Fourteen years after a royal commission suggested it as one way to lower the dropout rate among blacks, Toronto will open an Africentric alternative school this fall with at least four classes from kindergarten to Grade 5 with more teachers from diverse backgrounds and less European-based lessons.
The Toronto District School Board announced yesterday that 56 students have enrolled in the unusual new program — enough to plan at least four classes in an unused wing of Sheppard Public School.
There will be a combined junior and senior kindergarten, a Grade 1 class, one combined Grade 2/3 class and a combined Grade 4/5 class.
Another 30 children have indicated an interest in enrolling at the school on Sheppard Avenue West at Keele Street, and the school will continue to accept new students in the spring and summer.
