“At East Flatbush Ascend, we are a beautifully small and tight-knit community where scholars, families, and staff feel deeply connected. We foster a love of learning by ensuring that we, as educators, love learning ourselves — because when we are passionate about what we teach, that passion becomes contagious. Ascend is a special place where we believe deeply in the inherent excellence of our scholars, and that belief shapes everything we do, from instruction to the sense of belonging our community creates. My long-term vision is for our school to become an incredibly successful academic community where all scholars are reading and doing math on or above grade level while still holding onto the joy and affirmation that make our school unique.

Being a principal is the best job in the world because I get to be embedded in our school community every day, working closely with scholars, families, and teachers. I believe that when children become excellent readers and critical thinkers, they are empowered to achieve their wildest dreams and change the world. To me, success means growth — intellectual, social, and emotional — paired with growing confidence and self-belief. My hope is that our scholars feel empowered to pursue every dream they have for themselves, and as educators, we will do everything in our power to help make that happen.”

-Hannah Chapman