Kiye Corbitt, joined Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys in the fourth grade as a founding student. Early on, he understood that Statesmen was more than just the school he attended.
“It felt like they were teaching each one of us individually. They cared a whole lot about all of us and they loved us,” he said.
Statesmen has developed a “boy-friendly pedagogy,” with lessons incorporating “boy-actived” ingredients, such as competition, movement, passion, and cause, for example. At the epicenter of its academic model is Kings 101, the social studies class that centers Black history. “That class made me feel like royalty,” said Kiye. “It helped me understand who I am, by showing me the people that I am descended from, by explaining to me my potential. It showed me who I am and who I could be.”
Statesmen educates the whole child, and cultivates an emotionally healthy learning community. Students can access therapeutic services, including one-on-one and group therapy sessions, yoga, and mindfulness training. They also participate in rich experiences outside of the classroom, including college visits and enriching international travel. Seventh grade students take an educational trip to Paris, Madrid, and London; and, new this year, eight grade students will go to South Africa.
In June 2023, Kiye walked the stage as a member of Statesmen’s first graduating 8th grade class. Now a high school student, he received the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, a full four-year, merit-based high school scholarship, and he feels the educational experience at Statesmen has prepared him for success as a high school student.
Statesmen Academy alumnus Kiye Corbitt and his mother, Satira Streeter Corbitt
“Statesmen not only works to build relationships, it brings you into a family, while also giving you the academic rigor you need to prepare you for not only high school, but also for college,” – Kiye Corbitt, Statesmen Academy alumnus
The core values of relationships, rigor, relevance, and resilience he learned will remain with him as he continues on his educational journey.
“Statesmen not only works to build relationships, it brings you into a family, while also giving you the academic rigor you need to prepare you for not only high school, but also for college,” said Kiye. “Statesmen teaches you about your relevance, and about how important you are as a Black person, about Black history, and about how you matter. Statesmen teaches you to never give up, to believe in yourself, and to believe in your dreams. It pushes you forward.”
For Kiye’s mom, Satira Streeter-Corbitt, Statesmen has been a dream come true. “This is a space that was literally designed for him,” she said. “It’s been the best decision I made.”
Founded in 2018, Statesmen serves boys in the fourth through eighth grades with the vision of developing an abundance of well-rounded, well-educated, well-experienced African American and Latino men for future success in life, career, and leadership.
“Very simply, there would be no Statesmen without the original investment from Ed Forward DC. This program and every single idea that developed to become Statesmen, was incubated under the curated care of Ed Forward DC. They were our first and primary funder,” said Statesmen’s CEO and Founder, Shawn Hardnett.
“We lived with [Ed Forward DC] for more than a year as we traveled, studied, designed, and piloted what would become what we now see in our first graduating class. We owe a portion of their bright smiles and promising futures to that group who jumped in to take a chance on us when not enough was available to know that we would make it. Now, look where we are.”
