Faculty, staff, and students have played a major roll this year in the creation of the Historic Anderson Rosenwald Rehabilitation Project. The project’s two goals are to rebuild and preserve the structure of the Anderson Rosenwald School (ARS) and to educate the community about the historical significance and legacy of the African American school.
The school was built in the early 1900’s and closed in 1964 for integration. During its operation, both the school and the students won state and national recognition.
Currently, the school is in desperate need of repair. In 2010-2011, there were a total of 4 on-site workdays, including United Way Day of Caring and the Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service. The scope of this project involves the entire Long Ridge community.
A traditionally African American neighborhood in Mars Hill, NC, the Long Ridge Community is hoping with the revitalization of the ARS as a community center to bring life and tourism to their community. The ARS committee brings together members of this community, architects, grant writers, Mars Hill College faculty and staff, and three student fellows.
The ARS Fellows are funded through an AmeriCorps grant. The fellows have three foci: creating a curriculum about the ARS for the public school system, developing marketing and public relations materials for the community, and preserving a historical location. The three students play a significant role in educating and notifying the community of the developments that are being made to the school.