News
African-American Authors West Side Christian Academy hosts read-in
By Eileen Moon
The West Side Christian Academy celebrated the work of African-American authors during an all-day reading session of their work last Monday.
Members of the community invited to read a work of their choice by an African American author included Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, Monmouth County Arts Council Director Mary Eileen Fouratt, U.S. Army Colonel Imogene Jamison of Fort Monmouth, Ingeborg Perndorfer of the Red Bank Language School, Margaret Mass of the Red Bank Visitors Center, and Two River Times™ editor Eileen Moon.
All in all, 29 community members read from the work of authors that included Langston Hughes, Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander and writer/illustrator Ashley Bryan, among many others.
The event at WSCA was part of a nationwide African-American Reading Chain sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and endorsed by the International Reading Association.
The event, which is held in conjunction with Black History Month, is designed to promote literacy by demonstrating the joys of reading.
In addition to hearing from many diverse members of the community, said WSCA teacher Jeff Jackson, the 19 students who attend the private Christian academy also read the works of their favorite authors.
The event has been taking place nationally for 20 years. WSCA has been participating since 2003, Jackson said. In past years, the reading chain was limited to one day, but this year it has been expanded to allow read-ins to take place throughout February.
Jackson plans to invite more members of the community to read to students as the month goes by.
The school, which is located at Calvary Baptist Church on Bridge Avenue, enrolls students from as far away as Long Branch, Asbury Park and Eatontown.
The school curriculum is based on the Accelerated Christian Education model developed by the School of Tomorrow. Its mission is to build each child's educational foundation by starting where they are, regardless of age or school grade, Jackson said.
Tuition at the privately funded day school founded in 2000 is $250 per month per child.
"For some of the (parents) that's a large sum, but in the grand scheme, $250 per month is very small" for a private school. They are able to make it work because they have a very small and dedicated staff as well as a cadre of equally dedicated volunteers. Jackson's father, Rev. Elmer Jackson, founded the school in 2000 and serves as its principal. Jackson's mother, Doris, also works full-time at the school. "One of our teachers has worked here from the beginning and never taken a paycheck,"Jackson said.
While the school is committed to reaching out to children from at-risk or underprivileged families, its enrolled also include students from families with means and children in need of advanced curriculum as well as those that may be progressing more slowly than a traditional school system might be able to accommodate.
The school enrolls children in grades K-12 and students graduate with an accredited high school diploma, Jackson said.
"We have kids from the whole spectrum," he added, noting that his sister graduated from the school last year and is now attending the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School in preparation for enrolling in the academy.
Another former student who was diagnosed with Asperger's and Tourette's syndrome was able to overcome his challenges at WSCA and go on to win a full scholarship to a state college, Jackson noted.
The annual read-in is a particularly important part of the curriculum because so many students come to them with reading issues.
WSCA also relies on a substantial number of community volunteers to provide their pupils with a well-rounded education.
The school is now hoping to enroll ten children at the kindergarten level in a new "Learn to Read" initiative, Jackson said, noting that his own daughter, Sarene, 7, who attends WCSA, is reading at the third grade level.
For information in volunteering at the school or participating in a read-in, call Jeff Jackson at WCSA, (732)741-7900.
