Prep for Prep  Prep for Prep is a leadership development and gifted education program "that offers promising students of color access to a private school education." It is targeted toward high achieving New York City minority students in public, charter and parochial schools. Prep for Prep opened in 1978 with 25 students and three teachers. It was founded by Gary Simons, a public-school teacher in the Bronx. During the first year in 1978, eleven independent schools committed places for Prep students and 22 students matriculated from those schools. Today, the Prep for Prep community includes over 3,000 students and alumni. There are two sub-schools, Anne Frank and Johnny Gunther Jr. These were named for young people who died from natural (Johnny Gunther Jr.) and unnatural causes (Anne Frank). 42 contingents have been inducted since 1978. In 1988, Prep for Prep expanded its mission to independent boarding schools through the launch of PREP 9. PREP 9 helps the brightest and most hardworking minority students in New York City and the metropolitan areas of Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut prepare for success at leading independent boarding schools across the Northeast. Current 7th grade students apply to PREP 9 for entry into boarding schools in 9th grade. Space in the PREP 9 program is reserved for students who demonstrate very strong academic performance and high financial need. As such, PREP 9 considers family income and financial assets as part of its application process. PREP 9 started and grew under the leadership of Peter Bordonaro. Founder Gary Simons was succeeded by Aileen Heffernan 2002. In 2020, the Board of Trustees selected Ruth Jurgensen as her successor. In 2000, Prep for Prep partnered with the Goldman Sachs Foundation to establish the New York Metro Region Leadership Academy. According to a report on the Goldman Sachs Foundation signature initiative to develop high-potential youth, "The New York Metro Region Leadership Academy (NYMRLA)was established as a program of Prep for Prep to improve academic preparation of promising 12- and 13-year-old students from suburban public schools in the New York metro region. Through a rigorous course of study and an array of leadership development opportunities, the program prepares young people for accelerated and Advanced Placement courses in high school. NYMRLA’s educational mission is to create a foundation for strong academic performance that will enable students to satisfy the admission criteria of top-ranked colleges." Each year, a citywide "talent search" selects about 125 minority students, including 95 fifth graders and 30 sixth graders.