The former David Brainerd Christian School is now home to East Brainerd Intermediate School’s 250 fourth- and fifth-graders.
Inside teacher Erin Grant’s fourth-grade classroom at East Brainerd Intermediate School, students celebrate Bonza Day, which started in New England as a holiday just for fun. The idea is to let students dress up for the day to make learning in the class fun. Front row from left are Donal Smith, Addarius Lloyd, Sara Roach, Grace Lee and Breanna Schiavo. Middle row from left are Lexi Varnell, Colby Davis, Monteo McConnell, Madison Wiley, William Reed, Knox Johnson, Micah King and Logan Grant. Back from left are Tony Ruiz, Nathaniel Pearson, Treasure Hunt, Mckennae Allen, Zoe Evans, Keanu Johnson and Seth Tinsley.East Brainerd Elementary School was overcrowded, prompting the school to be split up by grade levels. The resultant East Brainerd Primary School remains in the former school building with 500 students in kindergarten through third grade.
“We outgrew the space and had to get portables at the original building,” said family partnership specialist Christy Howard, who works at both the intermediate and primary school. “We are still busting at the seams, but you find ways to make it work.”
Many of the students have diverse backgrounds, she said, naming Hawaii, Russia, China, Japan, Greece, Australia, Scotland, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, the Philippines, Korea, Mexico, Iran, Vietnam, Italy, Tanzania, Thailand, Israel, Ethiopia, India, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Egypt as some of the places from which students hail.
“East Brainerd is known as Little United Nations,” said Howard. “We have 21 different countries represented within the families of our students. We have a huge English as a Second Language program.”