Summit Academy Charter School has three graduates from its first high school graduating class in 2016 who are back working and making an impact on Summit scholars.
Their names are Manny Cruz, Ibu Smith and Destiny Jennings. Cruz started at Summit in sixth grade when it first opened in 2009 and Smith and Jennings both came as juniors. The school was transformational for each of them and they want to pass the lessons they have learned to the current students.
All three former Summit scholars were on the basketball team at the school. Athletic director Dytanya Mixson thinks that their return adds a lot to the school.
“It brings new life,” Mixson said. “After the pandemic and going through so many changes, to have them back after they graduated college, it just brings new life back to Summit Academy. They can speak from the past and they can bring it to the future. It brings it all together as one.”
There are a few changes to the school since they attended. One is that the school now has a weight room.
According to Cruz, they had to make their own weight room and the team did not get a locker room until last year.
The locker room used to be a storage area that was not utilized. The weight room used to be a class room where the kids had theater, public speaking and intro to film.
The kids love asking Smith, “Was it like this when you were here?” He tells them that it was tougher.
“I give a lot of notes for my classes,” Smith said. “They say, ‘did you have to take this many notes when you were in school?’ It was way more notes. It was more everything.”
Cruz pointed out how the uniform has changed for the better since he was a student. The middle school students now wear blue collared shirts and during his time they wore highlighter colored yellow shirts.
“I hated looking at it but now it looks cool,” Cruz said. “It’s more aesthetically pleasing.”
Before Smith came to Summit Academy for his junior year of high school, he went to Franklin Delano Roosevelt High in Bensonhurst. He didn’t like that FDR was an overcrowded public school.
The classes were “filled to the brim” with 30 kids and he could not get the attention that he wanted. He was able to flourish at Summit with smaller classes and more attention.
“I have never been a bad student, however, I do like like to get a pat on the back every now and again,” Smith said. “I felt like since I was getting 80s and 90s in that school, they felt like he does not need any attention. I don’t need the attention but it’s nice to hear good job. I like encouragement.”
When Smith transferred to Summit, class sizes were 18-20 maximum but regular classes were nine to 12 students. This allowed him to get that one-on-one attention from the teachers, which he enjoyed.
“It allowed me to unlock my writing a little more because they took the time out to read my writing assignments and have one-on-one meetings with me that I was not having at my public school,” Smith added about Summit Academy.
He had a much better experience at Summit than his previous high school. When he arrived he realized the culture, foundation and family atmosphere was already in place, and he just had to assert himself and be part of the culture.
He asserted himself in that culture in more than one way since he had success on the basketball team and he acted in school plays.
“I played basketball for the two years,” Smith said. “We did win the regional championship for basketball in the charter school league. I also participated in acting. We hosted Little Shop of Horrors and Grease and I participated in those.
His highlight from his two years at Summit was winning the regional championship, which he thought was “amazing.” At his previous school, he did not play as much and he felt there was some favoritism.
“Coming over here, it was, I have an opportunity to play and show my skills, so just make sure I go out there and do that,” Smith said.
He thought it was “a dope experience” getting to win his first championship in school since he began playing basketball.
His highlight outside of basketball at Summit was his acting. He thought he did a good job playing the roles of backup characters, and his role in Little Shop of Horrors was his favorite.
In his first year at college, he pledged a fraternity and he and his fraternity brothers shared knowledge at Summit’s college signing day.
“We came out to support and give them a little advice about what college was going to be like and pump them up,” Smith said. “We did a little stroll (performance) for everybody as well.”
The reason Smith came to Summit was that he told Mr. Thomas, who was his coach in summer tournaments and Summit’s basketball coach, that he was unhappy with his public school, so Mr. Thomas mentioned Summit to him.
After initially considering Summit for his 10th grade year, he eventually pursued the suggestion and gave it more thought. Smith visited the school, met Ms. Hanshaw and Dr. Campbell (Summit’s founder) and then thought it was a no brainer to come.
His influence on winning was able to continue when he went to college at SUNY Canton since in his freshman year he won the championship with his team. In his senior year, he won the championship as well.
His highlight when he was at SUNY Canton was being on the basketball team and a standout memory was that championship his freshman year.
“Winning the championship my first year was definitely amazing because I did not expect to win a championship my first year,” Smith said. “I thought I would come in and learn the game and then eventually I would build my way into the starting lineup and then hopefully that would lead us to a championship.”
A real highlight for him was being able to play his role to the best of his ability and play a crucial part in helping his college team win the league championship.
He had to have determination since in the first month of the season he was just practicing, not playing in games. However, he then started getting game action and towards the end of the season, he was actually starting.
