Nation's first basketball high school holds ribbon cutting ceremony in the Bronx
THE BRONX (WABC) -- The nation's first specialty high school for basketball hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Bronx Wednesday.
The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School opened its doors on August 30 to its inaugural freshman class of 110 boys and girls of color.
The school is named after the Hall of Famer who helped to lead the New York Knicks to their last championship in 1972-73.
Students are taught the usual school subjects like math, language arts, science, and history, but there's also specialized coursework such as nutrition, uniform design, coaching, marketing, journalism, and player representation.
The charter school, which will eventually teach a student body of 440, is a passion project eight years in the making from Brooklyn-raised filmmaker Dan Klores.
The school has attracted support from major companies like Nike.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the ribbon cutting and had a message for the students.
The Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School is being housed in a temporary site at Our Lady of the Assumption Church on Parkview Avenue.
Construction for its permanent home, a 60,000 square foot, five-story building in the Mott Haven section is set to begin during the winter, and open no later than August 2024.
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