History
Founded by a group of Catholic lay people, Nativity opened its doors in the fall of 2000 to twelve 5th and 6th grade boys from low income families from the greater New Bedford area. Executive Director Barry Hynes, a former teacher at Nativity Mission School in New York and founder of Nativity Preparatory School of Boston, responded to the request of a sponsoring foundation to start such a school in New Bedford. He recruited a principal with teaching experience at Nativity Boston and, with three mission-driven teachers committed to working six days and evenings a week as classroom teachers, coaches, janitors, advisors, and office staff, worked to adapt the Nativity model to New Bedford. This highly committed volunteer model remains a pillar of the school’s success today.
The school has added 7th and 8th grades, and now has an enrollment of 55 students. Sixty-four boys have graduated; almost all are currently enrolled in high school or college. Many Nativity Prep graduates have gone to Bishop Stang High School, others have gone to Deerfield Academy, Groton School, St. Paul’s School, Tabor Academy, Boston College High School, Greater New Bedford Regional Voc-Tech High School, Bristol County Agricultural High School, and New Bedford High School. The school building (formerly the YWCA) had been adapted to meet the classroom and extra-curricular needs of the program.
No tuition is charged. Rather, funds are raised through contributions from friends, sponsors, corporations and foundations. Following the Nativity model, the operating budget is small, as all teachers receive only room, board, health insurance and a modest stipend. Most work for one or two years; some stay longer.
While rooted in Jesuit traditions, the school has no diocesan affiliation; students, teachers and staff come from a variety of faith backgrounds. The students are not required to study a single catechism but are exposed to the history and development of a diversity of faiths as a base for understanding values and ethical behavior. Service to community is a part of our heritage and permeates the culture of the school.
Our model offers a life-changing experience through educational enrichment to committed and promising young men of New Bedford. We emphasize the responsibility to give back to their community, and instill in the students a goal to return as teachers one day. To that end, we have recently instituted a graduate support program that encourages recent alumni to return for evening study and monitors the academic progress of our graduates.