Greenwood Leadership Academy the future of Urban Education in America

The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire

www.greenwoodleadershipacademy.org

There is a great new and innovative school set to open in North Tulsa this fall. The school, Greenwood Leadership Academy, is the result of a partnership between Tulsa Public Schools and the Met Cares Foundation. The Met Cares Foundation, founded by Rev. Dr. Ray Owens (Metropolitan Baptist Church, Tulsa, OK) in 2015, is a non-profit that was started with the mission to transform North Tulsa educationally, economically and socially.

The school, which is now enrolling Pre-K through 1st grade students for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year, is the first step in a three-pronged holistic approach to community change and transformation. The initiative is committed to ensuring “North Tulsa is a vibrant community where children are thriving, residents are empowered to drive positive change, and Black excellence is evident in every arena.” The school, led by Founding Principal, Kojo Asamoa-Caesar, is a tuition-free public school and will engage students in an academic program focused on Scholarship, Entrepreneurship, Technology and Citizenship, where authentic, hands-on learning connects high academic expectations with real life.

T'erra Estes Greenwood Leadership Academy is a proud product of North Tulsa – graduating from Booker T. Washington as a standout athlete and scholar. She then attended and graduated college from Langston University, the only historically black college in Oklahoma. She's a certified behavioral health case manager and comes to GLA with over six years experience in education - having served as a teacher and Behavior Specialist in Texas. She returned home to Tulsa last year and founded a nonprofit called 'Teach Not Punish' to advance her deeply held philosophy that when adults work together to teach kids healthy behaviors and empower them with relevant resources, we get much better results than simply punishing kids for misbehaving. Photo Credit Facebook — T’erra Estes Greenwood Leadership Academy is a proud product of North Tulsa – graduating from Booker T. Washington as a standout athlete and scholar. She then attended and graduated college from Langston University, the only historically black college in Oklahoma. She’s a certified behavioural health case manager and comes to GLA with over six years experience in education – having served as a teacher and Behavior Specialist in Texas. She returned home to Tulsa last year and founded a nonprofit called ‘Teach Not Punish’ to advance her deeply held philosophy that adults should work together to teach kids healthy behaviors, and empower them with relevant resources. Photo Credit Facebook

Principal Asamoa-Caesar, a law school graduate turned educator, is focused on building a team of game-changers that can turn Greenwood Leadership Academy into one of the highest-performing schools in the state of Oklahoma. Joining Mr. Asamoa-Caesar on the GLA founding leadership team is Shannon Isaacs as Assistant Principal, and Ebony Easiley as Director of Operations. Ms. Isaacs, with a Masters degree in Education Administration, was a recipient of the “Impactful Teacher” Award presented by Educate Oklahoma, News on 6, and Bob Hurley Ford. Ebony Easiley, a proud hometown product, attended Academy Central Elementary and Carver Middle School before becoming a valedictorian at Central High School. She earned her B.F.A in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design, minor in Art History and Advertising from The University of Tulsa. She worked in Commercial Real Estate Marketing before transitioning to run operations at GLA.

The rest of the faculty and staff is made up of talented individuals, many with North Tulsa roots, and committed to the vision of Black Excellence. T’erra Estes, founder of a non-profit in Tulsa called “Teach not Punish,” will serve as GLA’s Behaviorist; and Greg Robinson a veteran of President Obama and Hillary Clinton presidential campaigns, will manage Met Cares Foundation’s community engagement efforts. Greg and T’erra along with Performing Arts teacher Jorrie Jones are Booker T. Washington graduates, and 1st-grade Lead Teacher Danielle Conley grew up in North Tulsa, attending Academy Central Elementary and Carver Middle Schools. Danielle is returning to Tulsa from West Georgia where she founded an enrichment program called REACH (Raising Expectations and Changing Hearts) to empower students to develop character and build confidence.

“GLA” will be co-located in the Academy Central facility at 1789 W. Seminole St., Tulsa, OK and will be the neighborhood school for students living within the Academy Central boundary established by TPS. During the 2017-2018 school year, Greenwood Leadership Academy will serve 180 students in Pre-K through first grade. Each year “GLA” will add a grade ultimately becoming a full Pre-K to 5th grade program. Parents can enroll by visiting: greenwoodleadershipacademy.org/enroll/ or the TPS website enroll.tulsaschools.org

For more information contact: Kojo Asamoa-Caesar, Founding Principal at (918) 688-4986 or Jill Blackwelder, TPS Coordinator of Transfers at 918-746-6138. To kick-start the upcoming academic school year and celebrate our community, Greenwood Leadership Academy is hosting its first annual The Black Excellence Fair, Friday, June 2, 2017, from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm at Academy Central Elementary School. We are inviting the whole family to come out and enjoy free food, games, prizes, music, and so much more. We will also be showcasing some of the great and emerging Black-Owned businesses and nonprofits in North Tulsa. Interested businesses and organizations that would like to participate, can register for a booth before May 29th. for more information please email Ebony Easiley at eeasiley@greenwoodleadershipacademy.org