History

History of Mott Haven Village Preparatory HS

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Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School was founded in 2002 by Principal Ana Torres-Maldonado in partnership with East Side House Settlement (ESH). It was designed to be a small school community where students have educators who know them well and advocate for their needs. We live by the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

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Ana Torres-Maldonado grew up in East Harlem (El Barrio), bearing witness to her Puerto Rican community-fighting systemic racism that kept the community from quality health care, housing, and education.

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Mott Haven Village picked up the school's banner that preceded us in the building, South Bronx HS, carrying on the tradition of the campus mascot, The Phoenix. Opened in 1977, South Bronx HS aimed to rise from the ashes of the ‘The Bronx is burning’ era to take flight like the magical bird. We continue that mission today, fighting oppression to soar to the heights of each student’s dreams.