City on a Hill moves to a bigger, better location

Serghino René

What was once a possibility has now become a reality: City on a Hill, a Roxbury charter school, has a permanent home.

Last week, City on a Hill charter school celebrated the purchase of its new building on 18 Hulbert Street in Roxbury.

“The space will allow City on a Hill to grow,” said the school’s executive director, Michelle Holmes Foster. “Most importantly, the students will feel like they are part of the community because most of them live within the Roxbury community and the surrounding areas.”

For the last ten years, City on a Hill has operated within the tight confines of its rented space at the Central Branch YMCA on Huntington Avenue. In early June, the school purchased the former St. Joseph’s parish property from the Archdiocese of Boston for $3.1 million.

The school plans to invest another $6 million into the property to renovate the schoolhouse and school grounds. Renovations include transforming the aged building with a meeting hall, cafeteria and offices. There are also plans to build a 5,000 square foot addition to the main building.

Mayor Thomas Menino was unable to attend the celebration, but the first lady of Boston, Angela Menino, came in his place. She called City on a Hill a bright beacon of hope.

“I can’t think of a more important asset to put in a community than a school,” said Boston First Lady Angela Menino. “The students who graduate from City on a Hill will remember a local school where they learned the importance of responsibility, citizenship and community.”

Since City on a Hill opened its doors in 1995, the school has achieved laudable results. School administrators take particular pride in the fact that every City on the Hill graduate has been admitted to college.

The school serves about 250 students and its day runs longer than most Boston high schools. Students are required to attend after-school and Saturday tutoring sessions at different points throughout their four years.

Kimberly Brown is a City on a Hill parent. She couldn’t say enough about the school, giving praise to the dedication of the teachers and the maturity of the students. Having lived in Roxbury all her life, it’s more than a convenience to have the school come to her community.

“I am happy that [City on a Hill] has a new building because I actually live and grew up in this community,” Brown said. “I’m glad I can send my son to school here and not have to send him across town. But this also makes the young adults feel like they have something and that we are investing in them.”

And the students really do appreciate it. Most City on a Hill students come from Dorchester and Roxbury.

Nadia Abubakar of Jamaica Plain is a sophomore at City on a Hill and is looking forward to the completion of the new building.

“[At the YMCA] we had to enter and exit through certain doors, not to mention the little space we had,” she explained. “With this new facility, we can be more independent, have more activities and make our own community.”

Senior Robert Black of Roxbury had similar feelings. “Our other building was too small,” he said. “ [The proposed new] building is an improvement and I see things only getting better from here. This is a great leap for the school.”