BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you walk by the corner of Moselle Street and Urban Street in the City of Buffalo, it's pretty hard to miss.
Coming from inside the walls of Persistence Preparatory Academy is a beautiful new energy driven by more than 300 students that are all eager to learn.
"We want this to be a place where every student has something that excites them, and a reason that they feel like they belong here," says Joelle Formato, Founder and Head of School at Persistence Prep, "We want this place to feel like home for staff, for the students and for families that walk through the door."
Persistence Prep was established in 2018 with the goal of increasing access to high quality education for everyone with a focus on the surrounding neighborhoods. When the charter school opened it only offered classes for kindergartners and first graders, but over the last five years has grown to serve 325 students in grades K-5.
"We've grown from a founding staff of 12, to a staff now of 48," says Formato, who added that the plan is to add a grade level each year until students reach eighth grade.
The mission of Persistence Prep is two-fold, to get students, starting in kindergarten, fully prepared for college, and to inspire young minds with leadership development.
"We want our students to know that they have a voice that is really powerful and that can impact change around them," says Formato.
To help further that mission, Persistence Prep purchased, and fully renovated a building that sat vacant for decades. The idea was to create atmosphere for learning while establishing a new community hub for East Buffalo. The school moved to the new location in 2021.
"We were really intentional about where we wanted to be located because we wanted to ensure that families have access to us. That it's easy to walk down the street and come check up, to come in and have lunch with your child, and to know that your child's teachers, and the leadership team at your child's school," says Formato.
While Formato credits her teachers and staff for making Persistence Prep standout, she says it's the students that make the school so special.
"I think that students feel that they're really proud of this space. They love to give school tours, or talk to visitors, and this is a place that I think they love to come."
Spend five minutes in the lunchroom and it's easy to see the pride students have in their school.
I spoke with 5-year-old Mia and her kindergarten classmates at their lunch table. I asked her what she liked about Persistence Prep and she said "Everything." Mia, with a big smile, went on to explain that meant dancing, art and being with her friends.
Mia and her classmates will soon have a new offering at Persistence Prep to look forward to. The school is currently raising money to open a new music room for the fall which will offer music education.
"We think that music is a void that our students have been craving," said Formato, "We have brought in different community partners in smaller capacities so that music has still been a part of our school culture, but we haven't had a dedicated space during the day for students to go and really be able to express that piece of who they are."
Embracing creativity, and creating an environment to nurture future success. It's a mission that the team at Persistence Prep is proud to be a part of.
"I think the community that we have been able to create is really something special and unique, and it's only continue to grow," said Formato.
