In 1989, Dr. William Kell and his wife, Janet, launched a private school for inner city children in the basement of their home. They started with eight children from Gilpin Court who were failing second and third grades. Even at such a young age, these children seemed doomed to a lifetime of failure. They were trapped in the largest subsidized housing community between New York and Atlanta, where:- the vast majority of households were headed by single mothers with an average of a ninth grade education
- the average household income was below $8,000
- violence, drugs, neglect and abuse were the order of the day.
Children went to the neighborhood public school burdened by expectations of failure from every side. With so many children - with so many problems - gathered in one place, those expectations came true again and again. Dr. and Mrs. Kell set out to change the basic conditions under which their students tried to learn:
- They created an orderly, protected environment
- They established a structured setting, with clear rules for behavior
- Based on Christian principles, they insisted that each child be valued as a child of God
- They taught Christian morality, with clear instruction concerning right and wrong
- They expected each student to learn and provided top quality traditional instruction
Dr. and Mrs. Kell discovered that wonderful things happen when children are taught in a safe, orderly and loving environment. Their grades go up. They feel good about themselves. They begin to see all the possibilities that life holds for them.
