Introducing the last day of Freedom School is Keisha Robinson. She’s the site coordinator and New Hanover County Community Programs Manager for Communities In School of Cape Fear.
“For the students, it's an opportunity to teach them how to use their voice in a way that is going to be beneficial to them and to their community,” she said.
CIS started Freedom School at the International School at Gregory in 2020. In the beginning, they served around 50 students; now, that’s expanded to around 200 3rd to 8th graders in New Hanover County. The program received a financial boost from The Endowment so that the students, known as scholars, receive breakfast, lunch, snacks, and transportation — and it’s free for families to enroll.
The national Freedom School model is developed and run through the Children’s Defense Fund.
Geralyn Love is the lead CIS elementary student support specialist — and a former Student Leader Intern, or SLI, for the program, where she basically served as a counselor. She said her favorite part is watching the scholars take charge of the closing ceremony.
“When we have them lead, and we sit on the sides, ‘Oh, that is fun’, because they're stepping into another role of leadership and showing like, ‘Okay, we got this,’ and then they're adding their own personalities to it. That was quite a treat,” she said.
Robinson said their morning gathering shows the call-and-response culture of Freedom School.
“Just adding that and infusing that into everything that we do, it is very much, everyone is at home, everyone is invited, everyone is included,” she said.
It’s also their time for harambee, Robinson said, “It’s a Swahili word that means let's pull together, so every single morning, we pull together. So those scholars know the routine, but they also take part and feel empowered.”
Cameron Burst has been sending his son to Freedom School for the past three years.
“He missed one day and he cried that day like, I love it. I think he likes this more than he likes school. He’s productive; his EOG scores will come up and everything. I'm a big fan of it,” he said.
Cameron Junior agrees with his dad.
“I love all of it. I like the reading, and also, like my friends go here at Freedom School; [I] also enjoy matball,” he said
Matball, Cameron explained, is similar to kickball — and his favorite books were Blue Stars and Rising Seas.
Shi’nasia Franks is one of the SLIs; she grew up in Wilmington and is glad to give back to Communities In Schools, who in turn gave a lot to her as a student in New Hanover County.
“I just love seeing the kids just be successful, making a difference. I feel like a lot of them is maturing. I feel like this generation itself has a bit with taking ownership or like saying when they're wrong, but I was teaching them, like showing them that's what makes you better when you can realize your mistake. That's the start of it. That's how you know there's a turnaround to it,” she said.
When asked if she’ll be returning as an SLI, Frank said, “I definitely will be back. It's been a pleasure to be here, just especially from my experience as a little kid, as a little girl, working with Miss Keisha [Robinson], working with different CIS members, knowing how I was as a child, and just seeing myself just grow up and be here and lead as an example,” she said.
Franks is returning to North Carolina Central University to pursue a degree in accounting.
And the scholars, they appreciated the SLIs like Franks.
At the closing, students shouted out their recognitions for the summer.
One student led the call: “I gotta a recognition, y’all.”
“Recognize!” they shouted in unison.
“I’d like to recognize all the SLIs for teaching us this summer,” a student called out, and boisterous cheering ensued.
