Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence receives $100K award from namesake

The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence board of directors recently announced the receipt of a $100,000 grant from the school’s namesake, Bryan Stevenson.

BASSE, a public charter school located on the campus of Delaware Technical Community College in Georgetown, is open to all students living in Sussex County. The innovative curriculum will focus on individualized education, community-based learning and academic excellence, working to equip students with 21st-century skills that prepare them to be change agents in their communities and the world.

BASSE is named in honor of Delaware native Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed social justice activist and lawyer. Stevenson, originally from Milton, is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala. He and his staff have won reversals, relief or release for more than 125 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row. Stevenson has helped initiate major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts that challenge the legacy of racial inequality in America, and educate communities about slavery, lynching and racial segregation.

Stevenson is also a professor of law at the New York University School of Law and is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller “Just Mercy.” He was portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in the 2019 feature film, “Just Mercy,” also starring Jamie Foxx.

In 2016, Stevenson’s sister, Christy Taylor, and cousin, Dr. Teresa Berry, invited cousin Alonna Berry to a kitchen table dialogue to discuss starting a charter school in Sussex County. Inspired by Stevenson’s legacy, the two Berry cousins worked with Chantalle Ashford, current head of school, to assemble a diverse board of directors, community stakeholders and leadership team members.

“It was founded on the simple idea that when you connect students to community, they make it better,” said Alonna Berry.

The mission of BASSE, inspired by Stevenson’s words, “Proximity is a pathway through which we learn the kind of things we need to know to make healthier communities,” is to provide opportunities for students through a service-learning lens combined with academic rigor.

“The BASSE board of directors and the family of Bryan Stevenson extend their sincere appreciation for Bryan's gracious contribution. We appreciate his unwavering trust and faith in BASSE, its families and our community,” said Dr. Berry, board co-chair.

The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence represents a remarkable educational space that will seamlessly combine academic excellence with character and community values, providing students with an unparalleled learning experience. Enrollment is limited; for details, go to basseinc.org.

For more information regarding Bryan Stevenson and his work, go to eji.org.