AKRON, Ohio — Dreams Academy, a new private school for boys in Akron, hosted an open house Sunday for families and community members to attend.
The event included a ribbon-cutting and a blessing from Bishop Mayceo Smith, of City of Joy Life Enrichment Center, over the teachers and incoming students as they get ready to kick off the school year on Thursday.
Dreams Academy will serve boys in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
Brandon Scarborough, founder and executive director, thanked his family and supporters for helping turn his vision into reality.
I spoke to art teacher AJ Vaughn, who is excited to bring lesson plans to life.
"The first week of school, I want them to walk in with everything that they have. Whatever you think, whatever you love, whatever you care about. Let's find a way to materialize it and to bring it from out of your head and into your hands," Vaughn said.
He said being a part of something new and monumental is an honor.
"Being an inner city kid there were two influential people in my life. It was my art teacher, and it was the man that decided to restructure my program at school," Vaughn said. "Going to an institution that's built for you, by people that look like you and have your best interest at heart, pushes the bounds of how you learn."
Back in July, I spoke to Scarborough about opening the school. He's been working with youth in Northeast Ohio for a decade, through his non-profit, offering a variety of programs to teach life skills to Black boys—everything from etiquette and financial management to problem-solving.
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