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Michael G. Rizzotto, Manager
COURIER LIFE, N 32 OVEMBER 19-25, 2021
THIRD’S A
CHARM!
Bay Ridge Prep expands footprint
with purchase of third building,
slated to open in 2023
BY JESSICA PARKS
Bay Ridge Prep, a K-12 private
school in its namesake neighborhood,
is expanding its footprint after nearly
25 years in the community with the
purchase of its third property overlooking
Shore Road Park.
“We were looking for a third facility
which would help to relieve the pressure
in our other buildings and enable us
to be able to serve more of the community,”
Charles Fasano, Bay Ridge Prep’s
head of school, told Brooklyn Paper.
The school, which describes itself
as “dedicated to enriching intellectual
curiosity, creativity and emotional
intelligence through an inclusive,
student-centered community,” was
founded in 1998 by Charles Fasano, the
current head of school, and a group of
educators and parents as a school that
“put students fi rst and prioritizes the
social-emotional well-being of each individual,”
according to its website.
“The approach to education is very
focused on critical thinking and problem
solving, project-based,” Fasano
said, “and really looking at preparing
students not just for future education,
but also for many of the skills and abilities
they are going to need to be successful
later in life.”
Fasano announced Bay Ridge Prep
purchased property between 7503-7509
Shore Road to the school community
in an e-mail sent on Oct. 28, and that
the new building would alleviate space
constraints at the existing buildings
— the Lower and Middle School at 8101
Ridge Boulevard and the Upper School
at 7420 Fourth Ave. — which are both at
capacity, as well as allow them to more
effi ciently employ their curriculum.
“We believe that education should
not just be students sitting at desks being
lectured to by teachers but for students
being able to work on designing
things, and being able to build things,
and being able to present and defend
their ideas. This all takes space,” Fasano
said. “Not only is it going to provide
us the ability to be able to take in
some more students but also just provide
us the space to lay out the curriculum
in the way we think is best.”
The property’s location by Shore
Road Park is expected to be a boost
for Bay Ridge Prep’s sports programs,
as the student-athletes can utilize the
Bay Ridge Prep’s new property holds a shuttered
church formerly operated by the Redemptorist
Fathers of New York. Jon Veleas/
Bay Ridge Prep
park’s fi elds and running paths. Outdoor
space on the property can also be
used for outdoor learning.
“In addition to building space,
there is a lot of outdoor space for students,
it’s right across the street from
Shore Road Park and the fi eld and the
running tracks, so we just feel that
that will also complement our athletics
really well,” Fasano said.
The administration has not nailed
down what they intend to do with the
new space, at the intersection of Bay
Ridge Parkway, just yet but Fasano
said it will most likely be used in conjunction
with their existing buildings
for middle and high school students.
“We are going to be using all three
buildings, we’re looking at that use
piece right now… but it will most likely
be utilized by middle and high school,”
he told Brooklyn Paper.
The interior of the 26,000 sq. ft. facility
that exists on the property will be
fully renovated before the new location
is expected to open to students at the
end of 2023 — the same year the school
celebrates its 25-year anniversary.
A multi-year fundraising drive will
begin once the school’s administrations
fi gures out the gap between its bank fi -
nancing and construction cost, and a
virtual town hall will be announced to
update the school community.
Bay Ridge Prep purchased the property
from the Redemptorist Fathers of
New York for $8.25 million, according
to city property records. The Catholic
order used the space for their church,
which is now shuttered.
Cusimano & Russo Funeral Home
SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF BROOKLYN FOR OVER 90 YEARS
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