When I first met Brian Pawloski, he was looking to buy the house next to me. While he did not end up buying the house, I did get to chat with him long enough to be impressed with a project that he was working on. At the time, a few years back now, he told me that he was going to start a charter school that was unprecedented in Buffalo. He said that he was devoting himself to create a charter school that would buck all of the educational trends in the city, by building an institution that was based on an extended school day and year, along with providing the tools that each students requires to position them primely for a higher educational experience.
Earlier this morning, I received and email from Buffalo Collegiate Charter School (BCCS), announcing that it was hosting an Open House. So I decided to give Brian a call, who is now Head of School. Brian invited me to stop by to take some photos and discuss his vision for the school, which opened its doors in August of 2018.
Introducing Buffalo’s newest and most ambitious charter school focusing on college prep and leadership development.
Brian told me that his goals for the school are for students to graduate and move on to the college of their choice. Beyond that, he said that the students are prepared to serve as the next generation of leaders. “Buffalo Collegiate Charter School was two years in the making,” he said. “During that time, I toured the country for 7 months as part of The Fellowship | Building Excellent Schools curriculum. I joined 19 others who were looking to create progressive schools all over the country. We received funds from the Cullen Foundation, which funded the start of this school.”
Currently, there are 110 4th and 5th graders enrolled at BCCS. Pawloski said that it was a huge lift getting situated in 27,000 square feet of the formerly vacant building (1st and 2nd floor), located at 45 Jewett Avenue, directly across the street from the Tri-Main building.
Pawloski told me that the refurbished building will house the school (chartered for K-12) for the next 5 years, upon which time he anticipates growing out of the two story space (after incorporating 9th grade). Next year they are adding a 6th grade class, with more classes added with each passing year.
Pawloski is outwardly excited about the growing pace of the school, but he’s more excited with immediate incremental achievements. “We have had a pretty remarkable year to date,” he mentioned. “30 of our students already hit their year end goals in reading by the end of February. Those are the types of results that we will be pushing for from our students in years to come. These students are here to roll up their sleeves, along with the parents that support them along the journey. Our teachers have come from Buffalo and all over the country – we have an amazing team that we’re working with at the moment.”
Now, Pawloski invites parents interested in the school to come take a closer look. “We look forward to celebrating with our founding families and meeting our future families. Join us for a pancake breakfast. This will be a great opportunity to check out our environment before applying to our admissions lottery. We have openings for grades 4-6 and application deadline is April 1.”
Apply now at www.BuffaloCollegiate.org.
“Visit Buffalo Collegiate Charter School this Saturday, March 23, 2019, from 10 am to 1pm for a FREE pancake breakfast and open house. Our open house will be a time where prospective students can meet our current families and staff, tour our newly remodeled facility and see what a day in the life of a Buffalo Collegiate Charter School student is really like. Parents and students will get a chance to learn more about our unique academic program. If you would like to attend our open house, visit our website at www.BuffaloCollegiate.org to register, walk-ins are also welcome!” – Jordan Daniels, Operations Fellow, Community Outreach Coordinator
[smart-grid]