There was an opinion piece in today’s Times Dispatch newspaper on the St. Andrew’s School, written by St. Andrew’s School headmaster Cyndy Weldon-Lassiter, Ed.D.

Here is the beginning excerpt:

In 1894, confident in her belief that a solid education was essential in preparing the children of the working poor to overcome their circumstances and lead improved lives, social reformer and philanthropist Grace Arents founded St. Andrew’s School in Richmond’s Oregon Hill. The school was available to the children of the neighborhood at no cost to their financially struggling families.
As the school celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, the original mission remains unchanged: to educate children from low-income families through a full scholarship for every child. And its progressive approach to education, firmly rooted in 21st-century best practices, nonetheless still reflects much of Ms. Arents’ philosophical underpinnings from the 1890s.