Louise Brown, Education Reporter, Parentcentral.ca
Drummed into school to a standing ovation and a rocking West African beat, 115 children made Canadian history yesterday in vivid vests of African cloth.
Less than two years after fierce public debate over the very idea of a school focused on African culture, one of the most controversial educational experiments in the country began with a surprise 30 per cent surge in enrolment.
From the opening assembly, the Africentric Alternative School began weaving African culture into Ontario school culture.
Students sang "O Canada," followed by a black national anthem written a century ago by a Florida poet, then said a pledge – "The Best Possible Me" – popular in Africentric schools in the U.S. It includes a promise to take school seriously.
"Let me hear you say ’best!’ called principal Thando Hyman-Aman, a part-time jazz singer and the parent of a student at the school. She will lead a bid to lower the 40 per cent dropout rate among black students by stretching the curriculum beyond its European roots.
"You will always be the ... what?" she called, holding the microphone out to the children, some of whom have come from Scarborough and Mississauga to attend the program, housed in Sheppard Public School, near Sheppard Ave. and Keele St.
"Best!" they responded.
When dignitaries at the assembly cried "ashe," the Yoruba word for "amen," the audience called it back.
If enrolment continues to grow – there is room for 150 students – the school may add another teacher, and will try to find a male to join the currently all-female staff, said school trustee James Pasternak, who represents the ward.
"We hire on the basis of ability, but we do need a male role model, so we are going to be actively recruiting male talent," said Pasternak.
"I like the fact they say that pledge," said community worker Rebeckah Price, whose son Jahbril is in Grade 5. "They’ll say it every day and one day they’ll believe it."
Jahbril said last night he enjoyed the first day at school: "We learned the seven principles of Kwanza, which is an African holiday that’s almost a version of Christmas."
The 9-year-old, who went out last Halloween as Barack Obama (this year it’s Michael Jackson), said he can’t wait to learn about "my heritage – Jamaica, but also Africa, where my ancestors came from."
Price chose to enrol her son in the school not only for the African heritage focus, but also so he can meet a broader range of black children than he meets in his Agincourt neighbourhood.
"I was the only black student in my high school, and I want my son to go to a school where other people look like him," said Price, who helped organize bus service for families at a cost of about $275 per month. She hopes fundraising will help subsidize busing next year.
Long-time supporters of the project were emotional at seeing the school finally open its doors.
"Victory is won!" said Angela Wilson, one of two mothers who pushed for the school, first proposed in 1994 by Ontario’s Royal Commission on Learning, as a way to make education more relevant for black students.
Mother Hazel Bridgeman said, "The issue affecting most young black kids is self-esteem, and this school is going to try to address that."
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