The Bronx Academy of Letters
Client: Bronx Letters Foundation
About the Project
This was our first project with Bronx Letters (BAL) and the beginning of a long, wonderful relationship. Our goal was to answer the question: What makes the Bronx Academy of Letters unique? This resulting video is an overview of the school, including voices from students and staff, the difficulties BAL faces and how it rises to the challenge. The video debuted at the Bronx Letters Foundation’s annual gala, but was designed so the first minute could stand alone on their website following the event.
Bronx Letters
The Bronx Academy of Letters (BAL) is a middle and high school located in the South Bronx, New York. A self-described “community school,” when you ask students how they would define it, the same word comes up again and again — “home.”
Bronx Letters has created a uniquely supportive environment for students who often face great challenges outside the school walls. BAL is located in the heart of the “poorest congressional district in the country” (a true, but reductive, common trope that both students and faculty both smart at), which means resources are scarce even though needs are immense. To address this, the school was founded on a unique model: In addition to standard (insufficient) support from the school system, BAL has a non-profit arm — The Bronx Letters Foundation -- that raises funds to provide the unique programming and experiences that help BAL students succeed.
Our relationship with Bronx Letters has been a special collaboration. Through years of working together, we have had the opportunity to see middle schoolers become college students, shy high school freshmen become mentors and performers as seniors. Each new project we have embarked on has highlighted a different aspect of this unique school, and we can’t wait to dive into the next one.
More Bronx Letters Videos
Previous Collaborations
