The Hurley K–8 public school is a Spanish-English immersion school located in Boston’s South End. At the Hurley, we challenge students to learn in two languages and achieve academic excellence in both. Hurley’s hallmarks are a committed, talented teaching staff, an intensive language arts curriculum, a dedication to math and science fluency, a strong commitment to the arts and an innovative afterschool program that egages our children in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

• The Hurley currently enrolls approximately 350 students.
• We have 18 classroom teachers as well as para-professionals in grades K1–2nd.
• Enrichment programming including visual art, performing arts, woodworking, music, library science, physical education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) enlivens the school day.
• Over half our families speak Spanish as a first language.
• Hurley parents raise more than $100K a year from the community to support our programs.
• We have a state-of-the-art turf field which is used by the students during gym, recess and afterschool.
• Our Bodega de Arte afterschool program offers a variety of clubs, enrichment programs and academic help to extend our school day.
• Although more than half our students test into Advanced Work programs each year, very few parents choose to leave the Hurley — they know their children will receive a richer education here.

The Hurley School building is welcoming with 18 sunny classrooms and 4 active community spaces including our Dones Memorial Library, which seats 40 and houses a collection of over 5,000 books in both English and Spanish, and desktop computers for on-line research through the school’s wireless internet access. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Lab hosts 16 computers and provides space for innovative programs such as robotics and a woodworking course taught by faculty from the Eliot School of Fine Arts. We recently updated our auditorium, a performing arts venue for visiting musicians and actors, as well as a stage for our students to express their creativity in drama and music classes. Finally, the “Cafe Gym” serves two functions. It is a home to our gym classes as well as indoor play during the winter months, it boasts basketball hoops at all heights. With its fold-down tables and chairs, it also functions as a communal lunch space for grades 1-8.

The Hurley has 2 state-of-the-art outdoor play areas. Our play yard, affectionately known as “the Park,” was renovated in 1999 through the Boston Schoolyard Initiative(link is external) and includes modern play structures, an amphitheater and a communal garden cared for by a dedicated group of parents. Our artificial turf playing field — created in 2008 and replacing a dismal parking lot —provides an outdoor space for gym class, as well as a wildly popular space for our students to run and just be kids.

The Hurley takes great pride in its teachers, all of whom bring valuable expertise, dedication, and a love of children. At the Hurley, teachers work in teams in many areas: by grade, by subject matter, and by area of focus. Hurley teachers view themselves as part of a learning community, and regularly share feedback, best practices, and teaching innovations.

I was born in Puerto Rico. I completed my bachelor's degree in elementary education at State University of New York and my master's degree in ESL at Universidad Interamericana in Puerto Rico. One of my passions, besides gardening and walking on the beach, is to teach kids how to read. I am an Orton-Gillingham licensed reading specialist.

I am part of the 1st grade team. I’m the coach and coordinator for our Sole Train team (4th-8thgrade) I got my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Elementary Education from Northeastern University, and a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Simmons College (now Simmons University). My favorite things to teach are the literacy units Ms. Colón and I created a few years ago. I really enjoy teaching about the biomes, habitats and animals, especially since we get to bring in skulls and bones for students to observe some of the animals we read about in class. My favorite quote is "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" ~Albus Dumbledore, J.K. Rowling.

I’m part of the 1st grade team. I coach our 6-8th grade soccer team, and 4th-8th grade SoleTrain team. I attended Boston College and Boston University but my home is Puerto Rico. I’m a true believer that a smile and a hug can change the world.

I began teaching 4th grade at the Hurley in 2001. I teach reading, writing, math, and social studies in English. I graduated from UMass Amherst in 2000 with a sociology degree and received my graduate degree from Tufts in education. I’m most passionate about teaching writing, but I love teaching all subjects because it allows me to get to know students in different ways. Fun fact: my husband proposed to me in my classroom, room 201, the last day before winter vacation in 2009...in front of all of my students and a crowd of Hurley onlookers that had accumulated as word spread like wildfire. A parent showed up that afternoon with a bottle of champagne! The Hurley is my second home.

I graduated from Boston College. I love teaching math.One of my favorite memories was hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and finally reaching the Sun Gate and seeing Machu Picchu in the distance!

aka Ms. P. I teach 7th and 8th grade Humanities in both English and Spanish. I coach Debate League and Soccer. I went to school at UMASS Amherst and Lesley University.I love to teach writing-both conveying ideas about how to change the world we live in and self-expression. A fun fact is that Ms. Sullivan and I were co-captains of our high school soccer team.

