Jubilee School: Celebrating the power of children's voices and ideas since 1977
Introduction by Crystal Cubbage, Executive Director, PLC
Jubilee School is one of the Collaborative’s newest members. It is a sweet PreK-6 school located in West Philadelphia. It is a feeder to middle schools such as SLA Middle School and Masterman. PLC is featuring Jubilee in this issue because the model should be better known in Philadelphia and the nation. You can read more about its mission and philosophy of education HERE.
In summary, the approach to education at Jubilee is built upon a foundation of respect for children as:
learners who are innately curious about the world around them
thinkers with important ideas who use logic, reason and intuition to make sense of their world
artists whose creative instincts need to be encouraged and developed
spiritual/moral beings who need the freedom to express their spirituality, and to weigh the complexities of moral decisions; both their own, and those of others
individuals with their own perspectives, strengths, weaknesses, interests and approaches to the world
members of a community whose history and culture is the central starting place or their study of the world
builders and decision-makers with a responsibility to their families, their school community, their larger community and the world.
by Karen Falcon, Founder and Teacher, Jubilee School
Founded in 1977, Jubilee School is a small independent community school, which is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Education. Their mission is to provide a rigorous, comprehensive private school education that is affordable to the West Philadelphia community. By integrating scholarship, the arts, social activism, and the celebration of students’ heritage, Jubilee provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of the riches of their legacy and the power of their individual and collective voices to affect change in their local and global communities.
Jubilee is a safe place for students to express themselves through the arts, as well as to build problem-solving and leadership skills. These skills contribute to the power of their voices and ideas to work towards creating a better, more just community and world.
“We believe our whole world should be connected because we share the earth together. Everybody in the world should be equal and connected like next door neighbors. We recommend that all the countries should put their differences aside, and think about how they could make the world a world without violence, poverty, hunger, pollution and global warming. If everybody was working together our world would be a powerful planet of peace.”
Jubilee has a long history of involving students in a wide range of demonstrated leadership projects. Our goal has always been to expose our students to the richness of their legacy. In the process, they have created their own rich legacy. Here are some highlights of student work:
2022 | Women who did not stand for it
The fourth-grade class decided that they wanted to write a book about people who refused to give up their seats on segregated public transportation. They named the book “Resist!” and published it this year, forming a publishing company with the sixth grade called “Jubilee Voices Publishing House ''.
2020 | Student impressions of Sonia Sanchez
While students were learning online because of the pandemic, the fourth-grade class did research about the poet Sonia Sanchez, studied her poetry, and interviewed her on Zoom. They then wrote a book about her, which they illustrated in fifth grade. At the end of the book, they wrote “The heart of Sonia Sanchez’s life is poetry, peace, and the justice she brings to the world. She said ‘When I look back at Malcolm and Martin, I hope to be part of a long train of people who said we cannot sit and be quiet when there is injustice here.’ She wants us to be part of that train too.”
2017 | Advocating to mark an important moment in history
As part of their Songs of the Children campaign students researched and wrote a piece about the 1985 bombing of the headquarters of the back to nature group, MOVE, in which 6 adults and 5 children were killed and 61 homes were destroyed. When they went to the site of the bombing to memorialize what had happened, bringing flowers and poetry, they were shocked at the condition of the block. They decided that day to apply for a state historical marker to ensure that what was done by the police, with cooperation from the fire department, the State and the City, would never be forgotten. Their application was approved, and in June of 2017, the group who had applied for the marker led an unveiling ceremony.
“I haven’t been in Jubilee for 8 or 9 years like some of the other kids in my class, but I still realize the beauty in Jubilee. I was lucky to get in this wonderful school.…I want to thank Mrs. Karen for giving me the African American history I’ll never get anywhere else. Jubilee…has taught me responsibility and maturity… I love Jubilee and all the teachers here.”
-Ade
“Jubilee is where I met my first friends, where I learned about family, community, legacies, leadership and most of all where I found my voice. Jubilee has shown me that children can make a difference in the world.”
-Corah
“Jubilee has been the only place where I’ve felt like I could do something great for the world and my family. For the past 8 years I’ve been preparing and training for something I’ve only had a taste of: life outside Jubilee…(The teachers) push me to my limit, just because they know I’m capable of numbers of things.”
-Juilius
“Jubilee School is a gift; a chance to visualize something extraordinary. I’ve been given the privilege to receive this gift from the age of four. When I’m at Jubilee, I am able to think; to have ideas and to share my questions…(Teachers) showed me I could do something with my dreams and that I could fight for what I believe in.”
-Amea
Jubilee School provides an environment in which students celebrate their legacies through scholarship, the arts, social activism and the power of their voices and ideas. Below are more examples of the countless ways our students have demonstrated leadership:
Initiated a Civil Rights Day celebration for activists which evolved into annual Human Rights Day celebrations.
Created a documentary film through Scribe Video called “Walls & Doors; Inspirations from our Elders” about civil rights activists;
Organized a campaign against police brutality called “Songs of the Children”, using poetry as their language of resistance
Hosted eight radio broadcasts for Scribe Video in which students interviewed people connected to what they were learning in history class
Visit Jubilee Voices Publishing House to purchase the published work of our students
Journey to the Core of the Twentieth Century, Volume I
The Deep Past of Haiti
Sonia Sanchez; the Freedom and Dream Worker
Chronicles of Kosssola
Founding of Africatown