On the second day of summer camp, about two dozen students fill the pews in the sanctuary of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest African-American church in the West Grove, awaiting the start of their next activity.
Two projector screens read, 鈥淚ntroduction to Black History, Part II鈥� as instructor Loretta Scippio-Whittle stands at the front of the room.
She begins her lesson about the in Ocala and project 鈥� historic educational institutions established in the 19th and early 20th centuries to educate African American children 鈥� and the students copy notes from a small dry-erase board.
At the end of her lesson, Scippio-Whittle leaves them with a final 鈥� and perhaps lasting 鈥� message. 鈥淚t is not where you are located, but what is located in you,鈥� she says, urging the students to write it down.
Scippio-Whittle, Macedonia鈥檚 summer school camp director, is just one of the many instructors leading this year鈥檚 Freedom School.
The initiative combines the church鈥檚 summer reading program with a Black history curriculum to educate K-12 students about accomplishments of African Americans in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).
The program was developed in collaboration with the Center for Ethics and Public Service (CEPS) at the University of Miami School of Law, and in partnership with the Coconut Grove Ecumenical Network and the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance.
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This year鈥檚 curriculum 鈥� drafted by CEPS program coordinator Ana茂se Boucher-Browning 鈥� covers topics like slavery, the civil rights movement, Black women鈥檚 history and Pan-Africanism. Lessons are accompanied by YouTube videos, books, games and arts and crafts to keep students engaged with the material.
Kesha Merritt, senior program director at CEPS, describes how the center revised and improved the curriculum from its debut as a pilot project last summer, with input from church members like Scippio-Whittle and Carolyn Donaldson.
鈥淲e鈥檙e being very intentional this year with taking it up an entire notch,鈥� Merritt said. 鈥淓very part of it is so well thought-out 鈥� and we鈥檙e still always thinking about what we can do to better stimulate the children and make it an experience.鈥�
Merritt described the instructors鈥� efforts to prioritize self-confidence and mental well-being. Each lesson begins with positive affirmations 鈥� phrases like 鈥淚 am capable鈥� and 鈥淚 believe in myself鈥� 鈥� and ends with students drawing how they feel, allowing instructors to notice patterns in mood and attitude.
She also noted other changes new this year in the program鈥檚 structure 鈥� lessons consist of an ice breaker, a new vocabulary word and an 鈥渆xit ticket鈥� that tests the students鈥� understanding of the material.
Like Scippio-Whittle, many of the program鈥檚 instructors are veterans of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. Donaldson, the church鈥檚 finance officer, said the program is flexible enough to accommodate each instructor鈥檚 individual teaching style.
鈥淭hey have the curriculum book, but they also have freedom in how they express themselves,鈥� she said.
Donaldson leads the program鈥檚 economics unit, focusing this year on . Last year, students learned about topics like banking and entrepreneurship with real-world examples ranging from historical figures like to modern entrepreneurs like Rihanna.
鈥淭hey can understand that there are people who look like them who have achieved those levels of success,鈥� she said.
The students put their newly-acquired skills to practice with 鈥淔reedom Bucks,鈥� a form of currency that rewards students for participating and answering questions correctly. Donaldson uses Freedom Bucks 鈥� which students can save or spend on snacks 鈥� to impart lessons about saving and leveraging money.
One student in particular stood out, Donaldson said, for saving more Freedom Bucks than any of her peers 鈥� ultimately earning a cash reimbursement, which Donaldson described as 鈥渢he ultimate reward鈥� for applying classroom learning to real-life scenarios.
In less than two years, Donaldson and other leaders of the Freedom School program have also noticed progress in students鈥� academic performance.
As an example, Donaldson pointed to Jelaine Richards, a student who placed first in the Miami Dade College Theodore Gibson Oratorical Competition. When she first enrolled in Freedom School, Jelaine struggled with reading comprehension and public speaking.
During a recent classroom session, however, her progress was evident in her eagerness to recite her award-winning speech to a Spotlight reporter and her newfound confidence in the classroom.
鈥淲e try to pull out those areas where the kids could excel if they are encouraged, promoted and in the right environment,鈥� Donaldson said.
That kind of success has encouraged Macedonia and its backers to commit to a construction project that will add four new classrooms to the church property on Douglas Road.
The new classrooms will allow the program to grow, something supporters say is more important than ever, given the political pushback that has undercut DEI initiatives nationwide and forced schools and libraries to sanitize Black history and censor books.
While similar initiatives elsewhere have been targeted, Merritt said Macedonia鈥檚 Freedom School is insulated from outside political pressures.
鈥淭he cool part is we are privately funded,鈥� Merritt noted. 鈥淚t gives us a lot of breathing room. This is the one place we don鈥檛 really have to think about what we say.鈥�
Parents are even encouraged to stay for the Freedom School lessons, as many Black adults were never taught Black history themselves. 鈥淚 am sitting like a kid in a candy store like, 鈥榃ow, I didn鈥檛 know this,鈥欌�� Merritt told the Spotlight.
Freedom School is likely one of the few opportunities students have to learn this material, she explained, making it especially important that the content of the curriculum is accurate and backed by research.
鈥淭here is no other place to learn it,鈥� Merritt said. 鈥淭heir parents weren鈥檛 taught it in the public school system. If it was not for a program like this, the opportunity to learn their history and heritage would not exist.鈥�
This story was originally published in the , a SA国际传谋 News partner.