I am part of our Special Education team, grades K-8 (we take them all). I went to Elementary and High school in California.  I got my bachelor's degree at Suffolk University and my Masters at Lesley. My favorite thing to teach is phonics and I love supporting the Middle school teachers with the class novels. I own over 100 copies of Alice in Wonderland. My favorite quote is "The best way to explain it is to do it" from Alice in Wonderland"La mejor manera, para explicarlo es hacerlo"

I am part of the administrative team. I have been teaching for over twenty years, the last ten within the Boston Public School system. I was trained as a Reading Recovery teacher through Lesley University and that is when my love for Literacy Instruction fully developed. My first language is Portuguese, though I only tend to use it now when I am with my family, which is not often enough! I have two children ages 4 and 3, Eleanor and Theo respectively. While I am not teaching or mommy-ing, I love to be in nature, travel, cook, read, spend time with family and friends, and watch anything that makes me laugh!

The Hurley is proud to be a thriving neighborhood school actively supported by the South End community. The school carefully selects partners that enhance the curriculum and meet its high academic standards.

Neighborhood Partners

Since 2003, the Neighborhood Parents for the Hurley School (NPHS) has been our primary funding partner, working closely with the school to supplement its academic and artistic programming and renovate its facilities. With the goal of making the Hurley the best K–8 school in the city and a model for an integrated urban education, NPHS organizes annual fundraisers, writes grants, and solicits private donations.

The surrounding Worcester Street neighborhood and South End community have also played an important role in our history. In the late 1990s, Worcester Street residents and the Hurley Blocks Neighborhood Association worked with the school to spearhead a $500,000 fundraising effort to improve the Hurley grounds. With funding and support from the Browne Fund, the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, the Boston Parks Department, City Year, the South End Land Trust, Boston Cares, area businesses and universities, and scores of South End neighbors like West Concord Street resident and Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, the school received a new playground, outdoor plaza, amphitheater, and landscaped garden.

Program Partners

We are also greatful to count among our supporters a wide range of local foundations, businesses, and organizations that provide enrichment programming and support for Hurley students and teachers. These include:

• Big Sister Association supports and empowers our female 2nd-8th grade scholars through one on one school-based mentoring.
• Boston Ballet’s Citydance offers our third graders the opportunity for exposure to many dance forms at Boston Ballet.
• Boston Partners in Education provides trained volunteers as academic classroom mentors through Power Lunch, and brings us inspiring guests through their Big Cheese Speaker Series.
• Boston Plan for Excellence brings us highly-talented, diverse teachers through their Boston Teacher Residency.
• Boston University Initiative for Literacy Development (BUILD) provides literacy tutors for our afterschool program.
• Camp Burgess, YMCA, is our off site adventure for 4th and 5th grader’s overnight of team building, outdoor fun and appreciation for the environment.
• Camp Wing at Crossroads for Kids strengthens our middle school community through a rich and inspiring annual overnight visit.
• Children’s Art Center at USES offers afterschool arts programming for our clubs.
• Community Music Center of Boston, provides instrumental and vocal music instruction during the school day for grades 3-5.
• Cone, Inc. provides corporate volunteers committed to making weekly classroom visits to help students on an individual basis.
• Coyote Theatre, Emerson College, brings their Playwriting Program to our 4th and 5th grade students annually.
• Ellis Memorial provides out of school services to families.
• The Eliot School of Fine Arts provides woodworking classes (in Spanish) to our students.
• Flour, South End, provides us with nourishment for monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings - open to all.
• The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum is a year-long language arts curriculum for 6th grade Scholars to examine courage in their lives.
• The Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Urban Voices provides music and vocal instruction during the school day for grades K1-2.
• MIT’s Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems brings science instruction to our after school program.
• Museum of Fine Arts encourages exploration in Spanish of the MFA’s world-renowned collections and exhibitions through classroom and museum visits.
• Museum of Science makes informative and fun classroom visits to encourage maximum learning on field trip day.
• New England Aquarium supplements our science curriculum with field trips and enriching materials for our classrooms.
• New England Conservatory of Music presents musical workshops and on-site as well as off-site professional performances.
• Northeastern University supports our science curriculum with Science Ambassadors as classroom assistants, and provides our faculty with talented teachers in training.
• Open Circle, Wellesley College, builds cohesive classroom community in grades K-5 through a year-long comprehensive social and emotional learning program.
• Playworks impacts our school environment through safe, healthy, inclusive play and physical activity for students, Junior Coach leadership training and conflict resolution skill building.
• Project ALERTA, UMass Boston, provides afterschool support to Latino students.
• Strong Women Strong Girls, Northeastern University, creates rich relationships with role models and mentors for girls in elementary grades.
• Time to Invent, WGBH, supports our STEM programming with an innovative afterschool curriculum for 5th graders.
• Twig, South End FLoral Design Studio, assists with the Hurley garden.
• Villa Victoria Center for Latino Arts (IBA) extends our cultural enrichment offerings through performances of local and international artists.
• YMCA of Greater Boston, is a lead partner in our afterschool program, Bodega de Arte.
• Young Audiences of Massachusetts provides on-location performance assemblies based on School standards.