Bronx Academy for Multi-Media

Bronx Academy for Multi-Media (BAMM) is a middle school focused on hands-on learning in science and multimedia. Students choose from photography, multimedia film, theater, and visual arts. Classes are typically small, with about 20 to 24 students. 

Students receive small group and one-on-one help with the skills they need most. Three times a year, they take math and reading tests to check their progress. They are then placed into separate groups focused on specific skills as needed.

Once a day, students meet with teachers in groups of five to eight to catch up on class or homework assignments, during a “What I Need” period. 

Students also meet weekly with staff members in “family groups.” Some students are chosen by teachers to participate in a mentorship program called My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper. 

The school has a hands-on science and multimedia curriculum, in which students can choose between photography, multimedia film, theater and visual arts classes. A journalism club produces a student newspaper. Regents classes are offered in US History, Algebra I and Biology. 

Daily attendance is a challenge for Bronx Academy for Multi-Media; Almost half the students miss at least a month of school. The school relies on partnerships with community-based organizations to help students get to school. Staff will call and visit the homes of students that are absent for long periods.

The school also offers resources to parents, including free GED (General Educational Development) classes during weekends and evenings, and help with resumes and job applications, through a partnership with the nonprofit Graham Windham. The community is allowed to use school laptops to apply for jobs. A food pantry and “care closet” with items for the home is also available to community members. 

English as a New Language (ENL) and Special Education: Students with disabilities are placed in ICT (integrated co-teaching) classrooms with both a general education teacher and a special education teacher. There are also smaller, self-contained classes where students spend most of the day with the same teacher. 

The school has an ENL teacher for the close to one quarter of students who speak English as a second language. These students are generally placed in a separate group for focused support. 

BAMM was formerly called Hunts Point Middle School. The building is shared with Hyde Leadership Charter School. Sports teams are campus-wide and include cheerleading, co-ed flag football, basketball, volleyball and soccer. (Dashiell Allen, web reports and interview, October 2024)