Imhotep Charter High School has been mentioned so many times over the last three weeks that even when I’m sleeping, I’m thinking about the school, the students, the teachers, the counselors, and all other staff members. Equally, I’ve been thinking about the parents and other loved ones of Imhotep students.
Unfortunately, in the first week of March of this year, a group of students from Imhotep Charter High School, who were waiting for a Septa bus, were ambushed; five students ended up being shot, one of them fatally. His name was Dayeman Taylor. I do not make light of his murder or of the murder of other people in our city. Somehow, when a young person is killed, it hits me differently. It seems to hurt more, and I grieve, even when I don’t personally know the various victims of senseless violence on our streets.
Imhotep Charter High School, founded in 1998, is not your average run-of-the-mill charter school. At Imhotep, from the Founders to the Instructors, to the students and parents of the students, they march to a different drum beat, and–it’s a positive drumbeat. I recently interviewed Mamma Christine Wiggins, the most well-known personality of the founders of Imhotep, in order to give SCOOP readers a better perspective of the school and how well it has operated over the years, even with some challenges and hurdles along the way.
Mamma Christy Wiggins stated, “Everything that I am today was poured into me. I am the daughter of two amazing educators. My father is a retired school district of Philadelphia administrator. My mom was Marta Young. She just transitioned two months ago. She taught at Prince Hall Elementary School for many years. When the Prince Hall Elementary School was about to be built, they were going to call it the West Oak Lane Elementary School. My Mom said no. She said, “Our children need to believe in and have the knowledge and a relationship with people who have done great things.” So, she is the one who said, “I want the school to be called the Prince Hall Elementary School.” I got to see firsthand what happens when the community surrounds a school and comes in to help. I watched the men of Prince Hall Masons and the Women of the Eastern Stars adopt that elementary school and make a difference. So, when I started my career in education and saw the opportunity to do something different in education, I started listening to what my parents were showing me. They showed me that what our children need is love and people showing them that they are there for them. Young people need to see that there is a community that will stand up for them.”
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Thank you for reading an excerpt of Thera Martin’s article on scoopusamedia.com. To read more of the article, “The Founder of Imhotep Charter School reflects on the history of the school and the healing that students are going through now,” please subscribe to Scoop USA Media. Print subscriptions are $75.00 and online subscriptions (Print, Digital and Vizion) are $90. (52 weeks/1 year)
