Regis Holds Fifth Annual REACH Appreciation Day

For more than two decades, the REACH Program at Regis High School has empowered high-achieving Catholic middle-school boys with significant financial need and from underserved communities to participate in an entirely tuition-free high school preparatory program through which they develop skills needed to earn scholarships and be successful at top Catholic high schools in New York City.

On Wednesday, August 17, we invited the wider Regis community to celebrate our fifth annual REACH Appreciation Day in support of our students, dedicated staff, and our Graduate Support Program – now in its fifth year of providing a robust support network for both REACH alumni and current REACH students as they transition from middle school to high school.

Since REACH was founded, we have welcomed gifts of any size and those gifts enable us to achieve our important mission, increase students served, and expand programming. To make a gift directly to REACH, please visit regis.org/GiveToReach or donate by Venmo and note REACH in the comments. For more information or assistance making a gift to REACH, please contact the Development Office at [email protected] or 212-288-1142.

A Conversation with Prince Hunt

REACH Graduate Support Director Prince Hunt Regis '16 (REACH Class of 2012) sat down with Vice President for Development James Kennedy '02 this week for a wide-ranging conversation about the program. The first REACH alumnus to serve as a full-time REACH administrator, Hunt discusses how REACH shaped him, why he decided to work in education, and the inspiring work he does to support REACH graduates throughout their lives.

REACH Highlights

Tuition
There is no cost to any student to enroll in the REACH Program.

Commitment
Students spend 37 of their summer days in an intensive leadership and academic summer program. The first three weeks are a residential learning academy at either Fordham University of University of Scranton. The second three weeks are comprised of a day program at Regis High School. Students also commit to 21 Saturdays of additional learning during the school year.

Student Profile
REACH annually enrolls approximately 160 middle school students who come from a variety of grammar schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City, with another handful commuting from Long Island and Westchester. From a program of less than 100 students in the early years, REACH expanded by 50% to serve 150 students in 2016, and this summer (2022) serves 192 students across four grade levels – a record number of students served.

All REACH families demonstrate significant financial need. 88% of the newly admitted students (84% of all REACH students) are from low and very low-income families (per HUD data). 93% of current REACH students are students of color and over half speak a language other than English at home.

Program Updates and Student Achievements

  • Because we serve more students and have increased programming, the REACH budget this year is just over $1 million for the first time, increasing by almost 12% over last year’s budget.
  • This summer’s program has 192 students from four grades participating over the full six weeks, and three of the four grades – 133 students – attending the University of Scranton residential session, including 39 rising 9th grade students.
  • Summer 2022 also marks the second year of a more robust Fourth Year program. Previously, 8th grade REACH graduates attended a three-week day program for high school readiness. Now, 8th grade REACH graduates attend a full six-week summer program, including a residential component, which prepares them for high school, both academically and socially.
  • REACH graduates attend Regis, Fordham Prep, Xavier High School, The Loyola School, Cristo Rey High School, Archbishop Molloy High School (our “core high schools”), and other top Catholic high schools. Ninety-seven percent of graduates have won a scholarship or financial aid award from these schools. Since 2016, REACH has placed an average of 42 students each year at a core high school.
  • Breaking a record, almost $3.6 million in four-year scholarships and financial aid was awarded to REACH Class of 2022 graduates up from $3.5 million for Class of 2020 and $2.6 million for Class of 2021.
  • The REACH Class of 2022 will see 19 students matriculate at Regis, 9 students will matriculate at Fordham Prep, 8 to Xavier, 3 to Cristo Rey, 1 to Loyola School, 1 to Archbishop Molloy, 1 to St. Peter’s and 2 to public school.
  • There will be 70 REACH graduates at Regis for the upcoming school year, up from 68 last year. Many graduates of REACH get involved as staff members or return as Counselors and Collegians during the summer. Currently, 28 REACH Alums are serving as summer program staff (out of 39 total).
  • REACH Class of 2018 students are all going on to one of 23 colleges, including Cornell, Fairfield University, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Princeton, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Three are Questbridge Scholars going to Northwestern, Princeton and the University of Chicago.
  • This past May, Regis hosted the third annual “REACH College Signing Day”, a ceremony at Regis recognizing and celebrating the college destinations for all our Class of 2018 REACH graduates. This is just one example of the good work led by the REACH Graduate Support, Prince Hunt REACH ‘12 Regis’16, who runs this significant program addition in its fifth year that provides no-cost academic, social, and high school and college guidance support to all REACH graduates no matter what high school they attend or attended.
  • As of REACH Summer Celebration on Friday, August 19, the REACH Alumni network will be almost 570 strong.
  • The first REACH Alumnus was named to the Regis Board of Trustees in 2021: Matt Ulloa (REACH ’05, Regis ’09, University of Delaware ’13). Brian Reyes (REACH ’13, Regis ’17, Yale ’21) is the first Regis graduate to be named a Rhodes Scholar to pursue studies at Oxford University.

Learn More About REACH

To learn even more about the REACH, browse the REACH website or read these past articles on the program:

Thank You!

Thank you so much for your ongoing interest in and support of the REACH Program. If you have any questions or need assistance in making a gift to REACH, please contact the Development Office at [email protected] or 212-288-1142.

Posted: 8/16/22
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