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A Cup of Three C Tea

A taste of the Inwood Academy's focus on community-focused leadership, character development, and college preparedness.

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Where Culture Meets Belonging: Celebrating Our Roots at Inwood Academy

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

What happens when you bring together generations of family recipes, vibrant cultural traditions, and talented student performers? As a result, an unforgettable celebration of culture, connection, and community! On Thursday, October 8, 2026, Inwood Academy for Leadership’s Middle School Gymnasium was filled with the sights, sounds, and flavors of Hispanic Heritage Month as families, students, […]

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30 Inwood Academy Students Enter High School Ahead of the Game

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

30 Inwood Academy Students Enter High School Ahead of the Game Nearly three-quarters of Inwood Academy’s 8th-grade students passed at least one Regents exam before entering 9th grade. For 30 Inwood Academy Trailblazers, the first day of high school will begin with an impressive head start. Before officially entering the 9th grade, these students successfully […]

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Help Our Trailblazers Bring History to Life this Giving Tuesday

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

At Inwood Academy for Leadership, we believe that learning shouldn’t be limited to the classroom. True understanding happens when students can see, touch, and experience the very places where history was made. This year, we’re inviting our community to help us make that possible. We are raising funds to provide our students with experiential learning […]

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Inwood Academy Launches “Neighbors Nourish Neighbors” Food Drive to Support Families Affected by the Government Shutdown

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School ana.gonzalez@ialcs.org (646) 319 – 9581 Inwood Academy Launches “Neighbors Nourish Neighbors” Food Drive to Support Families Affected by the Government Shutdown When our neighbors face hunger, we answer with hope. NEW YORK, NY — November 3, 2025  In […]

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Taste, Tradition, and Togetherness: Inside IAL’s Most Heartwarming Event

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

At Inwood Academy for Leadership (IAL), our mission is to empower students to be agents of change through community-focused leadership, character development, and college and career readiness. Few experiences activate that vision more profoundly—or memorably—than our annual Roots and Recipes Contest. This year’s event didn’t just bring people together; it created lasting emotional moments that […]

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From Backpacks to Big Dreams: Mama Lela’s House and Nelson Estevez Inspire IAL Scholars

By: Ana Gonzalez, Director of Marketing

From Backpacks to Big Dreams: Mama Lela’s House and Nelson Estevez Inspire IAL Scholars The first days of school are filled with energy, anticipation, and the promise of new opportunities. This year, our  middle school Trailblazers started their journey with more than fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils—they began with a reminder that their community believes […]

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Empowering Community: A Recap of Inwood Academy’s Week of Service

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Manager

At Inwood Academy for Leadership, we believe in the power of service to transform communities and instill a sense of purpose in our students. Our mission is to empower students to become agents for change through community-focused leadership, character development, and college preparedness. One of the ways we  empower our trailblazers is through our annual […]

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Innovative Approach to College and Career Exploration at Inwood Academy

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Manager

Inwood Academy for Leadership and CARA Forge a Transformative Partnership We are thrilled to share the exciting news of a groundbreaking partnership between Inwood Academy for Leadership High School and CARA, uniting forces to enhance college access for first-generation college students, low-income students, and students of color. This collaboration comes at a crucial time when […]

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Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School achieves Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools

By: Ana Gonzalez , Marketing Manager

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School achieves Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools New York, NY, [December 5, 2024] – Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School is pleased to announce the achievement of Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools. Level 1 certification means Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter […]

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Where Are They Now? Aaliyah Randle, Class of 2019

By: Sarabeth Weszely Thorson, Writer

Aaliyah Randle is a 2019 graduate of Inwood Academy and will graduate from Stony Brook University (her first choice school!) with a bachelor’s in marketing this spring. She had her first marketing internship with Wandering Bear last summer and is now interning with our College & Career Success team. As part of her marketing work […]

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Where Are They Now: Gabriel Carpio, Class of 2018

By: Sarabeth Weszely Thorson, Writer

We work hard to keep close connections with our alumni, not only so that we can support them along their educational and career journeys, but also because their journeys are one of our greatest inspirations as we continue investing in the lives of future leaders each year. This month we spoke with an alum from […]

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Alumni Week 2023 Was Our Best Yet!

By: Sarabeth Weszely Thorson, Writer

At the beginning of each new year, we host Alumni Weeks for our Middle School and High School students, where professionals across many fields join Inwood Academy alumni to speak with our students and answer questions about college and career paths. This year was our most robust yet with over a dozen alumni participating via […]

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Where Are They Now: Agapito José Pozo, Class of 2020

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Manager

“I don’t want myself to just be a statistic. I don’t want to be one of the few that make it to a nice college. I don’t want to be one of the few that succeed. I want to be one of the many. And I feel that in order for that to happen, I […]

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Where Are They Now: Twanasia Graves, Class of 2022

By: Marketing & Communications Team

We work hard to keep close connections with our alumni, not only so that we can support them along their educational and career journeys, but also because their journeys are one of our greatest inspirations as we continue investing in the lives of future leaders each year. This month, we spoke with Twanasia Graves, who […]

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A Space to Dream: College & Career Success Program reaches IAL Middle School Students through Alumni Week

By: The Strategy & Institutional Advancement Team

“I’m proud of the way our College & Career Success team and our teachers have supported each other to effectively serve our students.” – Hazel Pina, Alumni Success Manager Inwood Academy strives to open as many doors as possible for students during and after their time in our school, and we know that exposure to […]

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Giving Students The Power To Break Barriers: A Fund For Student Success

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Manager

Inwood Academy strives to open as many doors as possible for students during and after their time in our school, setting holistic goals for student success that far exceed the norms in our community. In order to realize these goals, we need to begin orienting our students to their many options as young as possible. […]

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SOMOS Inwood! “Inwood Academy families celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month”

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Specialist

IAL Families celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with taste! September 15th to October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month! Last year, our team dedicated time to figure out creative ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month while students were remote learning. While we are now in person, we decided to kick it up a notch while still […]

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30 Days Down and a Great School Year To Go!

By: Ana Gonzalez, Marketing Specialist

Student Orientation Week: An Overview  It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 days since our students started the academic year at Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School. 30 days of in-school learning. 30 days of hearing the transition bells, seeing the hallways flood with students changing classes. This time, they are wearing masks, staying […]

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A Long-Awaited Month of Celebration

By: Sarabeth Weszely, Senior Writer

Celebration is so important to the culture of IAL. When we began the 2020-21 school year last fall, while the pain of sending off our 2020 graduates without in-person celebration was fresh and the future was uncertain, we made it a point to keep end-of-year celebrations a priority. Despite the many setbacks COVID-19 presented, we […]

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Meet Our New Middle School Principal, Bianca Mercedes!

By: Sarabeth Weszely, Senior Writer

After tirelessly serving Inwood Academy students, families and staff for eleven years, Valerie Hoekstra will be passing off her role as Middle School Principal to Bianca Mercedes, a fellow founding member of IAL with a rich background in education and community leadership. We share this news with a bittersweet joy, appreciating all Mrs. Hoekstra has […]

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Education as Advocacy: Learning from, with and for our Autistic Scholars

By: Sarabeth Weszely, Senior Writer

The extent to which we embody our mission of raising leaders who will advocate for themselves and others becomes especially clear when you look at our engagement with physical and developmental disabilities as a school. Ensuring equity for students and staff of all abilities is a longtime value of ours, as about one in four […]

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