Raquel Nolasco

Principal, Hillside Arts and Letters Academy

Queens, New York

Fellow

Raquel Nolasco is the Principal of Hillside Arts and Letters Academy (HALA), a high school in Jamaica, New York. An educator for over 16 years, and a youth advocate and mentor for over 18, her passion and motivation are rooted in her belief that all young people can and want to, learn.

Raquel began her career as a special education teacher in her hometown of Bushwick, Brooklyn. She wrote and was awarded a $1.2 million grant to fund programs geared toward preparing students for post-secondary opportunities.

In 2010, Raquel joined HALA as a founding member and special education teacher. She was instrumental in establishing the new school in a culturally diverse community, garnering the respect, and admiration of students and staff alike. In 2011, she was appointed its first Assistant Principal, and in 2015, she became the Principal.

Raquel’s commitment to addressing implicit bias and disproportionality to close the achievement gap has resulted in significant increases in College and Career Readiness, from 29 percent in 2016-2017 to 87 percent in 2018-2019. Graduation rates have consistently risen from 82 percent in 2016 to 91 percent in 2019 and 2020.

Raquel spearheaded equity initiatives, enlisting HALA students and staff to create a more equitable, inclusive, and safe school environment. Under her visionary leadership, HALA has become a model of meaningful equity work, targeting disproportionality in disciplinary procedures and achievement outcomes. Raquel has emerged as a leader and proponent of equitable practices collaborating with and gaining the recognition of, district and City leaders.

Gabrielle Almodoval

Assistant Principal, Hillside Arts and Letters Academy

Queens, New York

ALLY

Gabrielle Almodoval started her career as a History teacher, and through the years made it a priority to meet the needs of the students she served. Even as an Assistant Principal, Gabrielle enjoys jumping into the classroom and working with students who need support. Gabrielle has pioneered an initiative to promote growth in teachers' understanding of the whole child. She engineered a holistic writing assessment to foster new thinking for her teachers and students. The assessment allowed teachers to assess students on a holistic basis and have rich discussions about the students’ writing and critical thinking abilities and levels. Teachers from all subject areas were able to grapple with writing rubrics, and more clearly see the value of literacy across all subject matters. Teachers who rarely had the opportunity to collaborate were able to discuss where these literacy skills differed and overlapped, thus enhancing their approach to lesson and curriculum design.

During Gabrielle Almodoval’s time at Hillside Arts and Letters Academy, she has been charged with leading school discipline and intervention. This aspect of her job at times has the potential to be the most challenging, and yet has proven to be the work that has kept her sharp. Gabrielle’s approach to discipline has always been to approach students who have a need, or a skill that needs to be learned. No matter the infraction, students can always expect to be met with respect, fairness, and an opportunity to make amends with those they have impacted.