He majored in sports management since he he has always loved sports and he wanted to pick a major he had a passion for.
“When I was picking a major, I wanted to do something I love and sports is one of those things that for as long as I live I don’t think I will ever give it up,” Smith added.
He has always liked helping people, which helped him get into teaching. This passion eventually led the member of Summit’s first graduating class to teach back at the school.
Before coming to work at his alma mater, he was working for a non-profit called Elite Learners. They are contracted by schools to come in and tutor and substitute teach. He was thankful he was focused on schools in Brooklyn in this teaching position.
While at Elite Learners, he taught boys mentorship, financial literacy, elementary math and English in his substitute teaching and tutoring.
“I started teaching after I graduated college at the last place I was employed,” Smith said. “They sent me to a lot different schools so I felt like I was gaining a lot of experience very quickly so the transition seemed seamless.”
He worked with elementary school kids in this job, and this gave him an idea of the age group he actually wanted to work with.
“It opened my eyes to I want to do 11th and 12th graders because they are more able to put their words together and communicate back and forth, there is a dialogue there,” Smith said.
He ran into Coach Mixson a few times and eventually in the park in July. In that last interaction, Mixson suggested he call Dr. Campbell and ask about working at Summit, which was what he did.
The athletic director and Smith have been in contact at least once a year and the athletic director likes having that connection since he is in the first graduating class.
“I stayed in contact with him after he was in the school because I was excited about him winning the championship and the fact that he still played basketball after he left Summit,” Mixson added.
Smith is now in his first school year teaching the Summit Academy scholars. He is teaching US history, government and intro to economics to juniors and seniors and has advice for the future for his scholars.
“Especially for my seniors, I am trying to let them know that you are about to graduate high school so life is about to get real,” Smith said. “Every year life gets more and more real and if you are not prepared it can take you by surprise.”
He advises them to make goals for five and 10 years in the future. He added that as long as you stick to a plan then you will not be confused trying to figure out life.
“I let them them know what to look forward to in college,” Smith added. “I let them know that you are going to have to do work and nobody is going to be on your back to go to school.”
Teaching was not on Smith’s radar before he transferred to Summit, but then he started to see teaching as an option for himself due to the impact his Summit teachers had on him.
Mr. Price was his teacher in about five of the 30 classes he had at the school. He taught him theater, intro to film, creative writing and public speaking.
“The teachers here care so much and brought a different kind of love to the student teacher relationship,” Smith said. “I wanted to get a chance to see what that was like on the other side because I know the role they played for me.”
Through the acting and public speaking he did at Summit, he believes he was able to come out of his shell. His teachers made such an impact on him, so he thinks it would be great “do that for at least one kid.”
A quote that still sticks with him that the current assistant principal Mr. Price used to say frequently is: “Step into the spotlight, the world is ready to see you shine.”
Jennings was also in Summit’s first graduating class in 2016 and like Smith and Cruz is back working at the school after it had a great and profound impact on her.
Even though she just went to Summit for half of her junior year and her senior year she feels like the school helped her become who she is today. She also looks at things differently due to Summit.
“Before I had an I don’t care attitude and I feel like once I came here they made me know that what I do next really determines what happens in the future,” Jennings said. “I am glad that I came here because before I did not care about anything and when I came here they showed me that what you do today determines how you are going to be when you leave here.”
At Summit, she was involved in theater and played on the volleyball and basketball team.
In theater, she really enjoyed the energy that she got from the audience. Basketball was her highlight sports wise, and her senior year stood-out since the team really came together and improved.
“I was a transfer student, so I did not really now anybody when I transferred,” Jennings said. “When I was a senior, I knew everyone and was getting comfortable with everybody. My senior year we became a family.”
Feeling like family is a theme for what she thought about her memorable time at Summit Academy.
“When you come to Summit everyone here is family,” Jennings said. “Whether you just met them (the teachers) or not, they make you feel comfortable. I felt like I was comfortable enough here to trust my teachers. They trusted me and they knew I could graduate.”
She felt like having the trust of her teachers made a big impact on her.
She previously went to a public school in Lower Manhattan called Leadership and Public Service. She thought at that school the rules were not followed and people were disobedient, which was not the case at Summit.
“The charter school was a huge change,” Jennings said. “We had more rules and there was more discipline. I would say that was what I needed.”
She found out about coming to Summit and transferred since her best friend’s father is Mixson, the athletic director and her coach at Summit.
She had not taken the needed regents at her previous school and was able to take them and graduate from Summit due to the guidance of her teachers.
Mr. Costello was her math teacher and he stood out since he gave her confidence. She told him that she thought she might not graduate and the conversation they had helped her.
