Agape' Academy Gives Children Head Start On Learning
School Benefits from Old Newsboys Funding
By Jessica Sindel
Agape Academy and Child Development Center, a private school that teaches children from 1 year old to eighth grade, has seen a lot of changes since it's inception in 1973. "We began in a church basement," said Yvonne Griffin, who runs the school with her husband, Kenneth. "Six years ago we moved into a building of our own, and now we're in the process of installing a new computer mainframe with a 500,000 technological grant we received. Needless to say, we've grown a lot over the years.
Agape Academy is located at 7400 Olive Blvd in University City. Agape was created to help minority students receive a more personalized, specialized elementary education. We believed a strong beginning laid the groundwork for future success. The Griffins remain dedicated to Agape's founding creed, "We believe that if you start teaching children at an early age, it makes education easier as the students grow up," Yvonne said. "We want our students to be able to succeed at any school after graduating from Agape." Griffin heads a staff of 52 teachers who oversee about 350 students, the majority of whom are African American.
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We Teach Kids Real Life Things
By Dionne D. Peeples
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Yvonne Griffin’s husband Kenneth calls her “one of Gods special people.” Everyone else at Agape Academy and Child Development center calls her a visionary. As the school celebrates its 30th year, Griffin and her staff are committed to teaching children about God in addition to reading, writing, arithmetic and a host of other subjects, such as art appreciation and science. It’s a school where 3 year olds are writing sentences and kindergarteners recite a prayer daily that calls then to forgive their enemies and reminds them they are empowered people. And, for the upper grades, community service is a requirement. “We teach kids real life things,” Griffin said. “Part of living is giving of yourself.” The school is located at 7400 Olive Blvd., offers an accelerated curriculum ad serves children from infants to the eigth grade. There are 410 students at school which includes a daycare, preschool and elementary school.
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