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Wheelock College to Honor Education Leader and Advocate at 2014 Commencement

On Friday, May 16, 2014, David C. Banks of Teaneck, New Jersey, will deliver the 2014 Graduate Commencement address at Wheelock College’s graduation ceremony celebrating the theme, “Innovation. Access. Opportunity.”  Banks, the President and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation, will be honored for his influential work increasing access to quality education for children and youth. 

“We are thrilled to be honoring David C. Banks, who shares an unwavering commitment to our mission of improving the lives of children and families,” said Wheelock President Jackie Jenkins-Scott. “Our Commencement theme truly reflects his life’s work as a passionate advocate for scholarship, opportunity and equality. I am deeply impressed and inspired by the Eagle Academy graduates who are making a difference as Wheelock students and graduates."

Wheelock College and Eagle Academy have had a long relationship, with five Eagle Academy graduates having attended Wheelock since 2009.

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 Mr. Banks is the founding principal of the Eagle Academy for Young Men, the first school in a network of innovative all-boys public schools in New York City. Since opening in 2004, the Eagle Academy family has grown to include a total of three schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and is expanding its vision to Newark and other cities in the United States.

Eagle Academy is based on the belief that a nurturing institution which believes that excellence, both in character and scholarship, opens doors and provides a bridge to equality. The Eagle Academies represent a partnership between students, school staff, parents, mentors and community partners, who are all committed to the guiding principles of academic excellence, leadership and character development. Since its inception, Eagle Academy has graduated young men who are making a difference in their communities and in the nation.

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Prior to his roles at Eagle, Mr. Banks served as Founding Principal of The Bronx School for Law, Government & Justice. This theme-based high school provided a unique opportunity for him to combine his law and education backgrounds. During his tenure, Mr. Banks helped spearhead a community-wide effort to secure a permanent home for the school. As a result, Bronx Law is now housed in a $75-million, state-of-the-art facility, representing an unprecedented partnership between the criminal justice community and an inner-city high school.

Mr. Banks is a graduate of Rutgers University and received his Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University.

Wheelock will host two commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 16, 2014. The morning ceremony, featuring a keynote speech from Howard K. Koh, will celebrate undergraduate seniors at Temple Israel (477 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA) at 10am. The afternoon ceremony, featuring a keynote speech from David C. Banks, will honor graduate level students at the Wheelock Family Theatre (180 The Riverway, Boston, MA) at 3pm. For more information visit: www.wheelock.edu/commencement.




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