Lower East Side Prep High School
About the iMentor Partnership
iMentor’s partnership with Lower East Side Preparatory School began in 2003 with 17 pairs. Now in our sixth year with LESP, we have grown our partnership to serve hundreds of students! LESP is a second chance alternative high school serving a student population where over 90% of the students are recent Asian immigrants and are between the ages of 17-21. Many mentees at LESP look forward to participating in iMentor because it offers them a practical and enjoyable way to practice their English writing skills, and many students have told us that their mentors are their “first American friends!”
In addition to engaging in a rigorous college-focused academic curriculum, mentees at LESP are actively learning English. Mentors matched here can look forward to watching students’ language and college-readiness skills improve through their regular correspondence. Such correspondence, alongside frequent in-person meetings, can also go a long way in helping LESP mentees manage potential culture shock and better acclimate to life in New York City. Moreover, LESP mentees are particularly interested in learning more about American office culture and steps to employment. As a result, iMentor’s regard for the personal, academic (English), and career-related growth of all of our pairs comprehensively addresses the needs of our LESP participants.
Travel Directions
By Subway:
J,M,Z to Essex; or F to Delancey
Walk two blocks North on Essex Street. Make a right on Stanton Street. Walk one block east, crossing Norfolk Street. LESP is Between Norfolk and Suffolk. Use the entrance on the corner of Stanton and Norfolk Streets.
About Lower East Side Prep (LESP)
Lower East Side Preparatory High School (LESP) is a safe, orderly, friendly and multicultural learning environment. We are a small community that provides transfer students many learning opportunities through academic programs, community support services, character building and real world experiences.
LESP is a school where everyone takes responsibility for learning. Our monolingual and bilingual students share learning experiences that contribute to their academic and personal achievement. It is a professional learning community where teachers, administrators and students all demonstrate high expectations and standards.
Fun Facts
- Most LESP students have lived in the United States for two years or less.
- LESP students have the option to take a wide range of after-school activities, including documentary video production, ping pong, SAT prep, ballroom dance, and origami.
- The past two LESP senior class presidents have been iMentor mentees!
