For nearly 30 years, The Renaissance Charter School, a PreK-12 public charter school, has been serving the culturally diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Our school was founded by educators, parents, and community leaders concerned about the future of New York City. Our mission states: Renaissance is based on the conviction that a change in the destiny of a single individual can lead to a change in the destiny of a community, nation, and ultimately humankind. We strive to foster educated, responsible, humanistic young leaders who will, through their own personal growth, spark a renaissance in New York. Our graduates will be global citizens with an abiding respect for peace, human rights, the environment, and sustainable development. Our students, first and foremost, are our primary focus, with a “three-tiered curriculum” consisting of core studies, experiential learning, and community leadership. Each tier is valued equally as a significant pathway for student learning; we embed social-emotional learning into the core competencies that educate hearts, inspire minds, and help people navigate the world effectively. Located in Western Queens, TRCS truly reflects our community. We serve a student body of under 700 students who are 70% Hispanic, and at home, our students speak 20 different languages, including Spanish, Tibetan, Nepali, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Serbian, and Japanese. TRCS believes in collaborative governance as we value and nurture teachers and other staff to become leaders in the school. The school strives to give each constituency a powerful voice, with opportunities to serve beyond the classroom on the Collaborative School Governance committee (with elected positions for parents, students, teachers, and administrators). Advisory We've educated children long enough now to welcome the children of our alumni and grandchildren of our faculty. Students treasure our community, shared sense of purpose, and vision for the future.