Meet Gina DiSipio of Hirsch Academy in South Scottsdale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina DiSipio.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there
I spent almost ten years teaching in public schools and two years teaching in a private school, but I have always wanted to be part of an equitable educational system. One that is providing the same high quality, rigorous education in areas of poverty as in the middle or upper-class communities. I found that several charter schools were accomplishing this, and I wanted to be a part of it. In 2011, I found Pioneer Preparatory in Maryvale where I taught four years. Then, in 2015, I was part of the founding team of a sister school, Ethos Academy in Glendale. As an Academic Coach for Ethos Academy, I stepped out of my comfort zone of teaching to find ways to help all of the teachers be able to support their students, all while holding the same high expectations that I held in my own classroom. This experience of being able to support hundreds of students, rather than just those in my own classroom, opened my eyes to the positive effect that school administration can have.

In May of 2018, I was honored to join Hirsch Academy as the School Director in hopes of being the moving force that transforms the school. For several years before my administration, the school was struggling to retain quality teachers and to provide the high academic rigor that the community deserved. With the right amount of student and teacher support, as well as several staffing changes that were put in place, Hirsch Academy was able to grow from a ‘D’ school to an ‘A’ school in just one academic year.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, the road has been fairly smooth. I have always had a clear vision and a great support system to achieve my dreams. I have had several excellent mentors along the way who have been crucial to my success.

The biggest struggle of transforming a school is the preconceived notion that what it was, is what it will always be. It was necessary that everyone on my team believed in my vision and had faith in the process. It can be hard to see the finish line, but you have to trust that your team will help you get there. The team that I put together to help me with the transformation of Hirsch Academy had tremendous grit and they trusted the process. It was not an easy adjustment for some, but the obvious change that was occurring, and effort and perseverance from the students helped the staff to see that it would all be worth it in the end.

Please tell us about your business.
We are an ‘A’ rated free charter school in south Scottsdale, located inside the Paiute Community Center. We are a Title 1 school that provides a high-quality educational experience for every child. We are unique in that we know that every child learns at a different pace and needs different amounts of support. We have small class sizes, highly qualified teachers and we provide small group and 1:1 instruction opportunities every day.

We are a small school that prides ourselves on getting to know all of the students and encourages all of their strengths while providing a wide range of support for areas that are more of a struggle. Utilizing the Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum we embed many social studies and science concepts through our non-fiction reading units, and Singapore Math allows children to experience math in a visual and hands-on manner. Our daily Special Areas include STEM, Art, PE and Performing Arts and we offer free after school music classes.

We provide free after school tutoring and clubs to make the school experience one that meets everyone’s needs & interests. We work with our families to create a true partnership to educate the whole child. Some examples of our community partnerships are the Quarterly Parent Meetings, the annual Academic Family Game Night, our Social/Emotional Parenting series, and our Fall and Spring Festivals. We are also proud to partner with organizations like Operation School Bell, Shoes that Fit, The Lions Club, Partners for Paiute, Act One and the Arizona Theater Company, to provide so many exciting opportunities for our students and that support our families.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have had so many proud moments as an educator, but my proudest moment as a School Director is when I started to see the students of Hirsch Academy setting and achieving their own goals that led them to transform the school into one that is “A’ rated. The students always had the ability, they just needed to the right level of attention to both support their areas of need and challenge them. To see the hard work of my team of educators as well as the students this past year has been my proudest moment.

Pricing:

• Free Charter School
• Serving K-5 ( increasing to K-6 in 2020-2021 school year)
• Free transportation, free after school tutoring and free breakfast& lunch

Contact Info:

• Address:
  6535 E Osborn Rd. Suite 401
  Scottsdale, AZ 85251
• Website: https://hirsch.teamcfa.school/
• Phone: 480 488-9362
• Email: gdisipio@hirschaz.org
• Facebook: Hirsch Academy – CFA

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