Every senior who graduated from the National Academy Foundation this year received acceptance letters from at least two colleges, said Director Charelle James.
Students at the grant-funded public school, on Covington Street in Federal Hill, work with employers leading three major local industries: finance, information technology, and hospitality and tourism.
“We couldn?t ask for a better location. Baltimore is the hub,” James said. “We have direct access to industry professionals that understand the best thing for their companies is to invest in students who will, in turn, reward their companies with their knowledge and efforts after they graduate. These companies see the big picture.”
NAF students learn the skills they will use in their future careers by shadowing professionals, working as paid interns, listening to guest lecturers and participating in field trips directly aligned with their career goals.
“We have partnerships ? in the truest sense of the word ? with companies such as Holiday Inn Inner Harbor, Harbor Bank of Maryland and Citifinancial,” said James.
In addition to work-based lessons, students take traditional high school classes such as science, math and social studies, and undergo the trials intrinsic to being a teen.
School begins each day with a reminder that “all shirts must be tucked in,” says Stephen Hayward, a freshman in the Hospitality and Tourism track. The polite and energetic 15-year-old understands the strict uniform policy “teaches it?s important to look presentable in the business world.” Students wear business attire in place of their regular uniforms every Monday from October through May.
Through grants, the school provides a laptop for each teacher, four computer-equipped classrooms and a state-of-the-art, new kitchen for students in the Hospitality and Tourism department.
“When they leave me,” explains Wendy Parker Robinson, Hospitality and Tourism Director, “they know the ins and outs of the restaurant business, various cultures? cuisines, and many different food preparation techniques.”
Directors and board members will open the kitchen later this fall in a ribbon-cutting ceremony once they are recover from planning the Academy of Hospitality, Tourism and Industry Awards, tonight at the Baltimore Marriot Waterfront.
The event recognizes outstanding leaders who support students in their industries and benefits NAF students.
For more information about the awards ceremony and the local National Academy Foundation High School, visit www.nafbaltimore.org.
At a glance
The National Academy Foundation is a part of a nationwide network of career academies founded by Sandy Weill, former CEO of Citigroup.
» Principal: Ronnel Carey
» Director: Charelle James
» Students: 316
» Opened: 2002
» Grades: 9-12
