School Offers Scholarships To Children Of First Responders

Veriner James is the Principal of St. Sabina Academy. Photo provided by Tracy Williamson.
Veriner James is the Principal of St. Sabina Academy. Photo provided by Tracy Williamson.

School Offers Scholarships To Children Of First Responders

By Tia Carol Jones

St. Sabina Academy, located at 7801 S. Throop, is offering $2,000 scholarships to students whose parents are first responders. The school’s principal Veriner James said the goal of the scholarship is to make private education affordable and accessible to families. She said oftentimes families shy away from private school education because of the cost.

To remove that financial barrier, St. Sabina Academy offers a couple of scholarships, in addition to the scholarships for children of first responders – anyone who is on the frontline of defense in any emergency situation. St. Sabina Academy is one of 38 schools that is a Big Shoulders Fund school. There are scholarships available for students whose families have economic challenges. James said the school models the same faith-based, social justice and service to the community as St. Sabina Church and its Pastor, Father Michael Pfleger.

“Our mission is aligned to the church, so when you come to the school, your kids are getting an extension of the church, meaning we talk about Christ and your kid is in a God-centered environment, in addition to taking them to the next level academically,” James said. She added that the goal is to ensure the students at St. Sabina Academy have access to resources that are comparable, if not better than, other schools.

There are about 180 students who attend St. Sabina Academy in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. James came to St. Sabina Academy as a teacher in 2006. She was there for two years, before transitioning to work at a public high school, then returned to St. Sabina Academy in 2024 to serve as principal. James said coming back to the school as a principal is somewhat of a full circle moment for her.

School begins at St. Sabina Academy on Monday, Aug. 18th. In preparation for the new school year, the school is hosting an open house and family orientation on Wednesday, Aug. 13th. There will also be a backpack giveaway and parents can sign their children up for the school’s new afterschool programming, which includes cosmetology and music production. It is also a time for prospective families to come and learn more about the school.

James said that in comparison to neighborhood schools, students at St. Sabina Academy are performing in reading and math with 150% growth, based on data from May. She said it shows that the students are moving and growing faster at the school. She said the students also received the highest scores in reading and math since COVID, based on an iReady diagnostic test. She said the reason for the improvement in test scores is the result of the school’s small class sizes, intimate setting and the teacher’s instructional practices. There are, on average 18 children in each class and every student has their own computer.

“We specialize in small group instruction, which is how we make the gains that we do. We can personalize instruction based on where a kid is individually and then create a plan of action to grow them forward,” James said.

The theme for the 2025-2026 school year is ‘We See You’. James said the staff and faculty believes every student has a gift, a purpose, a destiny and they are focused on helping the students identify who they are, as individuals, and who they are in Christ. The goal is for the students to navigate their journey through self-discovery. After school and before school programming is also available. Parents can drop their children off as early as 6:30 a.m. and pick them up at 6 p.m. St. Sabina Academy is also partnering with CCAP to offer parents reduce fees for the before and afterschool program.

For more information about St. Sabina Academy, visit www.stsabinaacademy.com.

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