Letter From the Publisher Seek the Peace and Prosperity of the City in which I have placed you. Jeremiah 29:7 . יִ ְהיֶ ה לָ כֶ ם ָׁשלֹום,לֹומּה ָ כִּ י ִב ְׁש:יְ הוָ ה- ֶאל, וְ ִה ְת ַּפלְ לּו ַבעֲ ָדּה, ֲא ֶׁשר ִהגְ לֵ ִיתי ֶא ְתכֶ ם ָׁש ָּמה,שלֹום ָהעִ יר-ת ְׁ ז וְ ִד ְרׁשּו ֶא יִ ְר ְמיָ הּו
Numbers 14:6 through 9 6 Joshua, son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid… ְּב ִמ ְד ַּבר - ָכּל- אֶ ל, ז ו ַי ֹּאמְ רּו.בגְדֵ יהֶ ם ּ ִ ,קָ ְרעּו--ָארץ ֶ ָה- אֶ ת,הַ תָ ִּרים- מִ ן,י ְפֻ נֶּה- ו ְ ָכלֵב ֶבּן,נּון-וו ִיהֹושֻ ׁעַ ִבּן . מְ א ֹד מְ א ֹד,ָארץ ּ ְ עֲ דַ ת ֶ ָטֹובָה ה-- אֲ שֶ ׁר עָ ב ְַרנּו בָּה לָתּור א ֹתָ ּה,ָארץ ֶ ָ ה:י ִשְ ָׂראֵ ל לֵאמ ֹר-בנֵי הִ וא ָזבַת- אֲ שֶ ׁר, אֶ ֶרץ: ּונְתָ נָּה לָנּו,ָארץ הַ ז ֹּאת ֶ ָה-ו ְהֵ בִיא א ֹתָ נּו אֶ ל-- י ְהו ָה,חָ פֵ ץ ָבּנּו-חאִ ם ִכּי לַחְ מֵ נּו הֵ ם; סָ ר,ָארץ ְ ִת- ו ְַאתֶ ּם ַאל,תִ ּמְ ר ֹדּו- ַאל, טאַ ְך ַבּיהו ָה.חָ לָב ּודְ בָׁש ֶ ָעַ ם ה-ּיראּו אֶ ת ָ ִת- ַאל,ִצ ָלּם מֵ עֲ לֵיהֶ ם ו ַיהו ָה אִ תָ ּנּו .ּיראֻ ם This month, 4Memphis and the Memphis Love Challenge turn our attention to education, specifically a charter school in Memphis that is leading the charge to prove that education in the city of Memphis does not have to be a failed proposition. Grizzlies Prep is doing an outstanding job of educating 6th, 7th and 8th grade young men that otherwise would be considered at risk if they were not attending Grizzlies Prep. The story referenced from this excerpt from the Book of Numbers is the story of God’s people being afraid to tackle the job that God had given them to conquer the Promised Land after leaving slavery in Egypt. The Israeli people watched the most powerful nation on Earth be destroyed, in order to set them free, only to become afraid and refuse to do the job that lay ahead. One of the basic requirements of any city is the education of its children. Many in this city, including this publisher, look at the challenges and wonder if there is any way to fix our city’s education system. We are afraid that the political battle is too hard, or the high-risk children too challenging, to actively engage in helping fix the system. The surrounding communities have to incorporate into their growth projections the need for a bigger school system to accommodate the young families looking to leave the schools located in the city of Memphis.
Grizzlies Prep is proving our fears to be wrong. You walk the halls of the school located in the former downtown Federal Reserve building, and you’ll see these young men’s love of reading, order and discipline. They are in the top 95% of their peers in the area of reading, math, and science. This is all being done despite being in a building that has no gymnasium or yard to play in. They love their school, more importantly they love learning and embrace the “Core Values” as defined by Grizzlies Prep. (see page 36 in feature article) The leadership of Grizzlies Prep has been deliberate in developing a school curriculum that reinforces the Core Values while providing an emotionally safe learning environment from the moment these young men enter the building until they leave. We toured the school last week with Memphis music artist PreauXX; his own life message to the students reinforced the very “Core Values” of Grizzlies Prep. He challenged the young men to “define yourself everyday despite the challenges of the day,” drawing from his upcoming single “Monday Morning.” In our story from the book of Numbers, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who did not run from the job given to them by God. They were the only ones from their generation to enter the Promised Land after Israel wandered 40 years. May we, the citizens of Memphis, not fail this generation of students. May we support Grizzlies Prep and the other schools that are working to change education in Memphis. Seek the Peace and Prosperity of Memphis Jim
Grizzlies Prep is a public school that operates as a charter school, receiving an allocation of dollars for the student’s education, but nothing for facility upcoming or to pay for the extras that are making a difference in the education of these young men. The Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation helps to meet some of these needs, some of the Core Values are drawn from what is successful on the basketball court, but it is critical that the school has a broader base of support to continue its great work.
MEMPHIS
FEBRUARY 2015
About the Cover Love for
GRIZZLIES CHARTER SCHOOL
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