Valiant Cross gifted church on Dexter Avenue

Valiant Cross Academy has been gifted a church on Dexter Avenue — the first building the school has owned.

The former home of Dexter Avenue Methodist Church will be the permanent campus for the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

The Dexter Avenue location lends historic prestige to the school.

"I think Dexter Avenue is the most historic street anywhere, not just Alabama, but I believe in the United States," said Anthony Brock, Head of School Valiant Cross Academy. "Because, being right across the street from the only church that Dr. King pastored, being on the same street where Rosa Parks got on the bus — I always say she jumped into the history books — and being the foothill to the Selma to Montgomery march, the historic value of the fountain at the bottom of the hill, which was a market for commerce but also market as a slave market, as well."

Brock said that the conversation around the gift happened organically with church leaders. He said the church congregation grew smaller while the school became larger.

Brock said the school will grow into the space of the church, transforming the building into a modern school while retaining its historic elements. Plans include an art gallery and science lab.

Brock said he wants to create a hub of innovative spaces that can be a place for all young people in Montgomery — not just the Valiant Cross scholars.

"The Montgomery community has embraced us so much," he said. "And we want to be a catalyst for hope and for change, not just with these young men... So, it's just important to include as many as possible."

The school first opened in 2015 with 30 young men and now serves 210 scholars.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Church gifts Dexter Avenue Methodist to Valiant Cross Academy