(Miami, Florida) – May 12, 2025 – Sallie B. Howard School has won a $20,000 grant after being recognized as a “model charter school” during the fourth annual Building Hope IMPACT Summit & Awards in Miami, FL last week.
The prize was announced at an awards gala on May 7 following a heartfelt “IMPACT Talk” delivered by SBH Founder and Executive Director, Dr. JoAnne Woodard, to an audience of charter school leaders, bankers and real estate developers. Also attending the Summit was SBH Director of Instruction, Pratibha Rani and Chief Communications Officer, Saptosa Foster.
SBH is one of 12 IMPACT Award winners recognized for its outstanding contributions to the charter school community across the nation. The winning schools were divided among four award categories: Student Empowerment, Community Engagement, Educational Innovation and S. Joseph Bruno Model Charter Leadership.
A $20,000 grant and two $10,000 grants in each of the four categories was awarded, with SBH winning the top grant in the Model Charter Leadership category. Notably, a North Carolina charter school won in each category.
The 12 winners for 2025 are:
Joseph Bruno Charter Leadership Award
Sallie B. Howard School of Arts & Science, Wilson, North Carolina
East Mountain High School, Sandia Park, New Mexico
SouthTech Schools, Boynton Beach, Florida
Community Engagement Award
Island Montessori, Wilmington, North Carolina
Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Middleburg Community Charter School, Middleburg, Virginia
Educational Innovation Award
Mālama Honua Public Charter School, Waimanalo, Hawaii
Le Monde International School, Norman, Oklahoma
Reaching All Minds Academy, Durham, North Carolina
Student Empowerment Award
Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies, Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Avalon School, St. Paul, Minnesota
Polaris Charter Academy, Chicago, Illinois
Building Hope is a national nonprofit that empowers advancements in education through their work with charter schools providing facility financing, real estate development, and operational services.
WATCH DR. WOODARD’S SPEECH!
About Sallie B. Howard School of Arts & Science
Sallie B. Howard School of Arts & Science, a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School, is a free, public charter school founded in 1997 in Wilson, N.C. that serves 1,200 students in grades K-12. Named after the legendary author, educator, playwright and actress Sallie Baldwin Howard, SBHS is dedicated to ensuring that every child – privileged or underprivileged – gets the kind of education that will allow them to become more than they ever thought they would be. With a performing arts-based curriculum, a study abroad program that has brought hundreds of children to nearly all 7 continents, a culturally diverse faculty and student body, and the addition of a high school, Sallie B. Howard School is preparing its students to become 21st century industry leaders both locally and globally.
Media Contact:
Saptosa Foster – Chief Communications Officer | Sallie B. Howard School of Arts & Science
sfoster@sallieb.net – 252-293-4150
