Elijah House Academy
Dr. William Kell and his wife, Janet opened the Elijah House Academy in 1989. The private school for inner city children began in the basement of their home as a dream to aid in the educational process of under privileged youth. According to the founders of the Elijah House Academy , they began with only eight children from the Gilpin Court area, which is a subsidized housing community in the city of Richmond . All of these children were failing second and third grades. They saw a need to create an orderly, protected environment that would establish a structured setting with clear rules for behavior. According to the Kells, it was their belief that the school should be based on Christian principles in order to ensure that each child be valued as a child of God. They also teach Christian morality that includes clear instructions on right and wrong behavior, and they provide top quality traditional instruction with the expectation that each student will learn.
The Elijah House Academy ‘s focus is on low-income children first and foremost. A requirement for student enrollment is parental involvement. The Elijah House Academy facilitates agreement between staff, board, and the parents in its practices and policies based on the belief that God only operates effectively in an atmosphere of agreement. Through these values the hope is to maintain structure and a safe atmosphere at all times for enrolled students. The Elijah House Academy also holds high academic and disciplinary standards and encourages students to achieve their full classroom potential as established by the founders.
Since Elijah House Academy is a Bible-base, Christ-centered ministry, each day begins with Bible class and prayer. They implement a modified A Beka curriculum. A Beka curriculum teaches the Bible as the foundation for all other learning . Therefore, traditional school subjects, such as history, mathematics, science, health and English are based on the foundational truths of scripture . The Elijah House Academy stresses a phonetic approach to reading as well as traditional mathematics. The curriculum at Elijah House Academy is suitable for students who are average or above and capable of functioning in a disciplined classroom setting. The academy is not equipped to deal with unusual learning problems.
Elijah House Academy has also begun an economics program that has received local and state honors from the Virginia Council on Economic Education , as well as national honors from the National Federation of Independent Businesses . This program is designed to promote an understanding of the free enterprise system, acquisition of basic living skills, and development of entrepreneurial aspirations. Elijah House Academy was recently honored by the Valentine Richmond History Center as the winning school for the 2006 Richmond History Makers in the category of “Creating Quality Educational Opportunities” for the Richmond Metropolitan Area.
The Elijah House Academy is located in the Richmond Outreach Center ‘s 58,000 square foot facility. The academy has twelve spacious classrooms, a gymnasium, cafeteria, library, computer lab, playground, and playing fields for a full sports program for grades K-12. The school population is predominately African American; however, admission is open to all races and ethnic backgrounds.
The Elijah House Academy
The Richmond Outreach Center
6255 Warwick Road
Richmond, VA
(804)-755-7051
Sources:
Richmond Outreach Center website
A Beka Book website
