LaunchPoint Academy: Why We're Opening it Through a Boxing Gym
The WAA-EC has been changing lives on Syracuse's West Side for three decades
Once the decision was made to open a new alternative high school in Syracuse, and to model it after the “one-room schoolhouses” of old, two of the next most important questions were:
“Where should we put it?”
and
“What about the legal entity we’ll need to operate under?”
After exploring several options, I’m pleased to announce that we have an answer to both questions: We will be operating in and through what I believe is one of the very best organizations in Syracuse—the West Area Athletic and Education Center (WAA-EC).
Housed in a the former McDonalds at 307 South Geddes Street, the WAA-EC is best known in Syracuse for boxing. Founded by local icon Ray Rinaldi and now run by boxing coach and schoolteacher Chris Burns, the WAA-EC in fact uses boxing as a means through which to teach kids life lessons. The center has been covered extensively in local news, and thousands of kids have participated in its programs. After decades of service, countless men and women in Syracuse credit the center, and Rinaldi and Burns, with changing their lives.
As the name suggests, the WAA-EC is also a center for education. Some classes have been provided over the years, in collaboration with the Syracuse City School District, and it remains an active center for GED tutoring.
If you would like to get a sense of the culture and impact of the gym, and the idea of “leading with brains, as well as fists”, Jay Lurie has produced an excellent short video:
With the support of the Syracuse Common Council, and then police chief Frank Fowler, the WAA-EC was able to obtain a neighboring building several years ago. They have not yet made use of it.
Here it is:
What do you think? Does this look like a good home for a new school?
Some have said “no”… but it looks great to us!
We decided to use this building as the first “launch point”, for these reasons:
This is a good neighborhood to serve. (One of the PFLA students who provided the inspiration for the school lives a few blocks away.)
It’s about the right size and configuration. (~3000 sq ft of open space, with high ceilings - enough space for two classrooms and a workshop.)
It is our goal to create a blueprint that others can use to create “launch points” elsewhere. If we are able to make the model work here — in an abandoned garage — it may help to establish a lower “barrier for entry” for others.
Those are just the physical reasons—and these are less important than the cultural ones. There would be many buildings in Syracuse that meet the necessary criteria for location, size and availability. It is the cultural reasons that we consider much more important; ultimately, our decision to open LPA through the WAA-EC is primarily about culture and values.
What is so special about WAA-EC? Ray Rinaldi, Chris Burns and the extraordinary young people now following in their footsteps, have somehow managed to create a community that is loving and welcoming for all — boys and girls, young and old. A place that works like a great family, where each person can have their own individual goals, and yet everyone can come together to support each other in achieving those goals. Where there is mutual respect. Where older kids share what they have learned with the younger ones. Where the lessons go beyond the sport to life in general. Where excellence is achieved. Where it is never about the money, but always about the kids.
So yeah, we’re grateful and honored that Chris and Ray and Greg Smith and the rest of the people involved in the WAA-EC are allowing us to use the building at 301 South Geddes to house the first LaunchPoint Academy.
And we can’t wait to get started.
Ray Rinaldi at LaunchPoint Academy. July 8, 2025