An Alabama School Runs on Faith, Family and Fatherhood
How can a school succeed in a place where failure has become the norm? The public schools in Alabama’s capital reported more than 8,000 disciplinary incidents last year, up from fewer then 5,600 in 2018. It’s a different scene at Valiant Cross Academy, a private school for boys that holds its students to high standards of behavior—and tries to make up for the discipline they may be missing at home. That doesn’t mean “fuzzy feelings,” says Anthony Brock, who founded Valiant Cross with his brother Fred in 2015. “It’s sometimes correction, you know, just like our father would do.”
Valiant Cross strives to create a family atmosphere for its roughly 200 students in grades 6 through 12. Adults monitor uniforms, haircuts and order in the hallways. On a recent visit I see students sweeping and taking out the trash. “You really have to be a family member with these young people,” Mr. Brock says. “We pride ourselves in being a discipline school.”
Mr. Brock, 47, grew up in Montgomery. While attending Alabama State University, he realized he had it better than many of his peers because he came from a “solid household” with two parents. After working in neighboring Autauga County public schools for 13 years, Mr. Brock returned to his hometown “to fill in the gaps for as many kids as possible.”
