Post by admin on Nov 22, 2006 8:53:52 GMT -5
Lillie Hendry rings the bell to signal the start of another program at the Court Street School Education Community Center. The historic school has been restored and holds a place of honor on the National Register of Historic Places.
FREEHOLD - If you are really, really quiet, you can almost hear it - the sound of children's footsteps going up and down the steps of the Court Street School.
If you let your imagination rule for just a few minutes and take a trip back in time, you can almost see children in the school yard jumping double Dutch, playing hopscotch and throwing a baseball.
Taking a trip to the school, which sits atop a hill at the intersection of Court and Rhea streets, will also take you back to a time that no longer exists - the era of segregated schools when Freehold's black children and white children did not share the world of education.
The Court Street School has been undergoing restoration since 1995 through the work and dedication of its alumni, including borough resident Lillie Hendry.
Hendry currently serves as president of the Court Street School Education Community Center board of trustees. She and others have managed to preserve a great deal of the original school, so much so that it has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hendry and her sister, the late Nicy Ham Russell, were instrumental in getting the project going. Hendry credits lifelong borough resident Donald Ruffin with the idea to restore the school.
"He said it was a beautiful building and it should not go to waste," Hendry said.
Court Street School Education Community Center officials recently had the opportunity to celebrate the building's significance when a sign noting the school's designation on the National Register of Historic Places was installed.
The sign was unveiled during a recent ceremony at-tended by Hendry and Borough Council members Sharon Shutzer, Marc Le Vine, Robert Crawford and Jaye Sims.
Andrea MacPherson, vice president of the board of trustees, was the moderator for the ceremony. The Rev. Evelyn Hines of New Beginnings Agape Christian Center gave the benediction and the Rev. Frederick Parrish of Bethel AME Church, Freehold Township, gave the invocation.
The event was also attended by Randall Gabrielan, the executive director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission, and teacher Mary Webb Wright.
Wright is the last living teacher among the four teachers who were employed when the school was closed as a segregated school in 1949. Hendry said some of Wright's former students came to see their teacher, who is now in her mid-80s and who made the trip from her home in Virginia.
One of the original classrooms, now referred to as the Historic Preservation Room, looks much the same way it did in 1921 when the Court Street School opened. Small wooden desks with holes for an inkwell line the large room. Windows that stretch from the ceiling almost to the floor line the classroom that was once home to the youngest members of the borough's black community.
On the back wall of the classroom hangs an impressive mural completed by artist Machi in 1997. The mural depicts children of yesteryear playing outdoors on a warm day.
Hendry said when Machi visited the school she was able to feel the spirit of the students who once walked the halls and who once played in the school yard and was inspired to paint them.
Walking across the room's hardwood floor, one cannot help wondering about the children and teachers who once attended the school on a daily basis.
For almost 20 years, members of the Court Street School Education Community Center have attempted to preserve not only the building, but also the history that goes with it.
According to Hendry, the school opened in 1921 and provided education for all black children in kindergarten through eighth grade, while also serving as a focal point for social activities until the Freehold Borough school district became integrated in 1949. Hendry, who graduated from the Court Street School during its era of segregation, said the building became an official historic landmark in 1995.
She said the restoration of the Court Street School is important because it honors the history of the early 20th century education of black children in New Jersey.
"Many black schools were demolished, and all that history is lost," Hendry said. "All history is important to us."
In 1990, the Court Street School Educa-tion Community Center Inc. was formed as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization to restore the school for use as an education community center and to preserve it as an African-American historic landmark. The group received more than $800,000 from the New Jersey Historic Trust and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders to restore the facility.
The center's mission is to preserve the school as a historic and viable community-based education center and to "inspire hope in all children and their families; to provide educational multicultural and historic activities to all in the community; to work in collaboration with other groups to provide supportive services to all in the community and to work with families and schools to enhance the educational development opportunities for the personal growth of all people."
The center recently hosted a gala at the Battleground Country Club, Manalapan, to honor the past 10 years of service to the community.
A 2006 community service award was presented to former Councilman Kevin Coyne, who was recognized for his support of community-based programs and his efforts to protect and preserve the diverse culture of the borough.
Coyne said his goal has always been to try to preserve a "truly integrated town, which is a rare, rare thing in New Jersey." He believes Freehold Borough "embodies, more than any other town, Dr. Martin Luther King's dream." He said he was "deeply touched" to receive an award from "such an important institution in our town and in our town's history."
The center provides a number of programs for children. New Jersey Orators offers communication skills training and cultural enrichment to primarily African-American youths ranging in age from 7 to 18. The objective of the program is to teach the fundamentals of public speaking - good eye contact, posture, poise, diction and voice level. A sailboat mentoring program has 10 youngsters building a radio controlled model of the Chesapeake Bay Skipjack under the guidance of an adult mentor. Kool Kids Read is a youth reading club formed to develop an appreciation of African-American literature and to promote the love of reading. The club targets youngsters ranging in age from 7 to 13 and meets once a month to discuss books that are interesting and inspirational.
A homework assistance program and guest speakers are also offered for children. A jump rope program called "Double Dutch" helps youngsters remain fit and increases their confidence level and coordination through teamwork. A Friday night jam session during which children will meet professional musicians and learn new songs is expected to begin in the near future.
Photographs and mementos within the school honor the building's significant role in Freehold's history.
With the school itself restored there is more work to be done, according to Hendry.
"Our goal is to encourage more programs. We look forward to the 21st century and hope for an increase in community involvement and more suggestions for desired programs at from community members," she said, adding that the Court Street School Education Community Center always welcomes support in the form of suggestions, volunteers and financial donations.
Found in News Transcript
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2006/1121/Schools/004.html