APPLETON — At a time in the country when politicians are calling to eliminate school subjects dealing with Black History and anything that "would cause other students to feel uncomfortable," there seems to be a glimmer of hope from a city of about 75,000. Nestled in the heart of the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin is the city of Appleton, where big things are happening.
On the 27th of November, the Appleton Area School District (AASD) Board of Education voted in favor of including a new African-centered charter school in the district. The AASD encourages the startup of charter schools because it understands charter schools can address the specific needs of students. What separates this new charter school from others in the district is it plans on including African and African American history and culture in its STEEAM curriculum which consists of Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Arts, and Math.
Named "The Ọmọladé Academy" it will be administrated by African Heritage Inc., a local non-profit with an interest in improving the success of African Americans. The Ọmọladé Academy plans on bridging the education gap by preparing their students to compete on both the global and local stage by teaching their kids to think what they refer to as 'glocally'.
Originally intended to serve K–3 students, the Ọmọladé Academy will eventually expand to accommodate K–5 students. The Ọmọladé Academy has its work cut out for it because the district usually has 16 months to establish a charter school fully operational and ready for usage. It has to be operational by September 2024, which gives it about eight months to complete the necessary tasks and be ready for the grand opening. We're optimistic that things will work out well since this institution is exactly what our country needs, and maybe other cities will decide to follow.
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