Gabriella Charter School
School founder Liza Bercovici lets students into a classroom at Gabriella Charter School, named in memory of her daughter. “Liza is the special sauce,” said Principal Rhonda Czapla Sivaraman. “She is so passionate about our mission -- getting children opportunities in art, not to make them artists, but to make themselves better.” (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)
Eighth-graders practice contemporary dance. The philosophy is that students aren’t just learning an art form in dance, they’re burning energy and building confidence that carries over into other subjects. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)
Eighth-grader Lydia Lopez goes through her paces in contemporary dance class. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)
Michael Garcia, a member of the sixth-grade jazz dance class, stretches before class. One male student who transferred from a regular school commented, “My first reaction was, ‘Ballet?’ I thought I was going to have to wear tutus. But it’s not that bad. It’s interesting to get to do something I didn’t used to do.” (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times)