In one of the poorest neighborhood’s in New York you’ll find one of the richest approaches to education, learning and communicating at St. Ignatius. Located in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx, which is the poorest congressional district in the United States, the school faces an enormous challenge in serving an area that also tops the list of American neighborhoods where children are most at-risk. However, combined with the rigorous and fully integrated Summer Leadership Program in Lake Placid, the school is making a significant and measurable difference in the lives of deserving boys and girls.

Much like the original Nativity Mission Center, Saint Ignatius School grew out of the grassroots efforts of Jesuits and their lay supporters to provide social services and act as youth advocates. In an area long known for failing public schools, the rare opportunities that a Nativity-model middle school could provide were clear, and Saint Ignatius School formally opened in 1995.

Boys in grades six through eight were the first to attend Saint Ignatius School. However, conversations with the students’ parents and a focused feasibility study revealed that Hunts Point desperately needed quality educational opportunities for both boys and girls. As a result, in 2004 St. Ignatius welcomed the first class of girls.

Take a deeper look into the Nativity Summer Camp Model experience by checking out SIS’s recent feature in the Summer 2024 issue of JESUITS magazine.

To learn more about St. Ignatius, go to www.sis-nativity.org.