Gresham charter school hoping to change academic narrative for students of color

GRESHAM, Ore. (KPTV) - A new charter school in the Rockwood neighborhood in Gresham is looking to change the academic narrative for students of color.

Holla School, a public charter school sponsored by the Reynolds School District, serves kids in kindergarten through second grade. The school was grown out of an organization with the same name that matches Black, brown, and Indigenous children with mentors that look like them and represent their ways of being in the world.

The foundational principle of Holla School is that their education should provide a similar experience.

“We feel that our kids learn best when they have educators that look like them,” said Holla School’s founder Eric Knox. “They look in the curriculum and they see people like them and understand the contributions of their own culture.”

That idea appeals to Alonzo Chadwick, who enrolled his daughter Zuri for Holla’s inaugural school year. Chadwick said he sees a growing lack of cultural representation in the area’s public schools, and wanted his daughter to feel represented in her education.

“Cultural affirmation. Strength. Community. Pride in who she is. Pride in her hair and her skin,” said Chadwick

Holla School’s admission window for the 2022-23 school year has closed, but parents can still get on a wait list. The school accepts students from all cultural backgrounds, but will be intentional about its mission to serve communities of color.

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