brBrianCarty

Brother Brian Carty, FSC began his teaching career at the Monsignor Kelly School, an experimental school that had opened in 1965. The Monsignor Kelly School provided inner-city boys with a multi-ethnic environment and trained its students to strive for academic excellence leadership. and social commitment. He became principal in 1969. In 1970, Brother Brian received his masters degree in counseling psychology from NYU. When the Archdiocese closed the Monsignor Kelly School in 1972 because of financial difficulties Brother Brian spent eight years working at Lincoln Hall, a residential treatment center for court-placed juvenile delinquents, and three years teaching social work at the College of New Rochelle. In 1979, Brother Brian earned his second masters degree, this one in social work administration from Columbia University.

In 1981, while still teaching at New Rochelle, he started Saturday and summer programs for academically talented boys and girls from public and parochial schools in the South Bronx. At the same time, he began raising the necessary seed money to establish a full-time school program. In 1984, armed with the initial financial assistance from Monsignor Kelly alumni, family, friends, and supporters, Brother Brian resurrected the Kelly School concept by founding De La Salle Academy as a private, independent school for 6th through 8th grades. Brother Brian found space for the school on the top floor of Holy Name School, on Amsterdam Avenue between 96th and 97th Streets.

While not a Catholic school, De La Salle encourages all its students to embrace their faith heritage and every day begins with a simple prayer – “Living God, You dwell in the inmost silence of my soul. Open me inward to You and outward to those I meet today. Keep me aware of Your presence and power in me. Help me to infect everyone I meet today with freedom and joy. Remind me throughout the day that I am not alone.”

Since its founding, De La Salle has provided a high-quality education to over 1,100 academically talented girls and boys from low-income families. Brother Brian’s vision has created a unique place, mirroring the essence of New York City: a multi-racial, multi-ethnic environment where each child’s individual gifts are celebrated. This includes the gift of his/her ethnic heritage. Two-thirds of the students are first generation Americans. Each student is encouraged to bring to De La Salle a piece of his/her culture. In addition to providing a rigorous academic environment, an important part of De La Salle’s role is to teach a sense of social responsibility and to stress the need for leadership for students from the inner city. The school emphasizes that academically talented students have an obligation to return their gifts to their community, regardless of the professions and occupations they may enter. Students are encouraged to take responsibi lity for each other and help each other out when needed. Community service is encouraged among all students, and many volunteer both within the school community and at local community organizations. That these lessons in what “community” means is not lost through their subsequent education, more than 70 alumni are working in the field of education with numerous others becoming doctors, social workers, and government workers, and several serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations.

While still serving as Principal of De La Salle, in 2003 Brother Biran founded George Jackson Academy, a private, independent school for academically talented boys in grades four to eight on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village. Modeled after De La Salle Academy, George Jackson aims to reach young male students sooner, to give them a positive influence and direction, before the tough inner city neighborhoods can shape them.

Still serving as the Chair of the Board for George Jackson, Brother Brian also serves as Chair of the Board of the Franciscan Community Center, a multi-service social service agency, which he co-founded in 1991 to serve the poor people on the Upper West Side. He also serves on the Boards of the Summerbridge Program at Riverdale Country School, the Summer on the Hill Program at Horace Mann, St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s, Notre Dame School and is a trustee of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. He is also a Trustee of NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools). In 2008 Brother Brian he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Probably most important, both schools he founded have been exceptionally successful and their graduates attend the best high schools in the city as well as the best boarding schools on the East Coast.