By: Richard L. Smith
(A monthly series following the Rita L. Owens Steam Academy -first ever graduation class- all the way through to graduation)
The morning I walked into Rita L. Owens STEAM Academy this September, I knew I was witnessing the start of something special.
The building carried a hum of energy, not just because it was the first week of school, but because this would be the first year the academy sees its seniors march across a graduation stage.
At the center of it all, Principal Tyisha Bennett was already at a whiteboard, working through a math problem with students. 
She wasn’t delegating from a distance; she was in the lesson with them. That scene told me everything about the culture here: leadership through presence, through action, through teaching.
“We don’t just hand students a schedule,” she told me later. “I built every senior schedule myself because I want to know each student’s story. If I know where you’re headed, engineering, military, medical, or beyond, I can make sure you have what you need now. Walking across the stage is important, but being ready to compete after you leave here; that’s the mission.”
That mission has taken four years to shape. When the school first opened in 2022 with just 75 students, there were doubts, could a brand-new STEAM school in Irvington really prepare kids to thrive at the level of top programs across New Jersey?
Superintendent Dr. April Vauss and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Matin Adegboyega set the bar high: build a rigorous program that gives Irvington’s students no reason to look elsewhere.
Now, in 2025, the proof is here. What began with one AP course has expanded to seven. Many seniors are taking three or four AP classes along with one or two dual-enrollment courses, earning college credits at schools like NJIT, Essex County College, Saint Elizabeth University, and Hudson County Community College.
These are not symbolic offerings, they are hard courses designed to stretch students, and Principal Bennett beams with pride when she talks about how many have embraced the challenge.
“I know my kids,” she said. “One senior wants to be an engineer but hadn’t taken physics yet. That’s not something I could let happen. We had to make sure physics was on his track, because no matter what kind of engineering you want to do, physics shows up. My responsibility is to make sure no student leaves here unprepared.”
That kind of personal investment shows up in quiet ways, too. Students start arriving at Bennett’s office before 7:15 a.m., dropping in to check on essays or just talk through life.
She stays until nearly 6 p.m., often still at her computer while students gather nearby.
It’s in those unplanned conversations that she learns the details that matter: a student leaning toward military service because his father lost a job, another reconsidering college after a heart-to-heart about strengths and potential.
The weight of this year is not lost on anyone.
“It will be a very emotional day for me,” Bennett admitted, thinking ahead to June. “We started with 75 kids, and now here we are. To see the growth, the discipline, the way they’ve become young adults—it brings tears. But what I’m most proud of is that they are ready. That was the vision from the beginning.”
The name Rita L. Owens carries a meaning of its own. Owens, a lifelong educator in Irvington and mother of Queen Latifah, was known for her compassion and her commitment to children.
You can feel her legacy in the building’s design, its murals, and in the sense that academics here are paired with care, creativity, and pride.
One senior, Mazen Magad, told me he chose the academy because of its hands-on engineering track.
“We worked on circuits, connecting resistors and wires until something came alive. It was real, not just theory,” he said. “I know the courses are tough, but the community makes it easier—we help each other, we challenge each other. That’s how you grow.”
Teachers see it too. Engineering teacher Mr. Emmanuel Fadahunsi described Mazen as “persistent, always coming back with questions until he gets it right.” 
AP English teacher Annalisse Silivanch said his eagerness to be challenged is exactly what colleges look for. “Even if students don’t ace every AP exam, the willingness to take the challenge shows readiness for the next level.”
This is the rhythm of September at RLOSA: transcripts reviewed, essays revised, seniors sitting with counselors one by one to talk about college, career, or service.
The celebrations will come, prom, trips, the countdown to cap and gown, but right now, I’ve found that for Ms Bennette, it’s about business. It’s about making sure everyone leaves with a plan.
As I left the building that day, the hum I felt in the morning was still there, stronger now. It wasn’t just the sound of teachers engaged in lessons or sneakers squeaking on tile. It was the sound of a school on the brink of its first major milestone, carrying a community’s pride with it.
Stay with us each month as we follow these 67 seniors through their final year at Rita L. Owens STEAM Academy.
Together, we’ll walk with them—through the hard work, the breakthroughs, and the joy—on the Road to Graduation at Rita L. Owens STEAM Academy.
