode. "With the opening of this modern shared campus, the transition from one division to the next will be more fluid allowing for deeper learning, and our ability to engage all of our students in rich and meaningful inter-age experiences will be enhanced." She added, "We designed the new upper school space to enhance personalized and active learning opportunities as we prepare our students to bring who they are to the program, find their areas of passion, and depart HCS with a commitment and the skills to be agents of powerful change in their community and the world." Through fire and rain The plan to create a permanent home for Hoboken Charter School's K-12 program was met with several hurdles. The school endured a fire that swept through the newly acquired and renovated 713 Washington St. building during the second day of the 2012 school year, severely damaging the building and necessitating the relocation of the school's K-8th grade program to a temporary facility in Jersey City. A virtual gutting of the building and an all-encompassing renovation effort — funded largely through financial donations and sweat equity from community residents and businesses — yielded a more modern and safer building. Hoboken Charter's high school was also forced to relocate multiple times when its lease was not renewed, further emphasizing the need for a permanent home and the stability that comes with owning and controlling the property. About Hoboken Charter School The Hoboken Charter School is a K-12 community of learners that seeks to develop theacademic, artistic, personal, and civic growth of all its members through its commitment toservice learning and learner-centered education. The school was among New Jersey's first group of charter schools founded in the 1990s. In 2007, it was named the National Charter School of the Year by The Center for Education Reform, one of only two schools recognized in New Jersey and one of 53 recognized in the nation. The school is well-known for introducing students to civic outreach, ranging from feeding the homeless locally to helping to bring clean water to villages in Africa. For more information, visit the school's website at www.HobokenCS.org. 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