'Red, yellow, black and white' attend school

By Anne Dukes

Wesleyan Christian Advocate

[This article text is used by permission of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate]

If you looked up the word "multicultural" in the dictionary, it might as well show a picture of the International Community School in the Atlanta suburb of Avondale. For it's there, in classroom space shared with the Sunday school of Avondale-Pattillo UMC, that the promise of the beloved children's song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children, all the children of the world" _ is being fulfilled.

Beginning Aug. 12, the school opened its doors to 120 students, grades K-2, children who came from homelands as far away as Bosnia and Sierra Leone to as close as Decatur, with 30 nationalities in all represented. They use the classrooms Monday through Friday, and then teachers ready those same rooms for the Avondale-Pattillo congregation to use on Sunday. It's a revenue source for the church, but more than that, it's a much-needed bridge between the DeKalb County neighborhood and the multitudes of immigrants who are starting over, as strangers in a strange land.

"There is a need for us to work together (the church congregation and the immigrant population), because the multicultural society is a reality that we live with. ...We're just trying to be in ministry where we are," said Avondale-Pattillo senior pastor, the Rev. Tavye Morgan.

Because the school is a charter school of DeKalb County and thus must abide by the rules that separate church and state, the overtly religious symbols and artwork, including pictures of Jesus, must be covered up during the week and then unveiled every Friday when school is over. There were some objections to this when the congregation considered sharing space, but in the end, it was agreed that the mission of the school and its charge to help immigrant children and their families should prevail. "We are working within the (public school) rules as a greater need is being served," said Morgan.

Another part of the church's outreach to the immigrant community will be a reality soon. The church plans to donate space in its sanctuary building to create a "Family Center."

This will be a comfortable and welcoming room staffed by volunteers and offering a phone, in addition to resources with information about health, social service programs and translation opportunities. Books, pamphlets, brochures and audio and video tapes on parenting will be available as well as games, books and puzzles for the children. This will provide a place for ICS staff to connect with the families and help meet their children's educational, social and psychological needs, according to Morgan. Families at Avondale-Pattillo will connect with school families for friendship, support and encouragement, and other partnerships are likely as well, she said.

The school principal is Bill Moon, former headmaster at Atlanta's International School and an experienced educator who has headed schools for 35 years in four different countries. He explained that the children have as many as 40 different languages spoken in their respective homes. The non-English speaking children learn English at the school, and those who speak English learn French or Spanish, as well as other subjects such as math and art.

There is an ecumenical board of directors for the school, which includes a church member and a Dominican nun named Sister Patty. "We want children of various countries to be educated together and to gain respect for a variety of faith traditions," said Sister Patty, who has been helping with the immigrant population in Clarkston, near Avondale, for four years. She is also helping set up the Family Center.

Sister Patty said the group of people who had envisioned such a school for four years almost gave up on finding an appropriate space when they were led to Avondale-Pattillo. She said that the idea had to go through many committees and church members' consideration before it became a reality, but she is really pleased with the reality of clean, bright rooms and a beautiful green "campus" sheltered by stately pecan trees. A promise of a "wellness on wheels" visit from the DeKalb County Board of Health will add to the helpfulness of the Family Center.

"This school is a delicate balance of American and foreign students, and we believe one will be enriched by the other," she said.

Morgan agrees there will be mutual benefits growing from this unique mission. "This is a way of addressing social ills in a way that doesn't just put a Band-Aid on it. It's an outreach to the community. ...We don't have to go to Africa or Bosnia - it's right here."

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