Springfield, MA, – Academic rigor is part of the experience at Baystate Academy. Classes are challenging and teachers hold students to very high standards. For the class of 2021, three young women have exceeded expectations and earned the highest honor conferred by the school – to be named co-valedictorians and salutatorians for their class.
Araby’ha Rankin and Kimberly Brown have been students at Baystate Academy since the 6th grade, Khadijah Parkes joined the school in the 9th grade, and they have all evolved over their time here to embody the character, care, discipline, and leadership traits instilled by teachers and staff at the school. Ms. Rankin and Ms. Parkes have both been named co-valedictorians, with identical GPAs and achievements, and Ms. Brown, salutatorian. All three will be honored during the graduation ceremony for the school to be held at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield on June 5th.
These three young ladies connected with each other in “crew”. “Crew” is built into the curriculum at the school and is designed to provide students with time to connect with teachers and get the guidance and support they may need, and often just to share and build relationships. Small groups of teachers and students meet during crew time every day to support and encourage each other, hold each other accountable, and be actively invested in each other’s success.
Ms. Marilyn Sanchez, language and culture instructor at Baystate Academy, is the teacher who led the crew for the top scholars. She sees each of these young women as part of her own family. They often connect outside of school hours and she wells with pride when she speaks of her three students and their accomplishments. The students see Ms. Sanchez as a second Mom and credit her with encouraging them to aspire to excellence.
Ms. Rankin, Ms. Parkes, and Ms. Brown all expressed that they were nervous about starting at the school because it was a new step for each of them and they knew that it would be hard work. By the end of the first year, nerves were nurtured into a healthy competition between the three that carried them to consistent success at the school.
Ms. Rankin is a gifted writer with a great ability to express herself through poems and prose, written or verbally. Her confidence has grown through her experience at Baystate Academy, and she has also developed a passion for helping others. She will take her analytical mind, dedication to service, and talent for self-expression to Salem State University where she will pursue a degree in nursing and explore how she can combine her knowledge with her passion for writing.
Ms. Parkes is visually creative and particularly interested in interior design. She has excelled at all subjects, particularly math, and will apply her work ethic and creativity towards a degree in graphic design from Bay Path University.
Ms. Brown is particularly grateful for the community she built at Baystate Academy because she moved here from Jamaica in 2015. She was unsure of what to expect as a student here but was pleasantly surprised with the academic challenge, culture, and support she received at Baystate Academy that helped her to grow and thrive. She will be pursuing a degree in nursing from American International College.
Among a very diverse student body, who are all hard-working and dedicated to achieving success, Araby’ha Rankin, Kadijah Parkes, and Kimberly Brown have risen to the top and proven that they are strong, capable young women who will be the leaders of tomorrow.
Baystate Academy Charter Public School is a COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL that provides an interdisciplinary curriculum with enriched experiences in HEALTH SCIENCES. We commit to providing a culture that results in high-achieving students with the character, habits of scholarship and ethical foundation to be inspired leaders in our changing world.
