Dear EVCS Families,
Welcome back to another exciting year at Elmwood Village Charter School! We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful and restful summer break. We are thrilled to have each and every one of our students and families back as we embark on a new journey together of learning and growth.
The start of the school year is always filled with anticipation and promise, and we are committed to making the 25-26 school year a truly exceptional one for our students. Our dedicated team of educators and staff have been diligently preparing to create an engaging and nurturing learning environment where your child can thrive both academically and socially.
Our focus remains the same on fostering a strong sense of community within Elmwood Village Charter School. We encourage all our families to stay involved in your child’s education by attending school events, parent-teacher conferences, and volunteering opportunities. We value your partnership and believe that open communication between home and school is vital to your child’s success. Together, we can make this school year a memorable and impactful one. We look forward to working closely with you and your family to create a positive and enriching experience for your child.
Sara Corona, Principal:
I am personally humbled and excited to step into the principal role for the 25-26 school year after serving as interim principal for the 24-25 year. I have been teaching since 2004, starting at Teach For America for the 2004-2005 school year as a Special Education teacher with their charter Las Vegas corps. Since then, I have had a variety of experiences in charter middle and high schools, leading both Advanced Placement and special education level classes, supporting student governments, coaching a variety of sports, and teaching everything from early phonics skills to high school level geometry.
I took my first role in school leadership as a Special Education Coordinator with Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, NY and later went on to help open New York City Charter School of the Arts, bringing arts-integrated instruction to middle school students in New York.
My husband and I moved our family back to Buffalo in July 2020 where I served for three years as Academy Director at Buffalo Collegiate Charter School. I proudly led the Buffalo Collegiate Charter School math team to double our NYS proficiency scores for each of those years and oversaw the adoption of restorative practices to build stronger classroom communities and cut the school’s suspension rate by a third.
I am dedicated to serving our diverse student population, looking forward to coaching our dedicated teachers, and am eager to further support such our outstanding school community.
I hope you find that I am communicative, empathetic, and passionate about supporting all our students and the broader EVCS community. I look forward to several formal and informal opportunities for us all to get to know one another better in the year to come!
Brandon Williamson, Assistant Principal: Hello EVCS Community, we’re back for another exciting school year together here at the Hertel Campus. I look forward to the great things that we’re going to be able to accomplish together this year. Over the summer I have been reflecting on how our mindsets can limit our potential. Our goal is for all of our students to learn together, grow together, and to be able to recognize a what a supportive community looks like. If we as staff, parents, and community members can set that as the foundation of our thoughts and actions, then we’ll know that we’re all moving in the same direction.
Together, we can continue to build an atmosphere that allows our students to explore the possibilities of this world. I know that true education happens with community and expression. There is a quote that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” We are that village that combines our resources and efforts to raise every child who walks through the Elmwood Village Charter School doors. We can’t do this alone, and we will continuously encourage every one of our community members to help us create the EVCS experience for our students this school year. We are all in this together and I look forward to working with you. Let’s create and grow together.
As the parent-teacher organization for the school, the Elmwood Village Charter School Community Association (CA) works to foster fellowship within the school and the larger community. Parents and guardians of EVCS students are automatically members of the CA.
The EVCS Community Associations sponsor events and fundraisers to support school activities that enrich the experiences of our community and that align with the mission of the Elmwood Village Charter Schools.
Hertel CA meetings take place either in person at 6 pm or on virtually at 7 pm.
Meeting times and days subject to change. Please read the latest Panther Press for the most updated upcoming meetings.
Meeting schedule for the 2025-2026 school year:
665 Hertel Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14207
Telephone: (716) 424-0555
Fax: (716) 464-3600
Confidential Fax Lines:
Hertel Health Office Fax: (716) 464-3560
Central Office Fax: (716) 424-0557
Human Resources Fax: (716) 424-0558
EVCS Hertel opened for instruction in September 2017 at the former Cardinal Dougherty High School with 10 acres of green space.
The building and grounds at 665 Hertel include:
As of September 2023, EVCS Hertel houses grades K through 8. The facility opened in September 2017 with 150 students (50 students per grade).
The soccer field is used by both EVCS schools for their clubs and teams.
EVCS Hertel’s Library and Media Center is staffed five days a week by a certified library and media specialist and a parent volunteer. The center houses:
In addition, each classroom has its own classroom library and a classroom cart of computers for student use. Grades K-8 have a permanently mounted Promethean Interactive Board in each classroom.