Heartside’s St. Andrew Elementary programs diversity in each classroom

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Thanks to a $25,000 anonymous grant that could become $50,000 over two years, Grand Rapids’ St. Andrew Elementary recently launched a program that provides financial incentives to middle- and higher-income families, and families with multiple school-aged children. The goal is to increase the diversity of the school by attracting students from different ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds through reduced tuition costs for these families.

“We’ve always provided financial assistance to lower-income families through our Hugh Michael Beahan Foundation and will continue to do that,” says Kim Phillipi, school board member. “We pursued a unique grant from a donor to help families of mid- to higher-income brackets because they’re also being hurt by our tough economy.”

St. Andrew’s student population is 39 percent Latino, 29 percent Caucasian, 16 percent bi-racial, 15 percent African-American, and 1 percent Asian. And although St. Andrew’s is a Catholic school that teaches Catholic values, 28 percent of its 136 students are non-Catholics.

Phillipi says the school incorporates discussions and experiences of diversity throughout all aspects of the curriculum.

This year, Cooley Law School worked with the 7^th and 8^th grades for several months to present a mock trial that dealt with aspects of racism. The fictional scenario: a security guard, who wore a swastika on his uniform, attacked an African-American who ran out of a building the guard was securing. Students acted as defense teams, prosecuting teams, juries, court reporters and witnesses and helped the Cooley attorneys present the trial in Cooley’s mock courtroom.

“That’s just one example where dealing with racism is brought into the curriculum in a different way,” Phillipi says. “We’re not just helping our kids with their education; we’re helping them in their lives. This tuition grant helps further the mission of diversity.”

Source: St. Andrew’s School; Kim Phillipi, St. Andrew’s School Board

Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].