In her eighth year at Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Excellence, Autumn Williamson says it is the vision of the school’s founder — and now namesake — that drives her teaching and puts her students on a path to success.

Mrs. Williamson said she only began teaching at the school after meeting the founder, Ann Jerkins-Harris, when she applied for the job. It was “her vision, her faith in me” that convinced Mrs. Williamson to take the job.

“We clicked pretty good during that time, so I chose to stick with her and help her vision,” Mrs. Williamson said.

Now, about 18 months after Ann Jerkins-Harris’ death, the charter school on Parkside Boulevard in central Toledo is preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

According to an August, 2020, report using information from the U.S. Department of Education, more than one-quarter of charter schools close within the first five years of operation.

But the academy has thus far overcome some of the difficulties facing charter schools. And on Saturday, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and alumni of the K-6 school will gather from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the school community and welcome new members to it.

The event will feature small businesses and nonprofits where parents work, and there will be barbecue and carnival games as well. The school also will show its solidarity with Ukrainian refugees during the event: The students have been collecting teddy bears to send to refugee children and they will recognize that project.

The event is also meant to reintroduce the school to the community following the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In doing so, and in honor of its founder, the school’s name is being changed from the Academy of Educational Excellence to the Ann Jerkins-Harris Academy of Excellence.

Even as the school reorients itself somewhat, the overall mission remains the same.

“We…seek to produce students who are leaders of not only themselves but of their class, their school community, and their home,” said Sonya Loggins, who is the daughter of Ann Jerkins-Harris and now superintendent of the school. “So we look at what our students are capable [of] and look at their leadership skills and develop them within our students at all times.”

Mrs. Loggins said the school values small class sizes, this year ranging from eight to 18 students, which helps fulfill those goals.

The leadership philosophy is guided by the “Leader in Me” model, which bills itself as a paradigm shift in education that includes curriculum meant to empower students and help them achieve academically and beyond.

Though challenges do arise with teacher turnover and students who may face economic disadvantages, many teachers at the school feel like the academy has been successful in this pursuit.

Mrs. Williamson, who will be teaching fourth grade this year, mentioned former students of hers who have succeeded in junior high and high school. Some have returned to the academy to share their experiences with the younger students.

“Our students actually come back and they share their leadership when they come back. They come back and help out,” Mrs. Loggins said.

Mrs. Williamson’s own children attended the charter school. She said she commutes an hour every day to teach because she wanted to provide her children with a quality education that exposed them to a diversity of backgrounds.

“I know that the staff that we have here – we kind of stick together, and we really encourage our students,” Mrs. Williamson said. “Even some of our older students have been coming in to visit us. It’s just really neat to see how things have kind of transformed.”

Nancy Villagomez is a hall monitor at the school and will begin teaching art there this year. One of her grandsons graduated from the school last year, and another will be in sixth grade this year.

Mrs. Villagomez, who is a floral designer, said she is looking forward to showing the students different crafts. She also will be leading an extracurricular activity, and she hopes the club offerings will add to the new skills students can learn.

“I just hope they can succeed in what they want to do,” she said. “We care. The teachers do care about them a lot.”

Perris Loggins, who will be teaching second grade this year, described the impact of the school’s leadership focus.

“That leadership that we’re instilling in them, they’re using it outside of school,” she said. “The more kids that come in that we can teach those leadership roles, it’ll pour back into our community.”

Miss Loggins is the daughter of the school’s superintendent and the granddaughter of its founder. As the school celebrates its 10th anniversary, her emphasis on leadership aligns with the values her grandmother originally set out.

On more difficult days for her, Miss Loggins said she walks by the memorial to her grandmother that is right next to her classroom. It reminds her of why she teaches and why the school’s mission, 10 years on, still matters.

First Published August 9, 2022, 7:39 p.m.