Value system based on Nguzo Saba - The Seven Principles of Kwanza
Paige Academy’s educational Mission and lifestyle provides an environment that fosters individual worth as well as collective responsibility. This African-American philosophy promotes the following seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
Paige Academy embraces the concept that a diverse student body enhances the quality of the academic and cultural experience. The school has an experienced, ethnically diverse staff and faculty, with teachers trained in early childhood and/or elementary education.
Cultural resonance is educating students with an awareness or sensitivity that is consistent with the cultural life force of a particular community.
It is the Philosophy practiced at Paige Academy as a Academy because it is a way of being in tune or and in harmony with the people and their desire to enrich their institutions.
This resonance is based on a community’s social processes and values, interacting with ideologies that are commonly shared. It may be described metaphorically as a vibration of energy that is consistent with the culture of a particular community. Such resonance is felt deeply inside the community and emerges from the spiritual values and ways of knowing and interacting that are commonly shared.
At Paige Academy we practice Cultural Resonance and sensitivity to language and culture as it relates to African-American students, and the integration of a holistic approach to learning, flexibility, and leadership.
Children need to be directed toward respect and value of all life. In the beginning stages of a child’s development at the Paige Academy Nursery School, this is implemented in the child’s surroundings and first relationship with others parents, extended family, and schooling.
He maintains, “We live in a universe of law and order and there are principles by which all our life’s experiences, conditions, and events take place”(1998).
A safe and accepting learning environment that nurtures teamwork, diversity, and the concept of the extended family.
A welcoming and encouraging attitude toward African-centered languages and art forms, and an opena open minded attitude toward other cultural expressions.
The implementation of the Seven Principles of Kwanza, and the presence of their cultural symbols in the daily life of the school.
High academic standards.
Committed and affirming teachers who are Black/Brown and White role models and value diversity in language.
A holistic approach to education.Rules and guidelines that are fair for resolving conflicts among students, parents, and staff.
A safe place to examine and combat racism in order to make the world a better place for all.
The tenacity to define the school as an African-centered institution in the face of challenges from the larger society toward the notion of African-centered education.
The involvement of parents in all aspects of the school.
A special concern for the needs of Ethnic and American boys.
Teachers who are sensitive to the needs and learning styles of African-American, international students, ALL student..
An institution that provides on-going educational leadership; a welcoming place alumni hope to send their own children based on their desire to replicate their own learning experiences for their children.
For a full explanation of our Guidelines, Philosophy, and Principles please contact us for
Educational Program & Admission
Paige Academy is an independent school offering a comprehensive, culturally affirming and developmentally based educational environment.
We provide Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Programs as well as our Elementary School curriculum in Arts, Sciences, Humanities, and Technology for children ages 6 to 12 years. Paige Academy embraces the concept that cultural resonance expressed through an ethnically abundant educational community enhances the quality of a child’s academic and intellectual experience.
Paige seeks to create a stimulating tapestry of diversity in its community of students, parents, staff and faculty. Paige employs a multilingual, international teaching and administrative staff that represents the many people and cultures of the Diaspora.
The Arts and Sciences, Mathematics; basic academic, social, and other formative skills. Also teaching elemental natural and social science, personal hygiene, music, art, theater, and literature, yoga, gardening and holistic food preparation. Field trips will be included as approved by the CDC Covid parameters and guidance.
The curriculum for the Early Childhood program is rooted in the mastery of eight basic developmental skills areas:
Community and Social Interaction - Developing positive play and social skills through the use of toys and games that encourage group interaction as well as dramatic play. Instruction in these skill areas is tailored to the respective developmental and social needs of Infant, Toddler and Preschool children.
The toddler program is structured to help children develop a positive self-image, and world-view. Our staff will continue to help the child establish a strong concept of themselves and their surroundings. The program is designed to establish rudiments of language and self-expression through physical and sensory stimulation with playtime, art projects, music lessons, and exposure to nature, animals, and peer-play or interactivity.
Preschool Program-Children between Ages 2.9 to 5 years.
These children are surrounded by warmth and love, especially when outside the home. We impress upon children our love for them and the importance of their love for themselves and each other.
Our Primary Program is designed to be developmentally appropriate for the intellectual, academic, and emotional needs of Preschool aged children and is designed to prepare them for a readiness to enter kindergarten.
Play acting, storytelling, call and response and drama all play a vital role in learning and engaging children within this age group.
Children between Ages 4 to 6 years are encouraged to investigate their world through drawing, hands on science and math projects, and expressive writing assignments.
Paige Academy introduces the skills needed to begin reading and understanding the fundamental rudiments of counting and mathematics.
Play acting, storytelling, call and response and drama all play a vital role in learning and engaging children within this age group.
Our approach to education enables children to understand:
External Environment: How and why do I share my space, my toys and myself with other children? How can two children share one cookie, or play with one ball or ride one car?
Atmospheric Environment: What are the various weather conditions? Why and when do I wear different clothing for specific weather conditions?
Simple Laws of Physics: How can I move a particular object from here to there? How to engage body motion and plan of action?
Observation and Expression: How can I describe my needs to others so that they are understood? How can I understand what is described to me? How can I act on what is communicated?
