Africa A+ Schools Launches in Cape Town

Oklahoma A+ Schools at University of Central Oklahoma is pleased to announce the launch of Africa A+ Schools Cape Town! The conversation about beginning an A+ Schools network in South Africa began in March of 2011 with Paul Steenkamp of Standard Bank in Johannesburg. He has visited Oklahoma on two separate trips to meet with OKA+ staff and tour OKA+ Schools. Since his initial interest, Paul has worked diligently to find the right location and partners to launch a South African network.

Rosalynn Wade, Program Director for OKA+ Schools, just returned from Cape Town, South Africa.

The right place turned out to be Cape Craft and DesignInstitute (CCDI) in Cape Town. An amazing entity in itself, CCDI will serve as the incubator for this newest A+ network. In December of 2014, Sandra Kent, executive director for OKA+ Schools, visited Cape Town to meet with the initial planning committee to discuss the formation of the network. Sandy shared the mission and some of the training tools of A+ Schools.  With her help an initial timeline was formed and plan for the project was set in motion.  Erica Elk, executive director of CCDI, traveling here this summer, along with Anya Morris, Director of AA+ Schools, to participate in an OKA+ Summer Institute in June. Erica and Anya experienced the full week of initial training with Carver Early Childhood Center of Enid which is led by Principal Christine Smith.   They also observed the planning and staff meetings of the teams of A+ Fellows facilitating the experience so that they can begin to take the process back to South Africa, and they enjoyed a few sights and sounds of Oklahoma City as well.

Since June, Anya has been working to form an Advisory Board, recruit educators and artists to be the first Africa A+ Fellows, and locate the ideal school groups to be the first cadre of Africa A+ Schools in 2016. CCDI has been assisting with design, branding, and infrastructure support for the new network. The network will begin with early childhood centers in and around Cape Town in its first cadre. Anya shared that she likes Sir Ken Robinson’s idea that “Creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” She said, “This is what we should be doing in Africa if we are to grow entrepreneurs and innovators that will develop our potential and deal with our challenges.”

Africa A+ Fellows at their first Retreat!

Earlier this month, Africa A+ Schools completed its first Fellows Retreat. Rosalynn Wade, Program Director for OKA+ Schools at UCO, Cindy Scarberry, Executive Director of the Opry Heritage Foundation of Oklahoma and OKA+ Fellow, and Jenny Richard, preschool teacher at Christ the King Preschool and OKA+ Fellow, traveled to Cape Town to lead the initial Fellows Retreat and participate in the launch of the Africa A+ Schools network and planning meetings. The first five day Summer Institutes for Africa A+ Schools will be conducted in Cape Town in January of 2016, with three inaugural early childhood schools anticipated.

Oklahoma A+ Schools at UCO congratulates Standard Bank, CCDI, and Africa A+ Schools on the start of a great journey to build the schools they want - to nurture creative learners among the youngest South Africans.

About the Author
Rosalynn Wade is Program Director for Oklahoma A+ Schools. She gives planning and direction to services provided to OKA+ schools, associates, and Fellows. She holds an MA in educational leadership from Southern Nazarene University and is an adjunct professor there. Her passion for giving students creative choice and problem solving opportunities comes from her work as a visual art teacher and arts integration specialist for over twenty years.