YLA developments continue to strengthen school and ensure academic excellence
The YMCA Young Leaders Academy Charter School announced today the promotion of Trina Gandy to Principal of the YMCA Young Leaders Academy (YLA) effective immediately. Ms. Gandy’s responsibilities will include managing the day-to-day operations of the school.
Ms. Gandy was one of the first YLA faculty members when the school opened its doors 10 years ago, and she has played an integral role in the school’s tremendous success over the past decade. She holds two master’s degrees and is currently pursuing her doctorate at UWMadison. In addition to her experience as a classroom teacher, Trina has served in various school administration roles. During Ms. Gandy’s tenure as Dean of Academic Affairs, the test scores for YLA students increased every year. Most recently, Trina has served as an assistant principal to Ronn Johnson, where she has excelled in managing the school’s day-to-day operations.
“For the past ten years our YMCA Young Leaders Academy is committed to educating students through a rigorous curriculum, by setting high expectations and by implementing a character-based approach to learning,” said Ronn Johnson, Vice President of Charter Education for the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. “We have the utmost confidence that Ms. Gandy will drive continued success for YLA and enhance what already is a stellar reputation for our charter school.”
The promotion of Ms. Gandy will allow Ronn Johnson to focus his time and energy on his role as the Vice President of Charter Education for the Y. Mr. Johnson’s reputation as an experienced and effective educator positions him extremely well to lead the Y’s strategy in charter education, to deliver the best in curriculum enhancements and to ensure our students are performing at the highest levels in the state.
YLA will celebrate Ms. Gandy’s promotion with the YLA community at a special transitions ceremony on Wednesday, February 12 at 1 p.m. in the YLA Gymnasium.
The Young Leaders Academy is one of the higher performing elementary schools in the city of Milwaukee with 93 percent of the eighth grade students performing at the proficient or advanced level in reading and 63 percent in mathematics. Students attending YLA consistently outperform their peers in the Milwaukee Public Schools. Overall combined students in scored at 80 percent in reading proficiency and 71 percent mathematics proficiency.
The YMCA Young Leaders Academy is a public, free charter school serving children in grades K4 through 8. The unique culture of YLA helps students achieve academic success while developing strong leaders.
