WILMINGTON — The longtime vision of Frankie Roberts is closer to becoming a reality.
A local advocate for recently incarcerated individuals, for years Roberts has wanted to launch a safe space for student success — a “transformation academy” for teens who would have otherwise dropped out of school. With the procurement of a defunct Wilmington Fire Department station on Princess Place, his next moves include submitting a rezoning and special-use permit to the city. It will appear before council in coming months as the final step.
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Roberts first found the location for the boarding school at 3933 Princess Place back in 2016. He said it was then he requested use of the city’s surplus space, decommissioned in 2015 (WFD reopened a replacement station on Cinema Drive the same year).
“The city told us they didn’t have a process to get rid of their surplus property, so it kind of took them a while,” he said. “That was the main barrier.”
Last year, the City of Wilmington donated the fire station.
After approval from city council to rezone the property from moderate-density residential — a process Roberts said he’s still working through — he estimates 18 months before doors can open. Architectural designs are nearly complete, and Roberts envisions starting the $2 million in renovations as soon as he receives the go-ahead from the city.
Founder of Leading Into New Communities (LINC) — a nonprofit that provides shelter and services for individuals returning from prison — Roberts first had the idea to launch a boarding school for Black male students ages 15 to 18 two decades ago.
He hosted a four-week camp for Black children grades 4 to 8 but wanted a permanent solution to offer assistance to kids who may not have academic or daily support at home.
Roberts said he thought about his personal experience growing up in a private Christian-based school where he thrived until eighth grade. He then moved into the public school system and attended Roland-Grise Middle School before graduating from John T. Hoggard High School.
“I had never been in a learning environment with students who the majority happen to be white,” Roberts recalled. “I got a little resentment from students because I was able to do the work at the top of the class, and as I learned through that process, the teachers kind of resented the fact that I was smart.”
Roberts said he gave up due to lack of skills for surviving in an unknown culture. Thus, he quickly became a “D” student.
“I see a lot of young men fall through that same crack or have the same reality,” he said.
Hassen J. Polk Transformation Academy is Roberts’ solution to replace “inner-city schools.” It’s named after one of the first young men who came through LINC’s youth development program. Roberts said his “legacy and name deserved the honor;” Polk was shot and killed in 2015.
The academy will be designed for students to earn a GED and learn vocational skills.
“I think, personally, inner city schools fail because they have a team of staff full of teachers who don’t understand the teachings of the inner city,” he added. “You gotta understand the culture.”
For example, Roberts teaches impoverished teens in day programs, such as LINC Initiative to Educate (L.I.T.E.) Manhood Program. It’s structured for African American males ages 16 to 21 to reduce barriers in education and employment. Part of his outreach touches on effective communication. His tagline: “I’m going to need you to restate that.”
Roberts said his class hones in on proper English and grammar to prevent the youth from being judged by their dialect and language.
“So, I can’t be in the classroom saying, ‘Amy been gone,’” he stated as an example. “I have to say, ‘Amy left.’”
Roberts hopes a boarding school will help mitigate day-to-day influences as well, from diet to music to social groups and interactions.
“To be an extremely positive influence and ensure they succeed,” Roberts said.
“Typically, rich people send their kids to boarding school when they don’t have time to raise them,” he added.
However, it’s opposite with the kids he works with.
“They’re parents don’t have the resources or are working too many jobs and don’t have the time, but not out of intention,” he said. “Our goal is focusing on youth strengths because they get criticized all the time. You will become what is spoken into you. We focus on success and being the very best you can be.”
On top of the academic and trade curriculum, Roberts said the boarding school would offer weekend field trips to expose students to experiences they might not have had otherwise. The program will be 14 months and enroll 10 to 12 pupils. It will consist of five components: education, career development and graduate resources, case management, instruction and technology training and leadership.
Roberts said students also will learn the value of a strong work ethic and philanthropy; they will be required to perform yard maintenance for residents in the neighborhood near the school.
“It’s part of recognizing and showing these young men, if you don’t work, you don’t eat,” Roberts said.
Students will be accepted on a referral basis, either through LINC’s L.I.T.E. program, its community resource officers — located in Williston Middle School, New Hanover High School and D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy — in partnership with the county’s Port City United, or from the juvenile justice system.
Admission will be free — a term Roberts is remiss to use.
“We say it won’t cost anything to live here other than sweat equity, as a way of being different in our community a lot of times, versus taking from the community,” he said.
The school will be funded through grants. Roberts applied for $400,000 from the N.C. Governor’s Crime Commission earlier in the year to jumpstart the academy’s operations. Roberts said LINC’s adult re-entry program has received funding in the past, but he did not receive feedback as to why the youth development program did not.
County staff were fearful the denied request would hinder Roberts’ progress but assistant county manager Tufanna Bradley wrote in an email to county leadership Aug. 23:
“I spoke with Frankie and they are in grant-writing mode to acquire additional funding for LINC programs and services as well as the boarding school. According to Frankie, not getting this grant has no impact, they will continue seeking funding for their programs and services.”
Aside from grants, Roberts indicated he would look for financial support from both the county and the city as well.
He estimates it would likely cost about $1 million annually to maintain the school’s 24/7 operations. Staff would include a director or headmaster and up to 12 employees, including “trainers” for the academics and skills —partnering with Cape Fear Community College — as well as coaches and mentors.
Two employees would be on shift overnight as well, since participants will sleep at the school.
“We don’t believe based on the state of affairs here that it would be difficult to raise dollars for this kind of program,” Roberts said.
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