Today we’d like to introduce you to Alana Jenkins.
Hi Alana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Although the Lowcountry hasn’t always where I lived, it has always been home. My grandfather was born in White Hall, SC, a rural, unincorporated Gullah community about 34 miles from St. Helena Island. On our yearly pilgrimage from New York to South Carolina, he would share stories the highlighted my rich Gullah Geechee heritage.
In Gullah, the proverb “mus tek cyear a de root fa heal de tree” roughly translates to “you must take care of the root in order to heal the tree.” From my decade in public education, I know that students’ “roots” must be firmly planted in order for them to exercise agency and access the opportunities available to them. To do so, schools must help students cultivate a strong sense of self, allowing them to persist with rigorous academic material.
I hold fast to the belief that community-centered schools are the cornerstone to achieving educational equity. I have been drawn back to South Carolina by her ancestral lineage to found and lead such a school. The proposed school will leverage self-determination and self-actualizations inherent to the Gullah Geechee heritage. Through individualized plans of study, students will have access to college and career pathways that speak to the conservation and preservation of the cultural lineage, as well as the natural environment. Moreover, our school will be an educational experience that affirms all parts of a student’s identity, teaching students of color about their legacy of resilience and strength. We will do this by forming a collaborative vision of student academic and non-academic success alongside the community.
I am currently a fellow with BES (build.excel.sustain), a national 501c3 responsible for supporting nearly 200 leaders in the success launch of high-performing charter schools. Most recently, I worked at Coney Island Prep in Brooklyn, NY, where she served as dean of students and as vice principal, managing teacher, and curricular development. Prior to this, I spent a number of years as a classroom reading and writing teacher at high-performing public charter schools across New York. I received her master’s in teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and holds a bachelor’s in English literature from Middlebury College.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working alongside communities that have historically been overpromised and underserved requires a level of humility and consistency. Walking in those values has created the opportunity for our challenges to serve as reflective learning moments. That is to say, although the road hasn’t been completely smooth with the support of community our mission remains clear.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sea Islands Heritage Academy. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
At Sea Islands Heritage Academy (HeritageAcademySC.org), our mission is to partner with community to provide a 5-12th grade educational experience that empowers and prepares all scholars to recognize the fullness of their identity to determine, pursue, and succeed in the future of their choice. Since July 2020, a team of passionate education advocates (parents, educators, community members, business professionals, etc.) in Beaufort County has worked to collaboratively design the Sea Islands Heritage Academy model in partnership with the community. Our codesign method ensures we responds to what families and stakeholders need. From community codesign, our set of core beliefs are:
1. We believe you must know who you are to know where you are going.
2. We believe that every scholar should love learning and be challenged by its rigor.
3. We believe that families are our most important partners to scholar success.
4. We believe in the strength of heritage to empower a community. We believe that the land is our legacy, and we have the right to sustain economically from it.
Sea Islands Heritage Academy will have several key design elements, including:
• Personalized learning
• Place-based learning model
• Proactive school climate
• Empowered by community
Among Beaufort County’s nearly 200,000 residents, about 10% live in poverty. This poverty, however, is not equally distributed throughout the county; in our target areas the rate of students in poverty is as high as 80%. The poverty rate of residents of color in Beaufort, South Carolina, is dramatically higher than the national average at nearly 40%. As with most communities across the country, poverty is far too often inextricably linked with poor education outcomes for students that significantly limit their opportunities to lead fulfilled lives as adults.
In the unincorporated rural Gullah communities, most students attend schools there; only about 20% of students scored proficient or better on South Carolina’s state assessments in English language arts and mathematics. These– and all– scholars deserve access to a high-quality education option that meets their needs and prepares them for success once they graduate from high school. Leveraging the assets of the community inherent to the Sea Islands presents a solution to our academic challenges. Launching a school in Beaufort County speaks to Geechee Gullah traditions of self-reliance and determination and will support in grounding the community in education success.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
No matter where you are located, you can show your support for our initiative by following us on social media (@HeritageAcademySC on all platforms) or contribute at HeritageAcademySC.org!
Contact Info:
- Website: heritageacademysc.org
- Instagram: @heritageacademysc
- Facebook: @heritageacademysc
