Cornerstone Schools of Alabama is the product of a mission to keep young people from experiencing life behind bars. Executive Director Dr. Nita Thomspson says, “about 17 years ago a group of business men in the community were doing prison ministry and going week after week and just feeling like they were getting their too late and started brainstorming and decided that if they could get children at a younger age, develop character that maybe they could do some prevention instead of the remediation intervention type ministries. Business leaders giving back have played a crucial role at the Christ centered k through 8 school...they are on pace to become Birmingham's first primary International Baccalaureate School. That is a distinct honor for schools with an advanced curriculum like the one at Cornerstone.
But it's the biblical studies part of the curriculum that Cornerstone educators believe has the most potential to change lives. The foundation students get in religious education is what school Principal Beth Scott knows will make a difference in the lives of her students. She says, “we talk all the time about how God created them and gave them specific talents and abilities and that they take what god has given them no matter what their circumstances are outside their socio economic status, their background their family history where they live, but with everything that god has given them and what his word teaches us and equips us with that they can do anything that they want to do and they can be successful and they can help others and all the little things they do they can make a difference in the world."
They plan to start with the community just outside the walls of Cornerstone: Woodlawn.
Dr. Nita Thompson says that's the new mission for cornerstone. Although educating children will be the priority. "We also realize there is a greater need that some of the obstacles we were facing like tardies and absences and behavior problems. We felt like parent education classes would be appropriate and after school activities where mentoring type things and so we decided maybe our mission should be rethought and we should be thinking about community ministry not just our schools ministry."
Cornerstone has entered into a joint venture with Woodlawn United Methodist church. The century's old place of worship tragically burned down last summer. But, from the ash of the past springs forth a new future.
There is a new blueprint of what that future looks like: a new sanctuary for Woodlawn United Methodist, and a new gymnasium, cafeteria and classrooms for Cornerstone Schools, but there's more. Dr. Thompson says "we are going to have a prayer room where people in the community can come in and pray with us, our teachers can pray." She says there is a revival going in the Woodlawn community, "as far as faith in action goes, i think that's exactly what we are doing we're making a difference we are trusting god to help us and enable us and bring us the resources to truly make an eternal difference."