The children are encouraged to express their problems and interests and then be placed in experiences where they can solve these problems. Successful problem-solving means growth of self-confidence for children. Confidence and knowledge can be used to solve problems in all aspects of life.
Our Junior Group Curriculum, students 2nd grade through 6th grade, supports and encourages self-expression as well as self-control. Our teaching sets the stages for distinguishing self-express and self-control or the discipline to master oneself.
This ability to master one-self will establish the foundation for adulthood and study beyond Paige Academy in advanced studies from High School to College, or any desired field of study or public service. Children are natural scientists. The world is a new experience for them. Children naturally attempt to communicate with and understand nature and their environment.
What has become obvious to us as adults is of sensational interest to children. Children spend a great deal of time storing and putting together the information from their environment.
At Paige Academy we help them to analyze and correctly determine how to use this information. Our curriculum and staff educate to facilitate children’s natural ability to problem solve.
Our mathematics and science curriculum focus on problem-solving as the approach to stimulate intelligence.
The After-School program is a school readiness program with a current enrollment of 20 students. It serves children ages 6 years to 12 years.
The students are composed into 1 single group, with a teacher and a teacher's aide assigned for a ratio of 1:10. The program is based on the developmental levels of the children enrolled. It is a developmental program specially designed to accommodate the intellectual, academic and emotional needs of young children. Reading, Math, science skills and creative arts are integrated into the curriculum to provide the full spectrum of academic and imaginative learning.
Applications for After-School can be obtained by contacting Sister Daisy Mayola-Roman, Admissions and Program Director.
Enroll for this academic year
We invite you to consider our school for the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
Enroll for the 2020 to 2021 academic year Schedule a Tour (617) 445-6969 Ext. 203
Now enrolling for Nguzo Saba Summer Enrichment Program July 6- August 27
Summer Hours: 8:00am - 3:00pm
8 Week Session
$450 per 2 week Session Vouchers Accepted
Call (617) 445-6969 or 617-445-5419 for information and admissions package. Email: PaigeAcademy@gmail.com
We consider applicants from all ethnic and all financial backgrounds. Private Pay Families or families with the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) Vouchers are given equal consideration for admissions.
Paige Academy
26/28 Highland Avenue
Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Telephone: (617) 445-6969 extension 200 (Receptionist)
Email:PaigeAcademy@gmail.com
Legacy and the Diaspora
Sister Angela was raised in Washington, D.C. where she grew up in a family of educators.
She received a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Theater Arts at Fisk University in Nashville. Dr. Cook then pursued a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College in Massachusetts.
From 1980-81 she served as an Urban Studies Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge MA.
In 1995, she completed her Ph.D. program that focused on Leadership in Urban Education at the University of Massachusetts. Her dissertation was on the importance and effectiveness of a cultural resonant curriculum in Ethnic and American communities.
Our Staff serves the families of Paige Academy with care and devotion to children. Collectively our staff members bring over 50 years of experience in early childhood, curriculum development, and educational practices that specialize in child rearing and learning.
Whether a staff member is involved in our Infant, Toddler, Preschool Program, or elementary School or is a Chef or Administrative Staff, every member of our team is part of our Umoja – Unity: our dedication to work and learn together in an atmosphere of love and respect for self and others are committed to making Paige Academy a unique and valued experience for all parents and children. This diversity is reflected in the number of different languages spoken at Paige Academy and is illustrated on the chart below:
Paige Academy is named for Lucy Paige Williams(1876 - 1965). She was the Executive Director's Dr. Angela Paige Cook maternal great grand aunt known by all in her Richmond, Virginia community as a person ready to answer questions and share a wealth of knowledge, Lucy Paige Williams formed the "schools of benevolence" in her own home; teaching turn of the century adults and children the education and life skills needed to overcome the oppression we still face.
Lucy Paige Williams lived in Richmond, Virginia from 1876 to 1965. She was one of the links in the long road-work of helping children and society in general to reach for positive goals. At the turn of the century Lucy Paige Williams established her “school of benevolence,” where children and adults were taught many of the skills they needed for upward mobility and to confront the oppression they faced in daily life.
Later in her life she was known by all the children in her neighborhood as a person ready to answer questions and share a wealth of knowledge – from how to make natural dyes, crochet, knit, and to sing lullabies.
Lucy Paige Williams was a stern but kind and loving person who was admired and loved by her friends and family. Her linkage ancestrally is with Angela Paige Cook, Founding Director of Paige Academy.
Angela Paige was named after her great-aunt Lucy by her mother, Gwendolyn Antoinette Johnson Brooks.
Historically the naming of someone or something is a universal tradition that expresses a hope that the spirit and essence of that being is given new life and energy for a next generation. In passing along a name it is hoped that all the positive attributes and strengths of the person will remain alive, helping the named person (namesake) to do their best they can in whatever area or direction they want to go.
Paige Academy values this tradition and recognizes Lucy Paige Williams for the love and understanding she gave at the turn of the century with her establishment of “Schools of Benevolence.”
Paige Academy aims to continue building self-worth in the lives of children during this century.
