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2009: Rising Star Religious Middle School

Living Their Faith
Attention to detail powers St. John’s academic success

Some schools are merely based in a community. Others, like the St. John’s School in the northwest Bronx, make community an integral part of a student’s education and personal development.

Over the next few weeks, middle schoolers at St. John’s will buy Thanksgiving turkeys for local families in need and purchase holiday gifts for residents of a nearby senior center. During October, students were permitted to “dress down” for the school day in exchange for a $2 donation, with all proceeds supporting breast cancer awareness.

“We do everything we can to remember the less fortunate, and perform many little acts of kindness,” said Principal Raymond Vitiello. “It means as much to me as how the kids do on their exams. They need to learn to live their faith.”

Vitiello, in his seventh year as principal, values discipline and respect.

“We’re a traditional Catholic school. That’s what we’re all about. We try to set forth good morals, and promote ethical decisions,” he said.

His message to students: “You have to give respect in order to attain it.”

St. John’s, which also includes an elementary and pre-K program, admits somewhere between 25 and 30 students at each grade level.

“It gives us the opportunity to know each student, get to know their learning styles, and how we can relate to them,” Vitiello said. “It is a very closely-knit school.”

In the younger grades, teachers send curriculum materials, or “test packets,” home to parents every week. The comprehensive engagement with families is an integral part of the St. John’s experience, says Vitiello, who personally reviews the packets.

This attention to detail has paid off. Last year, all of St. John’s 4th and 8th graders passed the state’s math and English language arts exams, and Vitiello says he hopes for continued success this coming spring.

Most of the students in the 2009 graduating class continued on to one of the city’s many Catholic high schools, with a couple selecting specialized public institutions, like the High School of Art & Design.

Still, more than just academics are at play there. The school’s daily after-care program, which runs until 6 p.m., provides a safe learning and recreational environment for students of working parents.

St. John’s, just like its accompanying church parish, is intent on meeting the needs of its community. Vitiello says the majority of his students come from the immediate area, neighborhoods like Kingsbridge and Riverdale, and he estimates that 85 percent of the student body is Latino.

“We are very happy with the school,” said Carmen Hernandez, a member of the St. John’s Church, whose 8th-grade son has been educated here since the age of 4.

Hernandez is originally from Peru, where she found educational programs to be both rigorous and challenging; she set the bar high when selecting St. John’s.

“They teach you respect and beliefs. They make you a better person,” she said, adding that students emerge with a greater understanding of the many ethnicities and socio-economic groups of the Bronx.

“Teachers are very concerned about the students,” she added.

Her son, Carlos, has developed a particular interest in the sciences, thanks to an inspiring instructor and a well-equipped laboratory.

The Spanish program, which starts as early as the 1st grade, is also highly developed, according to Vitiello, who previously taught both Spanish and health sciences.

While many students grow up in bilingual households, he explained, their Spanish grammar and writing skills often need help.

“We bring it to another level,” he said.

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St. John’s School
3143 Kingsbridge Ave.
Bronx, N.Y. 10463
718-548-0255
Raymond Vitiello, Principal
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— Brian Levinson