Letter from our Executive Director

Dear Families,

Since 2002, Bronx Charter School for the Arts has served our beautiful, dynamic, and determined community. We have an obligation and a commitment to provide our young scholars and artists with the best possible programming, tools, and education so they can be in an environment that allows them to create, learn, and thrive. My name is Kathy Ortiz, and it is my honor to share and continue the legacy of Bronx Arts.

I’ve been an educator and administrator for inner city children for more than 25 years, and grew up in a community similar to the South Bronx, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who, like many families in our community, struggled to be accepted as U.S. citizens. It is extremely important — not only to our faculty and staff, and Board of Trustees, but to me personally — that Bronx Arts lives its mission to provide every child, particularly children of color, with an environment filled with the necessary resources, tools, and opportunities, to empower our kids with skills that help them to achieve their highest potential. 

At Bronx Arts we’re passionate believers that a rich and vibrant background in the arts is key to academic success. Our diverse faculty and staff bring not only their exceptional skills and talents to the classroom, but their love of learning and their commitment to engaging every child, every day. We’re proud of our arts-integrated curriculum, and that every child receives instruction in the Arts from our faculty of accomplished, professional artists working in the fields of Theater, Dance, Music and Visual Arts. 

Our school is deeply connected to our South Bronx community, and our 20 years of successfully educating close to 5,000 students is directly tied to the partnerships we nurture and develop with school families, community organizations, volunteers, and all who are committed to providing equitable access to excellent education for our children. We welcome their voices and are grateful for their support.

As a community, we know what it means to adapt. We are resilient. We roll up our sleeves and get to work, because it’s the only way we know how to be. It’s an honor for our school to be part of the storied fabric of the South Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop culture that changed and united the world. We’re excited to be immersed in a community infused with such powerful creative energy and possibility. We remain community-centered and tailor ourselves to its needs as a driving principle that moves Bronx Arts forward. 

I’m immensely proud of our work, our faculty and staff, and most of all the students we’ve had the privilege of teaching for the last 20 years. I look forward to sharing more about how Bronx Charter School for the Arts may provide a creative home for your child, and to welcoming you to the Bronx Arts family. 

Warmly, 

Kathy Ortiz