Our School Community

We are a community that celebrates vision.  The famous American poet Edgar Allan Poe resided in the Bronx, and in his celebrated poem “The Raven,” he wrote the words which have become our motto: “dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” Such were the dreams that led our founders to create our school, and in their honor, we encourage our students to pursue their passions boldly both inside and outside of the classroom, and to be visionaries themselves, charting their own paths in life.

We are a community that celebrates expression. A man or woman of “letters” is one who can express him or herself clearly and who understands the power of language. Our dedication to “letters” has led to the development of our Writers-in-Residence and Writer’s Forum programs, which bring professional writers to the school to teach, read their work, and give feedback to our own student writers. At Letters, whether in the newspaper, literary magazine, classroom, team meeting, hallways, or assemblies, we will always encourage you to speak up and be heard.

We are a community that celebrates tenacity. To keep Mr. Poe’s words top of mind, we adopted the Raven as our school mascot.  And at Letters we encourage everyone – students and staff alike – to not only dream boldly but to invest in those dreams the hard work that will make them a reality. Whether in the classroom, on the field, in your many extracurricular activities or summer adventures, hold fast to your dreams and work your hardest to make them a reality. Your tenacity will make those dreams a reality.

We are a community that celebrates inquiry. Oftentimes, the most exciting adventures begin with simple curiosity. At Letters, students have the opportunity to take college level (AP) and honors classes, join exciting clubs, and connect to New York City in new ways by exploring its major companies and rich cultural history. Most exciting of all, our full-time student enrichment team helps students take advantage of opportunities to study at prestigious universities and travel to far-off places like London, Thailand, Senegal, and Perú. In addition to leading and joining students in this work, teachers work in grade, department, and inquiry teams to refine and strengthen our curriculum and investigate research questions that improve our practice.

We are a community that celebrates integrity. As a school, we take seriously our commitment to the South Bronx community we represent: a community rich with culture and history that has produced countless artists, writers, politicians, judges, doctors, and lawyers, all of whom pay respect to their roots in this wonderful place. Whether you’re a student or a staff member, at Bronx Letters, we encourage you to stay true to your values and principles because you are important, and you represent a school and a community with a grand history.

We are a community that celebrates compassion. We believe that it is not only important for you to respect yourself, but also to respect others and what they represent. We are a diverse community with roots in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. We embrace many different faiths and we each have our own way of speaking, our own style, and our own interests. At Bronx Letters, we learn from each other and celebrate our differences, striving to create an environment of inclusiveness, fairness, justice, and compassion. We reject behavior that threatens the dignity of others, and we reach out to each other and to our communities in the spirit of unity.

BAL Code of Conduct

I have vision. I set long-term goals and work daily to reach them. I push myself to always do my best work.  I challenge myself to take risks and improve myself as a person. I set a positive example for others and represent myself and my community.

I display inquiry by actively participating and asking relevant questions. I seek help when I don’t understand something and offer help to others. I am focused on the task at hand and giving the work my complete attention.

I have tenacity. I rise to a challenge and don’t give up on things that are difficult for me. I approach conflict with the goal of resolving it peacefully and learning from it.  I accept responsibility for my successes and mistakes.

I have expression. I share my ideas, my opinions, and my questions with others.  I work hard to learn new words and practice new art forms that will help me communicate with others.  Because I know that my words and actions reflect upon myself, my family, and my community, I always present my best self, through my speech, tone, and body language. 

I have compassion. I pay attention to how the people around me feel and what they need, and I help others whenever I can.  I look out for how my words or actions affect others, and try to avoid causing harm to others at all times.  I believe the best about others – adults and kids alike – and I respect their differences from me.  I solve my problems through discussion or mediation, and not through violence.  I do not bully, harass, or intimidate anyone in our school community, and I discourage others from doing so.

I have integrity. I try always to make the right decision even when no one is looking, to tell the truth even when it’s hard, and to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular.   I come to school on time, prepared, ready to work everyday. All the work I present is my own and I encourage other students to do the same.  I keep my promise to respect the BAL community by following its rules.

What we expect…

In order for all of our students to achieve to their highest potential, we hold these expectations:

BAL Students will:

• come to school each day, on time, wearing your BAL uniform;
• set goals and work to achieve them;
• work hard to complete all of your schoolwork all of the time;
• listen to and follow directions;
• ask questions when you do not understand something;
• offer help when you see that help is needed;
• show respect to every member of the BAL community; and
• conduct yourself in a way that makes you, your family, and your community proud.

BAL Parents/Guardians will:

• ensure that your child arrives to school each day on time wearing the BAL uniform;
• check that your child has completed his/her homework each day;
• maintain regular contact with your child’s teachers and advisors;
• monitor your child’s academic progress throughout the year; and
• talk to your children often about their goals and how they can achieve them.

BAL Faculty will:

• come to school each day prepared to engage students in challenging lessons;
• develop a strong understanding of the academic and social needs of each student;
• provide all students with the support they need to be successful, both inside and outside of class;
• keep parents informed about their child’s academic and social progress; and
• model BAL core values in all you say and do.