Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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I N - D E P T H 58 SEPTEMBER 2019 and have that little spot of safety at a time when your body's changing and it can feel really scary," she says. Esperanza Academy serves just 60 students—15 per grade—in grades five through eight, and educates them in the Episcopal tradition. It opened in 2006 thanks to a partnership between Christ Church of Andover and Grace Church of Lawrence. "It was founded at a time when Lawrence and Andover had the largest wealth disparity gap out of any two neighboring towns in the country," Taveras notes. Indeed, Lawrence and Andover's proximity to one another offers a stark snapshot of America's income inequality crisis, which rears its head in many ways, including in a students' educational experience. Taveras offers one potent example: hunger and food insecurity. "We often forget about the importance of food and nutrition in poverty," Taveras says. "If a kid is not eating well or not getting the proper nutrition right before a school day starts, we know that that has a direct correlation with attention and behavior." Perhaps a child's gnawing hunger results in disruptive behavior, and she's continually disciplined for acting out. That kid gets labeled—class clown, troublemaker—and those labels follow her through school. "There's a narrative attached to the child that the child starts to believe: I'm a bad student." Taveras says. "It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that can oftentimes limit the child's ability to succeed. And all of those are sys- temic issues that are underlying what's happening." Eventually, the child risks undereducation and underemployment in her own adulthood, and the whole cycle starts again. That's why Esperanza Academy's overall vision is about breaking that cycle. "It isn't about a particular job, a particular career path, or college," Taveras says. "It's about disrupting the cycle of poverty of families. And that happens by giving the opportunities to kids to succeed in whatever way that is right for them so their children grow up differently than they did." Instead of punishing a child for circumstances outside their control, Esperanza is sensitive to the "whole child," and offers an extensive support system. For instance, the kids eat a snack right when they arrive in the morning, and Esperanza's chef makes delicious and creative breakfasts and lunches. Esperanza's extended-day format (7:30 a.m.- Jadi Taveras is the head of the school. Opposite page, Viviana Cordero Garcia is the head of director of graduate support. Independent Eyewear at its Best Eyephoria Optical Beautiful . Unique . Chic Eyewear and Accessories Eyephoria Optical also offers comprehensive eye exams on state-of-the- art equipment. Our HD retinal imaging allows a thorough exam without the added time and blurred vision of dilation drops. Schedule your appointment today. 100L Cummings Center,104K Beverly, MA |978.338.5558| eyephoriaoptical.com Independent Eyewear at its Best Eyephoria Optical Beautiful . Unique . Chic Eyewear and Accessories Eyephoria Optical also offers comprehensive eye exams on state-of-the- art equipment. Our HD retinal imaging allows a thorough exam without the added time and blurred vision of dilation drops. Schedule your appointment today. 100L Cummings Center,104K Beverly, MA |978.338.5558| eyephoriaoptical.com 156 S. Main Street, Middleton, MA | 978.774.5450 Richardson's Farm is where happy cows make our milk and we craft our high-quality ice cream. Visit the farm and see for yourself. w w w. r i c h a r d s o n s i c e c r e a m . c o m