Welcome to Our Sisters’ School
Welcome from Sarah Herman, Head of School
“It’s a privilege to provide a dynamic learning environment for hard-working girls, and I appreciate the many team members — students, teachers, parents, volunteers, and donors — who make it happen.”
When people ask me about Our Sisters’ School, they are often confused because our name sounds religious. In reality, the name is a tribute to the brave women of our historic city of New Bedford. As a tuition-free, all-girls middle school serving grades 5 - 8, we’re proud to be named for “Sister Sailors,” the daring women and role models who joined whaling expeditions in the early 1800s. So yes, we’re brave, and no, we’re not religiously affiliated.
As we only accept students from low-income families, people also ask how we’re funded. They’re amazed to hear that due to being an all-girls school, we don’t qualify for state and federal funding or charter school status. All our financial support must come entirely from grants and private donations. We have to raise everything we spend to run our humble yet powerful school. We are humble because we live simply, and powerful because our students embody great promise and achieve impressive outcomes.
People ask what drew me to OSS and why I’m so committed to the School and its mission. That’s an easy question to answer: It’s a privilege to provide a dynamic learning environment for hard-working girls who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a school that addresses, as we do, their academic and personal potential. It’s also amazing to witness the impact that an all-girls middle school program can have when it comes to instilling self-confidence and providing opportunities.
As you visit our website, you’ll learn more about our mission, curriculum, staff, volunteers, and amazing student body. If you have any remaining questions about OSS, please send me an email or swing by the School. I’d love to help you better understand what we do and how you might get involved as a family, teacher, tutor, volunteer, or donor. When you come to OSS, you’ll feel the productive and positive energy that buzzes through the building.
Sincerely,
Our Mission
Our mission, as an independent, tuition-free, non-sectarian middle school, is to educate and inspire economically disadvantaged girls from the New Bedford area.
Our Sisters’ School empowers students to step into the future with valuable life skills and a mindset of achievement and excellence by providing a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment.
Extraordinary Sailors
Our school’s name honors the bravery of the women known as “Sister Sailors,” who boldly headed out to sea from New Bedford’s harbor during the city’s whaling days.
Like those women, OSS students courageously embark on a voyage of discovery in a challenging environment, carefully crafted to support them as they explore and achieve their greatest potential, while finding true north on their moral compass.
Our History
In 2006, a group of concerned citizens began to ponder the limited educational success and opportunities for girls in the greater New Bedford area. Encouraged by research demonstrating that positive educational opportunities for girls in the middle grades contribute to reduced teenage pregnancy, higher rates of high school graduation in four years, greater possibility of post-secondary education, and a disruption of the poverty cycle, this group formalized and began the challenging task of starting a tuition-free middle school serving New Bedford’s girls.
Since opening its doors to students in the first two grade levels in September 2008, the School now educates up to 76 girls in grades five through eight (5-8) from diverse races, cultures, and faiths, whose families qualify for assistance based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. Since the first graduating class in 2011, graduates of Our Sisters’ School have consistently pursued academic excellence at higher levels. They are building lives of professional satisfaction while also actively contributing to their communities. We steadily graduate ambitious and empowered young women.
The School remains as deeply committed to its mission today as when it was founded.
