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Fairview Alternative High School
February 8, 2024
The Beginning of Contemporary Alternative Education
By Dr. LaToya Brown
Did you know that many scholars recognize the Freedom Schools established in the southern United States as the first contemporary alternative school.? Freedom Schools were developed to combat the systemic oppression and inadequate education experienced of Black people in conventional school settings. However, the community based approach to education supported whole communities.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1964) established the inaugural Freedom School as part of the Civil Rights Movement. Freedom Schools were grounded in a community school framework approach and to provide high-quality education to Black communities in the southern United States. The Freedom Schools were often held in local church basements and storefronts. According to literature, the curriculum focused on civic participation and engagement in local politics.
Freedom Schools offered educational opportunities to the Black community providing them with an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to attain social and economic liberation. From 1964 to 1969, a total of 41 freedom schools were established, serving around 2,500 students. These schools were recognized as pioneers in the development of alternative education during that time period.
Alternative Education Week: February 19 - 23
Alternative Education Week will be held on February 20 - 23 this year at FAHS. During this week, we do a lot of fun activities in and outside of the classrooms. It's a way to celebrate making the choice to attend an alternative high school in order to keep working towards graduation. We are all proud of you for making that difficult choice!
We will be do a service learning project at Feed My Starving Children ( Volunteers of all ages hand-pack nutritious) on Tuesday, February 20th in Eagan. Students will need to bring their permission slips back by February 16th in order for them to be able to attend. This is because we have to enter everyone’s name into the system prior to leave for the site. Permission slips will be printed out and you can start promoting it as soon as this week. Students who are dismissed or suspended between February 5th and 16th will not be eligible to attend. Permission slips will be given out in HOMES, but in case you want to get a jump start on turning yours in, here's a copy.
Black Girl Magic
Black Girl Magic was started by a parent, Alisha Barze, a few years ago at Little Canada Elementary. Black Girl Magic is:
"A day we recognize the accomplishments and leadership of black girls and women. It is important to recognize this demographic because they are often overlooked and underrepresented. We do this to inspire young girls to go after their dreams and become leaders. On this day we show our support by wearing black or heritage clothing. Let's help uplift our community." - Alisha Barze
This school year Roseville will begin an annual observance of Black Girl Magic on the last Friday in February. This year Black Girl Magic will take place on Friday, February 23rd.
Multilingual Seal Test
The multilingual seal test will be offered this year at FAHS. There is the potential to earn 2 to 4 high school elective credits and college credits at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities by earning different multilingual seal levels.
Minnesota districts and charter schools may award Minnesota bilingual and multilingual seals to high school graduates who demonstrate the required levels of language proficiency in speaking, writing, reading and listening for languages other than English, including American Sign Language (ASL) and American Indian (indigenous) languages in grades 10, 11, 12 regardless of how the language was learned. Bilingual and multilingual seals are awarded upon graduation.
We are asking interested students to register for the test using the registration form.
Languages offered:
Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai
Recently Added Languages: Amharic, D/Lakota, Hmong, Karen, Ojibwe, Oromo, Somali, Tamil and Vietnamese
New This Year: Dari, Pashto, Swahili, Ukrainian
Are you a new family/student at FAHS?
Here's an introductory newsletter for new families and students. Click here to read this newsletter.
FAHS Communication
Website: www.isd623.org/fahs
Location: 1910 County Road B West, Roseville, MN, USA
Phone: 651.604.3800