ACHIEVE! School Choice Guide
by Renee P. Aldrich
for the New Pittsburgh Courier
Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
This quote is one that Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church Pastor, Rev. Dr. Darryl Canady and his wife, Minister Taleeta Canady, fully embrace when it comes to their attitude about starting the LIFE Male Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Academy, a one of a kind school, in the Greater Pittsburgh area, that welcomed its first set of students this Fall.
With a mission that states, “Our mission is to prepare all male scholars for college success and career readiness. We will also serve as a catalyst to increase the presence of African American males in the STEM pipeline,”
FOUNDERS—Rev. Dr. Darryl and Taleeta Canady (Photo provided)
LIFE Male STEAM Academy, located at 777 Penn Center Blvd, Suite 102, in Wilkins Township, is a male academy that focuses on equipping “male scholars with the skills necessary to succeed” in the 21st century. Currently, the school serves grades 6th and 7th, but plans to add a new grade each school year. They are projected to fully serve K-12 students by the 2030-2031 school year.
Of starting such a school to serve all of Pittsburgh that carries an ambitious mission, Pastor Canady says, “I did it, because I didn’t know I couldn’t.”
Upon entering the school, the first thing you see on the walls of the vast reception area, in the royal colors of gold, purple, and white, is a lion and shield with a crown over the lion’s head. Its intent is to represent, not only to the students, but to all who enter, that those who attend this school are young kings, with crowns that they are expected to grow into.
Four years after his arrival in Pittsburgh, where he came to become the senior pastor of Rodman, Pastor Canady was directed to a vision from God, for him and his wife, that would not only change their lives, but was destined to change the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of young African-American boys in the Pittsburgh region.
ACADEMY SCHOLARS
He says, “I call it the ‘911 Call’ because God came to me on Thursday, September 11, 2014… He came on the backdrop of the Men’s Revival (which) we were hosting at Rodman, after I took over the pastorship. I saw a need for men to step up and become the priests, providers and protectors of their families. So, we began “March Madness” men’s revival every Monday in March.” He continued, “These services were bringing in 300-400 men and were beginning to draw younger men. We would mentor them, I’d baptize them and many would join the church. Regrettably, on more than one occasion, a few weeks later, they were getting shot.”
He said, God told him that he had to provide a pipeline and begin to help these young men to see some other options; he should create an avenue where that could become a conduit to change this paradigm and start early to grab these young men and hopefully save them from such a fate. It took seven years to complete.
LIFE Male STEAM Academy is the name of the school that was given to Pastor Canady, that night, and it kept him from sleeping, at all, as God laid out the plan–providing what the mascot should be, as well as the concept.
Pastor Canady said, initially, the plan was for the curriculum to be focused on STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics), but he decided, later, to add the Arts component, making it STEAM. The essence of the title is LIFE (LIVING INTELLIGENTLY FULFILLING EXPECTATIONS). And everything in the school is designed for the students to see themselves living out that acronym.
Co-founder Taleeta Canady is a former high school guidance counselor, middle school English language Arts and Social Studies teacher, and currently serves as the Minister of Congregational Care at Rodman. Pastor Canady shared that when he came to her about what God had revealed to him, she declared that they had found their joint purpose and they proceeded with the vision.
In addition to God, it is Pastor Canady’s own experience in high school that has helped guide him on this mission. He was traveling down a path that was not heading in the direction of college, when he was approached by an African-American guidance counselor who poured into him and helped him realize that a college education was obtainable. Pastor Canady says, “I applied at only one school, Morehouse, and when I saw the various notables strolling around campus, I begin to see new possibilities for myself— seeing folks that looked like me changed my entire prospective of what I could become. This is what I’m trying to bring to this school–getting these boys to see what they can become.”
ACADEMY LEADERS—Jim Chavis, head of school, and LIFE Male STEAM Academy Founder Rev. Dr. Darryl Canady stand with a display promoting the “Wells of Life”. (Photos by Jacqueline McDonald).
A STEAM curriculum is the focus of the school because Pastor Canady, and his wife, recognize that in this 21st Century, it is the sector where the jobs are and will be. “As is represented by the universities that are throughout Pittsburgh, such as Carnegie Mellon University, the top-rated artificial intelligence university in the world, and the University of Pittsburgh for engineering and medical advancement,” he says, “this city is a front runner in the technical and medical fields, and we believe we need to take advantage of what’s right in our back yard.” He believes that young African-American scholars need to see themselves as doctors, engineers and scientists.
The school’s location is not by chance, Pastor Canady shared. “We are not just a building, we are a campus where there are engineering firms, architecture firms, and medical firms. Therefore, the boys come to school every day seeing what’s going on around them as further evidence of what possibilities exist for them.”
CHRISTOPHER CONTI, Academy Health and Wellness Center Medical Director
LIFE Male STEAM Academy is a standout from other schools of its kind. In addition to its main concept, another element that separates the school from others is its health and wellness center. The center consists of African American health care providers including a medical doctor, a male RN, and licensed clinical social worker on the campus. Currently in a partnership with GINN group and CVS Health, they are the first charter school in the country to have this health and wellness center. It is because of this that they are recognized as the Flagship SMART MODEL school, which is in development, right now.
The culture of the school is four-tiered. Every student is referred to as “Mr.” and as Young Kings and Scholars, so that when they come to school, they are in an environment where they can learn and have a mindset that allows for learning. Also, each student must wear blazers, shirts and ties every day except Fridays. Pastor Canady shared that some scholars are so into the attire that they wear their dress attire every day. Additionally, there is a promotion of what is called the “Wells of Success”; it is that every successful scholar is “well-dressed”, “well-spoken”, “well-connected”, “well-led”, “well-traveled” and “well-read.”
FOOD SERVICE EMPLOYEE Natausha Pettis preparing for lunch.
Lastly, LIFE Male STEAM Academy is committed to developing the whole child, the whole family and the whole community. The premise being, if you help the child and don’t help the family—the needs/trauma they’ve experienced, etc.—then you haven’t done enough to win the battle. To meet that commitment, the school has an active assess and care team. The teams work hard to identify and address risks, and solve problems, in real time. They have the capacity to address, mitigate and, ultimately, eliminate barriers to learning, which too often can interfere with a student’s education process.
The Academy’s executive and administrative staff includes: Malcolm Thomas, dean of students; Jim Chavis, head of school; Dr. Charlene Hill Coleman, director of human services; Lauren Moneck; Dr. Christopher Conti, medical director of the Health and Wellness Center; Van Lee, RN; and Mauri Tate.
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