(beeping)
(tense music)
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(sirens wailing)
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(car horn hooting)
(students yelling)
- [students] We fight, and fight, and fight!
(students chanting)
We are graduates, we are graduates, we are graduates!
(audience cheering)
- So who's graduating today?
Our trailblazers are graduating today, right?
On this day we recognize and witness
something really unique here in the heart of The Bronx.
Young boys that have made a commitment
to spend seven years at Eagle, and graduate as youn Brooklyn? - [Student] Brooklyn, yeah.
- Last year, for this particular school,
was our first graduating class.
We had about 93% of our students,
our young men went to college.
About 98% were accepted to some college,
be it two year, four year.
I really wanna instill in them
that this is who you really are,
and this is who you really can be
as you move forward in life.
- Looking at this picture, I remember,
I believe this was convocation in sixth grade.
I'm here, I have no face hair, look at me.
It's on a lot of business cards, it's on the books.
It shows Eagle Academy.
Everybody here in this picture
I'm still very close with today, we talk on a daily basis.
Right here we have Kenley McKennis,
plays on the basketball team.
Jayden Wood, and we have Rashid.
We're all gonna graduate this year.
(alarm beeping)
- Oh, Joshua when he was a baby, he was very hyper-active,
but a fun kid.
Fun kid, he was very fun.
I miss those moments.
I wish I could rewind sometimes.
My son has been at the Eagle Academy since sixth grade.
Soon he'll be going away to college.
It's gonna be tough for me.
Six hours away?
That's my only child.
As much as I can, I will make it over there.
Pop up visits.
- It's like a dream come true.
I always told you when I was in the third grade,
fourth grade, when I go to college,
we're not paying for nothing.
I always told you that when I was young,
so guess what happened now?
It's reality.
- Your dream came true.
- The most thing that I'm proud of is being able
to see him graduate high school, and get his diploma,
and move on, and become what he always
wanted to become as a kid.
- [Crew] And why is that so important to you?
- Because I didn't do it.
I wasn't able to finish school.
Excuse me.
I didn't have the support of my parents
as much as I am involved with him.
And I'm glad that he's gonna finish.
- When you are dealing with the weight of life,
it is really difficult to navigate
the complexities of the Department of Education
or City Services to give your child holistically
what he or she really need.
- Joshua Perez.
How you doing, kid?
- In the affluent areas of our community,
the moms and dads, they already know what college
their child is going to attend.
They know the level of math that he would need
so that he'll be able to get into a nice,
Ivy League school.
It's already mapped out.
Our children get to the end of the journey and say,
"You're supposed to have that pre-algebra
"back when you were in elementary school."
So we are starting off with a lack of information,
and we have to create a easy free flow of information
to empower parents on how to be parents.
- [Teacher] One, two, three, four.
(upbeat music)
- So good morning, my name is David Banks,
and I am the president and CEO
of the Eagle Academy Foundation, good morning.
- [Audience] Good morning.
- So we're here today in Brooklyn because this is
the kickoff event for what we call the Brooklyn Nine.
We have selected nine schools
throughout the borough of Brooklyn
that we are gonna be working with over the next three years
to really share with them the best practices
for how to work with our boys.
It's the kick off for something brand new,
to see if we can take the Eagle model
and then translate that into existing schools
that are not all boys' schools.
And I'm betting that is gonna work.
(upbeat music)
So many things that we need you to see and understand today,
but I think it's important that you understand
who we are as the Eagle Academy,
and what that means for the young men
who we're gonna be working with throughout this program.
Let me make it very plain.
Black and Latino males throughout America,
they're under assault through the media,
they're under assault from politicians who talk a good game,
but don't do anything to actually make a difference,
and it shouldn't have to be that way.
So my organization decided
we were gonna do something about that.
There's a transformation process that must take place
if we want them to properly transition
into healthy, strong young men.
And that process begins today.
(gentle music)
We're gonna be working with the teachers
in nine schools across Brooklyn
to make a significant impact in the lives
of our young men and our boys every day.
(audience applauding)
- The Brooklyn Nine was a great concept,
but whenever you're attempting
to see how well your product is,
you should go to the toughest audience.
Brownsville is the ground zero of education failure
and educational betrayal.
And if we could find success in Brownsville,
then the product could operate anywhere in the entire city.