“He spoke to me and let me know that I have enough time and I should not pressure myself,” Jennings said. “After we spoke about that, I felt like I was confident enough and that I was going to graduate, which I did.”
After graduating from Summit Academy in 2016, she went to Monroe College in New Rochelle. She was a walk-on on the basketball team, and wished she joined the team right away.
“I enjoyed being on the team,” Jennings said. “I wish I would have joined when I first got to the school, but I did not, so my second year in college I joined the basketball team.”
She majored in human services and knew since she was a freshman in high school that she wanted to be a social worker, which her major prepared her for. This interest came from her younger relative.
She has a cousin who has been living with her family since he was one. Her mom decided to take him in from foster care.
“After seeing him, I wanted to help kids, and that is something that I wanted to do moving forward,” Jennings said.
After graduating in only three years after taking lots of classes in a short amount of time, she applied for many jobs to be a social worker but she said nobody hired her since she didn’t have experience.
This made her decide to start working at Summit Academy. She was initially the volleyball coach, and is in her third season now in that position, and then was a substitute teacher at the school.
She wanted to return since she likes giving back and wanted to make a difference in the same way that her teachers at the school made a difference for her.
“I just wanted to give back what my teachers gave me,” Jennings said. “I wanted to be that teacher where they would take my knowledge and implement it moving forward in life.”
In her time as the volleyball coach at her alma mater, she tries to teach her team confidence since many of the girls had not played volleyball before.
“Sometimes they lack confidence, so I try to teach them confidence,” Jennings said. “Hopefully moving forward they will have enough confidence throughout their life. It also matters when you walk out of the school building. When you graduate and get to college, you have to have enough confidence to move forward.”
Based on her work as a social worker, she approaches her coaching a little differently since she doesn’t yell and her discipline is different.
“I think I am calmer, more lenient and more understanding,” Jennings added.
Being a social worker and a volleyball coach is a big commitment on her part since from her job in The Bronx to Summit is an hour and 20 minute drive on a bad day and an hour on a good day. She thinks it is a lot but worth it.
Jennings is now in her third year as a social worker and impacts the youth.
The member of Summit’s first graduating class likes the new additions like the STEM Lab and Innovation Lab.
“I feel like there are more activities now than we had before,” Jennings said. “That means there is possibly more funding and that is a good thing.”
Manny Cruz went to Summit Academy by far the longest of the three since he started at the school in sixth grade during the school’s first year and then graduated in 2016.
He was born in Brooklyn and his sixth grade year was his first year back in the borough after living in Nevada with his mother. He went to Summit because his grandma signed him up for the school.
“My grandma lives in Red Hook and I used to live with her at the time,” Cruz said. “When I came back from Nevada, she forced me to go here since it was a new school and a charter school. It was supposed to be something else better for me than public school.”
He had a smooth transition to Summit Academy and he liked the attention and care he got at the school.
“I was not used to the love that the teachers gave here,” Cruz added. “They were very strict about us behaving properly. It was because they actually genuinely cared for us and wanted to see us succeed.”
Cruz was the first person in his family to graduate high school fully and advance to college. He described himself as lazy before coming to the school but the teachers in the school brought out his potential, which allowed him to thrive.
At Summit, he was involved in an array of extracurricular activities and was a Jack of all trades. He was on the basketball team with Smith, he performed in Grease and Little Shop of Horrors, he played on the soccer team and was on the flag football team.
“Any sport that we had, I tried to be part of,” Cruz said. “I did not mind doing new things.”
He also did a variety of challenging academic subjects. He took Latin, Greek mythology, AP biology, AP latin, AP English and SAT latin.
He thought latin was one of his most difficult classes partly since nobody speaks it anymore. He took latin in eighth grade and then every year of high school, which led him to take the above latin tests.
He thought it was challenging understanding the meanings of each conjugation and word but his teacher was helpful in the process.
“He taught it well enough so I could understand it,” Cruz said. “It just took time. He was willing to take time out of his day to be there to help us learn.”
During his time in high school, Summit took him on a few college tours, and this helped broaden his horizons. Before coming to Summit, he didn’t really care about college or school, but this school changed his mindset and goals for the future.
“School was more of a hang out than actually thinking about being successful in life,” Cruz said.
Before attending Summit, he was an emotional kid who had a short fuse but the teachers, who he grew close to, helped him improve in this aspect.
“The teachers helped me gather my emotions where I can learn from my mistakes,” Cruz said. “They also pushed me to be a better man and go to college. Before coming here, I just wanted to be away from home, and then Summit ended up being my home away from home.”
