Camden Prep High graduates its first class as more city students select Renaissance schools. Meet three of the inaugural class.

The incoming class at the new Camden Prep High School started their freshman year remotely, meeting their teachers and classmates on camera in a new school during a pandemic.

And while those 40 students navigated unchartered waters that 2020-21 year, the school was also figuring out what worked best for its inaugural class. It was a learning curve for both.

“They’ve been an amazing founding class,” said principal Syrena Burnam “They’ve overcome a lot as a group. I’m just so proud of them.”

It was this class that helped give the school its identity, Burnam said. It was this class that selected a mascot and a theme of resilience, which will be used by every incoming class, she said. The school expects to enroll about 120 ninth graders in September and has a waiting list, she said.

Burnam said the students progressed academically and nearly all have been accepted to college, some with full scholarships. Eleven students joined the inaugural class along the way, boosting the class to 51. All but two recent transfers whose transcripts could not be verified were expected to pick up diplomas Thursday night.

Camden Prep, a former failing elementary district school that was turned over to Uncommon Schools and converted into a Renaissance school, started with lower grades. The high school came after, and now enrolls about 350 students.

Renaissance schools have been becoming increasingly popular and have changed the educational landscape in Camden since a 2013 state takeover of the troubled traditional public school system experiencing poor test scores and low graduation rates.

Camden is the only district in New Jersey that has three public school types — traditional, charter, and Renaissance. Renaissance schools are similar to charters in that they are publicly funded and privately run, but neighborhoods within Renaissance school boundaries get priority in admissions, which is not the case with charters.

Mastery Schools and Kipp Cooper Norcross Academy also operate Renaissance schools in Camden. Mastery graduated its first class several years ago. Kipp’s first class graduated last week.

Since the takeover, more Camden public school students are enrolled in Renaissance schools, about 41% of the city’s students, at 6,579, according to district data. About 6,036 attend traditional schools, while charter school enrollment has fallen to about 3,327 students.

Meet some of Camden Prep’s inaugural graduating class.

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The second of five children, Moody, 17, enrolled in Camden Prep’s lower school as a fourth grader when Bonsall School closed in 2015 and reopened as a Renaissance school. His mother believed the new venture in the city would afford him a better education, he said.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. She made the best decision,” he recalled. “Because I was there with a majority of my friends made it better.”

Moody said his public-speaking skills improved, and he was chosen to give the morning announcements. He was the basketball team manager and helped found the student council. A first-generation college student, he wants to be a role model for his younger siblings.

An aspiring entrepreneur, Moody plans to major in business management at The College of New Jersey.

“Leaving high school is going to be a little stressful, but I’m ready,” he said. “I’m overly excited.”

Dunlap, 18, transferred to Camden Prep after attending a predominantly white school in South Jersey and her family moved to Camden. She was pleasantly surprised by the diverse student population.

“It was like a cultural shock,” she said. “I really felt like I belonged.”

Dunlap said she enjoyed having small classes. Teachers provided their cell phone numbers and she could call them for help, she said.

“It’s like my second family since I’ve been with them so long,” she said. “I know everyone.”

The oldest of five, Dunlap said her siblings also attend Camden Prep schools. She wants them to have a chance to stand out on their own merits.

“I don’t want them to feel they have to do everything I do,” she said.

An animal lover, Dunlap plans to study zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and possibly pursue a career as a veterinarian or researcher. She currently has a cat and fish, but would like to one day have “a whole farm,” she said.

Barbosa found the ups and downs of virtual learning when her freshman year began with remote instruction. She likened it to homeschooling — something she always wanted to try because it allowed her to progress at her own pace.

Not meeting her classmates in person was frustrating, she said. She tried to identify their personalities with their pictures on screen.

“I’m very outspoken. How can I be friends with you through a camera?” she said. “It was kind of awkward.”

Barbosa said her class were “guinea pigs” as Camden Prep built up the high school. She took more than a half-dozen Advanced Placement courses in English, calculus, biology and world history as a stepping-stone to college.

“It really showed us the strength of pushing through,” she said.

A first-generation college student, Barbosa plans to attend Boston University and study international business.