A Joyful Beginning: Building on the Promise of What’s Possible
What a New School Year—and a New School—Teach Us About Possibility
The start of a school year always carries joy and anticipation. As a child, I loved the excitement of fresh supplies, reconnecting with friends, and imagining what the year ahead might hold. That same sense of hope is alive today as 200,000 Philadelphia students and 12,000 teachers begin this new school year. It’s the kind of excitement our city should hold onto all year, as we work to ensure every school delivers a high-quality experience.
This sense of wonder was evident at last week’s unveiling of a new school in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia. Esperanza Academy Charter School opened a brand-new, intentionally designed elementary school building, which will complement the existing high school. For more than 25 years, Esperanza’s founders, Revs. Danny and Luis Cortes, dreamed of building a cradle-to-career education system for the children of their community.
That dream is now reality. With the ribbon-cutting of Esperanza’s new elementary school, 750 children can now access a state-of-the-art building filled with possibility, joining more than 2,200 students served by the full K–12 continuum. Walking through the hallways, you can feel the intentionality—flexible classrooms, spaces for arts and sciences, integrated technology, and cultural pride reflected in every corner. As Dr. Evelyn Nuñez, Esperanza’s CEO, put it: “This school was built on respect—respect for our students as learners, for their culture, and for their community.”
At Elevate 215, we were proud to invest $1.5 million in this vision back in 2021, and we can now see that investment come to life. Esperanza is not only providing a modern, high-quality education—it is modeling what’s possible when leaders, partners, and communities come together with focus and determination. It reminds us that barriers can be overcome, and that schools can be places where children discover their passions, feel they belong, and prepare for a future filled with opportunity.
As we start this school year, Elevate 215 embraces this same spirit of vision and excitement about what is possible for children. Across our city, 14 grantee schools are serving nearly 8,000 students with the support of $5.6 million in investments. These schools, like Esperanza, are proof points that high-quality education is not a dream—it’s happening right here in Philadelphia when we support strong leadership, evidence-based practices, and student-centered design.
Our challenge—and our opportunity—is to ensure these stories of excellence are not the exception, but the standard. Every child, no matter their ZIP code, deserves a school that strengthens learning, honors identity, and prepares them for life.
So as we celebrate the joy of this new school year, let’s also recommit ourselves to the adult-level work required to remove barriers and build lasting change. Our children should not have to wait. Together, let’s create more “Esperanza moments” across our city—moments where schools become symbols of possibility, pride, and progress for our students and families.