His willingness to try new things extended outside of sports. He had stage fright before signing up for musicals but with the teachers help he was able to stop being scared and come out of his shell.
His teachers also enabled him to broaden his horizons with his involvement in photography as he took pictures around the area, which were shown in an art gallery in Red Hook.
“We presented to everybody in the neighborhood,” Cruz said. “People would come in, walk around, and experience our pictures.”
However, his highlight at Summit Academy was his time on the basketball team. He has loved playing basketball since he was a little kid and it has helped him focus.
“When I was a younger kid I was always angry or upset, so basketball was one of my outlets,” Cruz said. “I loved playing basketball here.”
A game that really stands out to Cruz was when his team lost the championship game his junior year. Mr. Thomas coached Cruz in middle school through junior year and the team was really able to jell that season.
“I actually cried and was upset about losing,” Cruz said. “It showed how we grew as a team and as a family. The team was better that year than the year before, and that was when we got the additions of Ibu, Melick and Jalil. I liked the team better when they were here because we played more team style of basketball instead of focusing on one player.”
He felt heartbroken when they lost that championship game since they had spent the whole season working hard to win it all. They dominated every team in the league and lost in the last minute due to free throws, but he liked how that team became a family.
Just like Jennings and Smith, the teachers at Summit made him realize that he he wanted to be able to help kids grow in the future. Once he graduated high school, he knew he wanted to be helping kids as a social worker or in a school, and he has been able to make that a reality.
After Summit, he initially went to Iona College for two years but then transferred to SUNY Binghamton since Iona wasn’t really challenging him. Binghamton ended up being a much better fit.
“Binghamton definitely helped me grow,” Cruz added. “I became better aware of how society is and learned a lot more in one year at Binghamton than I ever did at Iona.”
While at Binghamton, he did lots of giving back. He went to high schools in the city and tutored subjects that were needed on a given day.
With his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma, he participated in an event in Manhattan called Sleep Out for the Homeless. It was an annual event where he would hand out food and clothes at shelters from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the morning.
His major was human development, which is the study of behaviors in families and humans.
Once he got his diploma in summer of 2021, he did an internship with Upward Bound, which is a program in Binghamton that helps lower income high school students.
“We tutor them with whatever classes they are failing or lacking in,” Cruz said. “We help them with other situations they may be in, whether it be social or emotional situations with their family or if they need assistance paying rent.”
He did this for four months and described it as a good experience.
During Covid, Cruz starting thinking about how the pandemic affected him, how it was affecting students at the time and how they might be lacking socially. He realized even more that he wanted to help the youth develop and learn.
“I ended up giving a call to Dr. Campbell since I knew her since I was 11 or 12 and I spoke to her and she told me about working here,” Cruz said.
Cruz is in his first year teaching at Summit like Smith. In high school, he is teaching 17 students a personal finance class, and he supports the lead teacher for math and science in middle school.
Since he doesn’t have a lot of experience as a lead teacher, he takes notes, and helps the lead teacher any way possible. In addition, he is a resource for the kids.
For his middle school students, he wants to help them control and find an outlet for their emotions. He tells them that they can come talk to him if they are feeling frustrated or upset about anything.
He wants to teach his own middle school class in the future. He can see himself in the middle school scholars since sometimes they can be emotional or frustrated like he was as a kid.
“I want to help them figure out the right path,” Cruz said.
In his high school class, he teaches the freshman about buying houses, investing in stocks, budgeting and saving money. He thinks he can be a little boring but has been getting used to it more recently.
“I am enjoying it for the most part,” Cruz said. “I kind of just lecture and talk. Today and yesterday I got them to play Monopoly, so they could learn about buying a house, learn about mortgages and know how to negotiate with others.”
He could sense the bond really start to develop with the high school students after the Monopoly activity.
The topic of personal finance and handling his money properly is something he is interested in. He wants to help educate the Summit scholars on being financially literate to further his impact.
“A lot of us are financially illiterate,” Cruz said. “We do not handle the money as we should and the cycle repeats. I want to be able to help others break that cycle.”
He pointed out that he is learning as well, but wants his high school students to be able to budget and save their money, and know when to buy and when not to buy.
The IV Lab (Innovation lab) and STEM Lab are two additions to the school since he was a student that he thinks are helpful for the scholars.
“I love it,” Cruz said. “The IV Lab gives them a space where they can not have to focus on just school. They can play video games or learn about coding.”
The STEM Lab has a 3D printer, which is something he would have wanted to use as a student.
“I just want to let everybody know that we all have the potential to be great and it is within all of us,” Cruz said. “You just have to be able to let it out. That is what I tell my kids everyday.”
