History

The Bridge Academy began in the spring of 2003 when a group of parents, frustrated by the lack of responsiveness of their school board and administrators, joined forces with another group of professionals and members of the community to explore the possibility of building their own school. Realizing that many of them needed a place to send their child for the coming year, they quickly formed a project team with the goal to create and open a school - in a period of 5 months. For some on this team, it was a time of uncertainty, personal risk, challenge and change. But, they came together, took control of their future and organized themselves in a way to tackle the challenge head-on.

By the end of the summer, they would achieve all of their initial legal, financial and operational objectives in time to open the doors of their new school in time for the 2003 - 2004 school year. Meeting frequently, they first created a new Board of Trustees and officially incorporated as a non-profit organization; established a facility lease operation for a building to serve as a school; and received enough funding from loans secured by a few parents and friends to get the effort started. And, based on the involvement and support from the professional community, they were able to hire an experienced staff as well.

Incredibly, the school opened its doors on September 15, 2003, with a staff of 19 and a student population of 9! Shortly thereafter, and possibly due in part to the attention they were getting from the press, public and school districts about their application for formal accreditation, The Bridge Academy received provisional approval from the NJ State Department of Education on October 3, thus allowing more students and families to benefit from its services. As a result, by the end of its first year, the student population grew to 45.

Three years later, the number of professional staff continued to grow and the student body reached 60 students.  The Bridge Academy’s parent debt was eliminated and because of its continued success, the school began efforts to find and purchase property upon which to build its own facility.  And, most importantly, it continued to enjoy the kind of working relationships within the organization where teachers, staff, parents and The Bridge Academy School Board members worked collaboratively to create a professional, caring and supportive environment to help children meet their fullest potential.

In Recognition of Those Who Helped Create the Bridge Academy In 2003