Neighborhood Elementary Charter School to Open at First Universalist Church

This September, a brand new charter school will open its doors at 3400 Dupont Avenue South, with up to 170 students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The Emily O. Goodridge-Grey Accelerated Charter School is dedicated to the twin propositions that every child is a worthy child and learning can be enjoyable. Rigorous academics will be coupled with a focus on the whole child and the social/emotional side of learning.

Dimitri Russell, Director of the Emily Grey School, wants the school to mirror the values of the Uptown community it will serve. These include excellence, appreciation of the differences among students and being of service to others. “Whatever elementary school your child attends now, we think we can offer a better educational experience,” he says enthusiastically.

The mission of the Emily Grey Accelerated Charter School is to provide a quality education for students through an authentic belief in their natural talents, supported by a strong core curriculum, delivered by an active, experiential and joyful instructional practice, in a cooperative learning environment that considers cultural differences to be assets to the community.

The education program is based on innovative instructional practices, environmental education, high academic standards with an appreciation of the visual and performing arts, family and community involvement. The teachers expect to work with a wide range of students, including the gifted and talented, those who require special educational support, and some for whom English is a second language.

The Emily Grey program was envisioned to strengthen the quality of an education program by embracing diversity. The school believes that the differences among us are strengths. Diversity comes in many forms: racial, economic, cultural, physical ability, mental ability, artistic talent and so forth. By grouping children with diverse talents, the school intends to promote both broad learning for the group and individual achievement in areas of personal strength. Bill Elwood, president of First Universalist Church, expressed delight at hosting such a forward-thinking school and remarked on how well its mission fits with the First principle of Unitarian Universalism: “We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

The school’s sponsor is the Audubon Center of the North Woods, so there will also be a strong focus on environmental education and participation, including everything from gardening and recycling to learning about nature in the urban area and beyond. Elwood was delighted by the consistency of this message with the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism: “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

The school also intends to have a strong service-learning component. “By focusing on service to others,” Russell says, “the children will come to appreciate their personal power to make the world a better place.”

So who was Emily O. Goodridge-Grey?

Emily Grey is recognized as the first woman of African-American decent to have published a memoir in 1898. Grey came from a well-known and established family. Her father William Goodridge was a former slave who became a prominent business person and supporter of the “Underground Railroad.” He worked to provide what is now considered to be a middle- to upper-middle class livelihood for his family. All the Grey’s were educated. Emily’s husband, Ralph Toyer Grey, became a prominent religious figure in Minneapolis when the city was called St. Anthony. Emily believed in her ability to make a positive difference in the Minneapolis community. Emily was nurtured by progressive middle-class values that shaped her understanding of herself and others. In every aspect of her life, Emily was prepared personally, psychologically and spiritually to embrace struggles and sorrows as well as the blessings of life and find meaning and hope.

The Emily Grey Accelerated Charter School will be open to the community and families during the school’s “Open House” events. For more information on dates and times, call the Community Outreach Manager, Linda Duncanson at 952.906.3447 or email Lindaduncanson@emilygreyschool.org. More information about the school can be found www.emilygreyschool.org.
Sue Schiess is a resident of Edina and is the vice president of First Universalist Church of Minneapolis in CARAG.