- The young men of Eagle Academy, please stand.
These are the young men who are gonna be the mentors
for the middle school boys.
They know how to stand strong.
They will give you a firm handshake
and look you in your eye.
And we're gonna make sure that we transfer
all of that to your son.
(man yelling)
- I'm happy, is y'all happy to be here?
- [Students] Yeah!
- I'm happy, is y'all happy to be here?
- [Students] Yeah!
- Hey listen!
- 25 young men in each of these young schools,
and they're gonna be mentored primarily
by older Eagle students.
Either students who are seniors or are alum
who graduated and are in college,
who are just a few years older than them
but have lived the Eagle experience.
- These are young men that were quiet in there.
Quiet, right?
Slouched down, right?
But now you'll notice that their body language will change.
You'll notice that they'll become more talkative.
The confidence will start to come.
And when they come back into the auditorium,
you're gonna see something very, very powerful.
- I know elected officials all over New York City,
and they all would say to me, "This is great,
"you're doing great work, keep up the good work."
Borough President Adams was the only elected official
who said, "This work should be spread across New York,
"and I'm going to the mayor to make sure that that happens."
Please give him a really, really warm welcome,
brother Eric Adams.
(audience applauding)
- When I sat down with David and said,
"How do I duplicate the Eagle Academy experience?"
He made it clear, "We need money, Eric.
"We need money to train teachers, to train our team."
We were able to identify $3 million for him
and start the program of educating
a team outside his team to give other students
the Eagle Academy experience without having to sit in
an Eagle Academy school.
- I guarantee you you will see the difference
between your son today and what will happen
over the next three years, if you make sure
that you support us in doing that.
- In this poem, Invictus,
"I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul,"
the most powerful lines of the poem.
We want young men to understand, look,
no matter how many teachers said,
"You can't learn, you can't do this, you can't do that."
You are the master of your fate, captain of your soul.
It's a great, great start to a great program, gentlemen!
We'll see you shortly.
(drumming music)
- Eagle mentors!
Form the formation!
Invictus straight!
- [Students] Out of the night that covers me,
black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul.
- Brothers, are we ready?
- [Students] Born ready!
- Brothers, are we ready?
- [Students] Born ready!
- [Teacher] Minute by minute, hour by hour.
- [Students] As we grow our story, we grow our power.
- So give yourselves a round of applause, young brothers.
Let's give your mentors a round of applause.
Let's give your parents a round of applause.
(students applauding)
And we are embarking on this journey together.
(tense music)
(school bell ringing)
(students laughing)
(basketball thudding) - Just get it out of the way.
Are you ready?
Hey!
- You grabbed my arm and pull it down!
That's a old school move!
- Hold on.
Yeah!
- Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
how charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
- Yeah, that ending is just like.
It motivates me, I can't wait for my graduation.
I wanna see that same thing you saw.
I've been in Eagle Academy from sixth grade
all the way to the 12th grade.
And this is the first graduating class
to ever come through these seven years, man.
- We are in a special place right now.
We have a opportunity to really impact a whole generation.
I'm proud to be a Eagle alumni,
and I'm proud to be a member, a brother of Eagle Academy.
(chattering)
- Just because I'm a person of color,
just walking through the street, or I'm on the train,
or I have a hood on, that's already an assumption.
I wanna go on a path where I can go to college
and to see from there.
One day when I'm older, and I'm where I'm at,
that's gonna be my motivation.
Those things that were said to me when I was younger,
those assumptions that were made,
all those videos that I saw, all those comments.
I'll let that be my motivation.
I was like, okay.
Just in my head, I'm like, "Okay, one day you'll see."
I don't have to say anything,
I'm just gonna let my actions speak.
- Ali House!
- [Students] I am the greatest!
- [Teacher] Hughes House!
- [Students] Dreams deferred, never!
- [Teacher] Hughes House!
- The Eagle Academy that has gone from a school in The Bronx
to now in every borough in New York City?
Our work goes beyond our traditional schools
that we have created.
And I'm talking about beyond all boys' schools.
I'm talking about in traditional schools, co-ed schools.
And we think that in helping those teachers,
we will be able to help hundreds of thousands
of young men of color all across the country.
We're gonna teach a man how to fish.
