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Mission Statement
The Nativity School of Harrisburg, an independent middle
school for boys of low-income families from the city of Harrisburg,
covenants with each family to provide a comprehensive holistic education to
students who otherwise would not have access to such an education.
Following the principles of the NativityMiguel Network of schools throughout
the United States, Nativity-Harrisburg provides a rigorous academic program
while focusing on the personal, moral, spiritual and social development of
each student. Small classes and individual attention encourage each student
to reach his full potential in a structured and nurturing environment.
The Judeo Christian values which have inspired the Nativity
model include a respect for the dignity and worth of each person, a
responsibility to assist the poor and those in need, a strong sense of
community within the one family of God, and the obligation to promote a
society characterized by social justice. The Nativity School of Harrisburg
embraces students and families of all faiths, races and cultures.
On September 4, 2001,
the vision of an independent middle school for low-income boys from the
City of Harrisburg became a reality as The Nativity School of Harrisburg
welcomed its first class of students. Prominent local professionals and
the Joshua Group, an inner-city youth development program in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, shared the dream of increasing opportunity through
education. Together, they collaborated to build a community of hope in
the poorest area of the city, where the dropout rate in 2001 was nearly
75 percent. The promise of a school that specifically targets students
most in need, those most at-risk, was kept with the birth of a
NativityMiguel model school.
On September 4, 2001,
Nativity-Harrisburg welcomed nine students as members of its first sixth
grade class. Carole Cheney, Founding Head Teacher, and Kirk Hallett,
Acting Director, greeted each student at the door of the classroom,
which was transformed into Nativity-Harrisburg’s one-room schoolhouse
and the setting for the adventure that lay ahead.
Six Years
of Growth & Success
Nativity-Harrisburg
quickly outgrew its “one-room schoolhouse” and moved to the Education
Building of St. Francis of Assisi Church at 1453 Zarker Street. One
class of sixth graders expanded to nearly three dozen boys in 6th,
7th & 8th grades – and dozens of graduates
attending Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg High School,
Harrisburg SciTech High, Harrisburg Academy, and the Milton Hershey
School. The staff of two grew to include full-time teachers for each
grade, intern teachers, and volunteers. Building on core NativityMiguel
Network principles, the extended school day helped the boys develop
skills and improve their classroom performance, and the already extended
school year grew to include several weeks of overnight camp.
Nativity-Harrisburg’s
Seventh School Year begins on August 13, 2007, with two weeks of
sleepover camp at Camp Shikellimy in northern Dauphin County. Summer
Leadership Camp includes refresher lessons in math and reading,
participation in environmental education exercises, a range of athletic
and recreational activities, and work on leadership and
character-building. On-campus classes resume on Wednesday, September 5,
2007.
The Nativity School
of Harrisburg is a private, independent, faith-based, non-denominational
preparatory middle school. We are the only NativityMiguel Network
School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We are NOT a charter school, not a
parochial school, and not a behavior-alternative school.
Read more in the March
Newsletter..........
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We nurture character and
faith.
We
celebrate manners, morals, creativity and compassion.
We
recognize the dignity and worth of each individual.
We honor hard work
and achievement.
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