Jubilee School
Who/how does this ministry partner serve?
St. Martins has been a long time contributor to the Jubilee School, a pre-K through 6th grade independent school, located in West Philadelphia at 42nd and Chester, right near Clark Park and the University of the Sciences. By integrating scholarship, social activism and the celebration of their heritage, students gain a sense of the riches of their legacy and the power of their individual and collective voices to affect change in their local and global communities. Its commitment is to provide a rigorous, comprehensive private school education which is affordable to all, regardless of income.
Who is involved?
Susan MacBride was on the Board of Jubilee School for 10 years. Greg Williams, Barbara Baumgartner, Donna Hecker, Bode Hennegan, Barbara Borsch, Pamela Hilimire and Howard Goldstein worked on the vegetable gardening project which continued until COVID-19 closed the school building in 2020. Many volunteers have helped establish a computer lab and computer capability. Many others have been ongoing supporters financially.
How do I get involved?
Go to Jubilee’s website https://www.jubileeschool.net to learn more about the school and sign up for their newsletter. If you want to learn more about St. Martin's relationship with Jubilee School, contact Susan MacBride
What have been some successes?
During the pandemic, the school operated online through zoom. Their curriculum during this time across the whole school was based on creating a new pre-school design and curriculum for a pre-K program at Smith Playground. Each grade tackled a different aspect of the project from space needs to classroom supplies and activities and specific programs. All the Jubilee students were assisted with acquiring appropriate technology to participate and attendance was very high. This fall, so far, they are meeting in person, but outdoors in Clark Park and then going to the school for bathrooms and when necessary. The Board now includes several Alums as well as several younger Black and White women who work in the city. Another positive development has been that St. James School has incorporated some of Jubilee students' writing on her website. St. James can learn from Jubilee and vice versa.
What are some struggles?
One challenge is that Jubilee is a long way from where most of St. Martin's parishioners live. Another is that the vegetable gardening disappeared when they had to sacrifice their backyard and space to teaching trailers to accommodate the expanded Pre-K program.
Share the impact.
Jubilee continues to live by its philosophy: Jubilee School provides an environment in which children build upon their wealth of creative, intellectual, social and physical resources as individuals, and as members of a community whose history and culture is the central starting place for their study of the world.