- [Teacher] I'll see you on Monday.
- [Christopher] Josh, hit me up.
All right, bro. - Bro.
- Listen, I'ma see you when you graduate.
I'll be there.
I'ma try to get some front-row seats.
- Our goal must be to ensure that we implement
long, sustaining partnerships.
How do we partner with our faith-based institutions
to be part of our educational experiences?
How do we utilize our civic groups and local groups,
our precinct councils, community boards,
NWACP, urban leagues.
How do we put in place those institutional changes
that no matter what happens in Washington, D.C,
it would not impact Washington Avenue in Brooklyn.
We will be still moving forward with our overall plan
of making sure that every child
receives a quality education.
Thank you.
Listen, let the Dean's Team know we're gonna meet.
In the morning.
Ali Seventh grade, you're dismissed.
- I don't think there's anyone that says like,
"We just don't want good by them."
I think people just are paralyzed, like,
"I don't know what to do."
So we choose to disengage.
And we get to lean into that discomfort as a school
and say, "We're gonna take it on,
"and we're gonna smile while we do it.
"We're gonna grow our guys."
(gentle music)
(car horns hooting)
(sirens wailing)
(students cheering)
- This is the value of a teacher
who looks at a face ad says, "There's something behind
"that I wanna reach that person.
"I wanna influence that person who is behind that face,
"behind that color, behind that language,
"behind that tradition, behind that culture."
(students chattering)
- Yeah! - Yeah!
(students cheering)
- I came into Eagle with these guys,
so they were sixth graders.
They were short, didn't have facial hair.
And now I'm looking out at them, and I'm just like, "Wow."
It means that eventually seeds prosper and they grow,
and they turn into something
that you see down there, and I'm glad.
So I'm excited.
I'm excited to see the program,
and be here just to watch.
- [Students] Out of the night that covers me
black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be.
- Class of 2018, you can be seated.
As you leave, remember that you're leaving
understanding that this community is going to support you
even when you do leave those doors.
Your Eagle brothers that are next to you
are gonna be with you every step of the way.
(students yelling)
- [Announcer] Mayan Perez.
(audience cheering)
Tapir Donovan.
(audience cheering)
- To see our young men,
I'm gonna try not to get emotional.
To see our young men that I know,
they're story could have ended another way,
and to see them thriving means the world to me.
We plant seeds, but we don't know that we'll ever
see the fruits of our labor.
(students cheering)
- [Announcer] Joshua Perez.
- [Rosa] Yeah!
Go Josh!
(audience cheering)
- [Announcer] Mark Anthony Barton.
(audience cheering)
- [David] Good afternoon everyone!
Good afternoon Eagle!
- [Students] Good afternoon!
- This world is changing on a daily basis.
You've got to work harder than you could have ever imagined.
But you have the talent, and the gifts, and the abilities
inside of you that you can go off,
and no matter what happens in this world,
you're gonna be one of the game changers.
I believe that.
I don't just say that.
I believe that.
That's the reason why we do this work,
because everywhere I see young men like you,
I see promise, I see potential.
I see young men that if we don't get you
to be where you need to be, this world will never be
where it's supposed to be.
- [Rosa] I'm happy crying, I'm so proud.
- You're gonna make me cry.
- [Rosa] I knew you could do it.
- Who has a camera?
Take your camera out, there you go.
- There we go, here we go, here we go.
Y'all getting in it, right?
We ready, all right, right over here.
One, two, three.
- Education, it is an ocean liner.
We have to slowly turn that ocean liner around
and this is the starting point.
And if we can show that the successes here
were tangible results,
then we could force the city to duplicate it,
to turn it the Brooklyn 90, the Brooklyn 900,
and really the Brooklyn educational system,
and New York City educational system.
(gentle music)
- A phrase that I use often for the young men
that I speak to, is that I tell them
that they are truly unique to the universe.
There are people that have your name,
there are people who look like you, they sound like you,
but they're not you.
They don't have your fingerprint.
So find your destiny, fulfill your destiny,
and you are to manifest the potential
for which you were brought here in the first place.
And I believe that,
and I try to make sure that they understand that,
and they see the uniqueness, the greatness
that they have inside of them
so that they can take that and run,
and go on and be all that they're supposed to be.
(gentle music)