#MiCharterOrigins – Part of a series of articles looking at how some Michigan charter schools were founded.
When KEYS Grace Academy opened in Madison Heights 10 years ago, there was nothing like it in Michigan – or anywhere else in the country.
Nathan Kalasho is the son of Chaldean immigrants who came to this country from Iraq in the 1970s. Along with his father, Assad, and his brother, Dylan, Nathan founded the charter school in Madison Heights in 2015 after working on plans for seven years.
His vision was to create a school that preserved the Chaldean, Assyrian and Syriac cultures. KEYS stands for “Kalasho Empowerment of Young Scholars,” and KEYS Grace Academy would serve a largely immigrant community, primarily from Iraq and Syria.
“What we’re doing here is coinciding with the genocide that’s going on in Iraq and Syria now,” Nathan said at the time. “That’s why it’s so important to open up a school such as this. It’s the duty of educators to try to preserve what’s left.”
Unlike many communities in which charter schools and traditional public schools are at odds, there was great cooperation in Madison Heights when it came to KEYS Grace Academy. The school is chartered by the Madison District Public Schools, which recognized the need for the school in the community, and it’s located in the former Edison Elementary School.
It's a model for how charter schools and traditional public schools can not only coexist but thrive. Nathan and his family worked hard to build bridges and establish relationships in the community – both with public officials and the business community – and those relationships were key when it came to opening KEYS Grace Academy.
Nathan’s vision was that KEYS Grace Academy would not only teach the state standards, but would ensure that by the time students graduate, they’re proficient in three languages – English, modern Aramaic and either French or Spanish. The school also offers a Chaldean culture course and a course in Mesopotamian history.
Nathan said the driving forces behind the school were his parents, both of whom were educators.
“They’re two people who served the community my entire upbringing. They passed down the importance of education and the preservation of culture to me,” Kalasho said.
Having just finished its 10th school year, KEYS Grace Academy is thriving. The school has nearly 500 students in grades K-12, most of whom are from immigrant families, and they’re getting the culturally sensitive and academically rigorous education they need to be successful.
As the school says in its mission statement,
“Through our holistic curriculum, we are not just educating minds, but forging a path for spirited hearts and adept hands ready to shape a better tomorrow.”
The school also continues to build on the community relationships which have helped make it such an integral part of the community. As one example, the Madison Heights Fire Department recently conducted a fire safety program at the school, and the students followed up by writing thank-you notes to the firefighters.
As one of the most diverse schools in the state – charter or otherwise – KEYS Grace Academy also continues to keep cultural celebrations and education at the forefront of all it does.
In April, students celebrated Chaldean-Assyrian American Month as the kindergartners made their own mosaics from colored paper, after learning how Assyrians and Babylonians incorporated mosaic-like elements into art and architecture. The fourth-graders, meanwhile, visited the class and taught the kindergartners cultural line dances.
KEYS Grace Academy also celebrated Arab-American Month in April by learning about famous Arab-Americans in history and doing research and art projects based on them.
As KEYS Grace Academy looks ahead to its second decade, its mission remains as vital as ever, uplifting students through academic rigor, cultural pride, and community connection. For those inspired by the Kalasho family’s vision, KEYS serves as a powerful example of how charter public schools can respond to a community’s unique needs while fostering unity and excellence. To learn more about KEYS Grace Academy or explore how other charter schools are making an impact across Michigan, visit www.keysacademies.com
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