Brooklyn Lab Charter School Celebrates a Decade of Impact

Investing in the future of education, attendees flocked to the inaugural gala supporting Brooklyn Lab Charter School, a model that’s changing lives for New York youth.

Brooklyn Lab Charter School, a school that provides innovative and customized learning for scholars in grades 6-12, hosted a gala to commemorate its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The gala celebrated the achievements, innovation and impact of the school with the goal of raising $100,000 for investments in college success, STEAM curriculum and Black Excellence opportunities.

Actress Meagan Good led the gala as the emcee of the evening, highlighting Brooklyn Lab scholars, community members and staff. Acclaimed journalist, Roland S. Martin served as the keynote speaker during this transformative evening. Martin touched upon the importance of staying in the fight for all children to receive access to a quality education and not settling for anything less.

“Ensuring every Brooklyn Lab student is prepared for success in college and beyond takes a strong community working together. We’re grateful to everyone supporting our work, including Meagan Good and Roland Martin who helped us honor the decade of impact and achievement,” said Dr. Garland Thomas-McDavid, Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School. “Our students and community are a catalyst for positive change in our city. As a fierce believer in the power of education, I know this gala helped create the financial foundation needed for another decade of amazing impact. Together we are building a bright future for all our students.”

With over two decades of experience in education, Dr. Thomas-McDavid has earned a reputation of success in forging student success, growing schools, facilitating school turnarounds, and developing diverse educator and leader talent.

During the gala, three admired members of the Brooklyn LAB community were honored with inaugural awards:

• Shawn Harris, recipient of the Inaugural EWG Renaissance Award

• Cecile Kidd, honored with the Inaugural Brooklyn Lab Charter Legacy Award

• Mickey Revenaugh, recognized as the Inaugural Brooklyn Lab Charter Community Crusader Award

Proceeds from the gala will directly support Brooklyn Lab’s mission to provide every student with the tools and opportunities they need to succeed in college and beyond. Specifically, Brooklyn Lab will be further investing in the following initiatives:

• Partnership with Project Lead the Way: This year, Brooklyn Lab is partnering with Project Lead the Way to implement a robust STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) curriculum – this cutting-edge program will involve scholars building robots, developing innovative apps and exploring the world of entrepreneurship. Studies show that careers in STEM fields are among the fastest-growing and most lucrative, yet there is a stark lack of diversity within these industries. Black and LatinX people hold a mere 3% of engineering jobs.

• Success Looks Like Me: This annual event is a celebration of Black excellence in which representative role models visit campus to mentor scholars, foster ambition and inspire college enrollment and persistence rates. College graduation rates for Black students in New York remain markedly low, and this event brings in 50 Black professionals in fields like medicine, law and government, public service, entrepreneurship, STEM, arts, education, media and more to inspire a college-going culture.

• College Success: Brooklyn Lab is unapologetically college prep. Their scholars achieve more when they are equipped with a college education. This college success work creates academic and professional opportunities for students to thrive in and after college. Only 25% of Black New Yorkers hold a college degree, compared to 64% of white New Yorkers, and college graduates not only benefit from higher salaries but also have better access to healthcare, housing and safer job opportunities, leading to longer, healthier lives.

To learn more about Brooklyn Lab Charter School, please visit https://www.bklabprep.org/.