Dear familia,

I've always known our faculty and staff to be willing to do whatever it takes to educate our students, but I never imagined they would have to prove it so many times in a single month: Cycling to our south Bronx school from Times Square in post-hurricane flooding, responding in stride to evolving guidance from the Departments of Education and Health, slowly but surely reacclimating their students to full-time in-class learning following the strangest and most challenging school-year ever (at least to-date). If what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, consider our teachers and staff to be muscle-bound superheroes.

Below you'll find a photo sure to make you smile, a glimpse into our school "by the numbers," and a mini-profile of a founding faculty member who embodies "whatever it takes." You'll also find a call for candidates for our growing advisory board.

Happy fall,

Melissa Melkonian
Founder and Head of School
First Week Photo: 8th Grade Team-Building in the Treetops
Faculty Spotlight: Eddie Jimenez
Director of Student and Family Success
Every year, Eddie Jimenez walks at least one student to school. It could be for a week or it could be for three straight months that a student needs extra motivation to get out the door and finds Jimenez there waiting, every weekday at 6:55am. According to Jimenez, he’s not doing anything the parents can’t do themselves, only, “Students show up when they see the school wants that badly for them to have an education.” His whatever-it-takes, holistic approach to student success has put him near the center of every evolution of The American Dream School (ADS).

Jimenez grew up in Dyckman, a section of Washington Heights, the child of parents who emigrated separately from the Dominican Republic and met in New York. Jimenez was an English Language Learner and, following his older sister, the second person in his family ever to go to college.

His first role at ADS was as an outreach coordinator, recruiting students to the very first class. He and colleagues spoke with families in front of laundromats and as they left Sunday Mass, and held open houses in the public library because ADS did not yet have a building. When the school opened, Jimenez focused on school culture including everything from the music playing at the school entrance to the transitions between classrooms to teaching students how to tie neckties--all with a focus on “creating a community where kids wanted to be,” he says. He was eventually promoted to Middle School Dean of Students.

Last year, as ADS graduated its first-ever senior class, creating its first-ever alumni, Jimenez took on the newly created role of Director of Student and Family Success, which includes alumni relations. He began this past summer by creating a game-plan for every graduate. In August, he personally drove four alumni to college, helping two to set up their rooms and then go shopping for additional dorm room supplies.

Looking ahead, Jimenez is excited to be part of the entire college process for this year’s senior class, and is already anticipating their needs as they head to college next August.
Call for Dream Higher (Ed) Advisory Board Candidates!
The American Dream School's Dream Higher (Ed) Advisory Board is expanding and seeking additional volunteer leaders! The mission of the advisory board is "To support the preparedness of American Dream School 11th and 12th grade students to attend and succeed in higher education."

Advisory board members meet monthly virtually for special updates from school leadership and guest speakers. They also collaborate on project-based committees, creating meaningful professional and personal development opportunities for ADS students and alumni, nearly all of whom are first-generation-American and first in their families to attend college.

We ask that interested candidates please e-mail Robbie Brenner at rbrenner@theamericandreamschool.org and include "Advisory Board" in the subject line.

Thank you to Advisory Board Member Teresa Hernandez for her piece in Latin Biz Today.
Our Mission: The American Dream School develops academic excellence in both Spanish and English for grades 6-12, preparing students to excel in college and become leaders in their communities.