STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – On a warm Thursday morning at the Williamson Theatre at the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook, 102 students graduated from three schools in the Integration Charter Schools network: Lavelle Prep, Early College, and New Ventures.
The morning started with guest speaker Michael Rainey Jr., an actor and creative producer.
“You guys have an open, diverse, and inclusive environment, surrounded by classes filled with different backgrounds, different experiences, different perspectives. And that matters: the world needs people to know how to collaborate, communicate, and lead alongside people who are different from them,” he said. “The skills will open up for you. It’s definitely a power, respect is a power, and the ability to work with each other is a power. Carry those things wherever your life takes you.”…