By Dixie Ann Black
A significant portion of NW Fourth Street in Fort Lauderdale has been renamed “Shaw St.”.
“When my son Eddie said, ‘Mom let’s take a walk’ early one Wednesday morning, I thought something was wrong.”
That was far from the case. As Ms. Gwendolyn Shaw walked out of the Red School House and down NW Fourth Street, she witnessed her family’s legacy on display.
“Fourth Street from 9th Avenue (east) to 15th Avenue (west) has brand new green signs displaying the family name, “Shaw Street”.
The Legacy runs deep. On September 2, 1968, Julia and Harvey Shaw, Ms. Shaw’s parents, started the Child Care Center on the family land that they purchased from her grandmother (Julia Dudley Killens). On July 5, 1984, Ms. Shaw, or “Miss Gwen” as she is affectionately called, returned to Fort Lauderdale (from Chicago, IL) to run the family business, located in the home she had grown up in.
The Red School House has grown in leaps and bounds over the decades. It has gone from 25 students to a capacity of 164. The students range in age from six weeks to five years. There are private pay students and students supplemented by the Early Learning Coalition. But one thing has never changed in 54 years, “Our curriculum is our own; we set a very high bar.” A VPK program has been added, their guidelines are carefully followed, but Miss Gwen explained, “It’s like making instant oatmeal. Only oats and water are required, but we add the butter, cinnamon, sugar and other special touches.”
At the Red School House, the student to teacher ratio is conducive to higher learning. The children know all the teachers and they know what to expect. We all begin each day with Devotion, Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Expectations are set spiritually, socially, and educationally. They are introduced to sign language, other spoken languages, social etiquette and so much more. It is common to find graduates double promoted once they enter elementary school. Graduates have become teachers, lawyers, doctors, officers and more. Miss Gwen received word that two granddaughters of the late Kathleen C. Wright, who attended the Red School House, are pursuing careers as doctors, She underscored.
“Families, from every line of work, in every walk of life, come back and let us know that we set their foundation.”
Love for the students and a dependence on God came through every thought Miss Gwen shared. In an age of challenges she insisted, “The children are precious and are the greatest. The biggest problem is never the children. It is always the parents.” Even here Miss Gwen’s legacy has armed her with a solution.
“My mother taught me that in order to reach the parents, talk to the children.” She explained that once the expectations are set with the children, they will go home and tell their parents. Sure enough, parents come in telling of children speaking Spanish, explaining the letter of the week, and praying before meals. Everything including their annual etiquette outing to the Cheesecake factory, where pre-k and VPK students dress in their Sunday best, armed with wallets to tip the servers, are all designed to further the legacy of excellence being instilled at an early age.
Miss Gwen’s son, Mr. Eddie Harmon and his cousin, Mr. Calvin Dudley, had secretly done the groundwork to have the street name changed. They collected enough signatures to have the measure adopted.
Eddie has retired from the school board. He currently works in the classroom to prepare him for leadership as the President of the family enterprise that will help prepare many more generations for the future.
The Red School House does not advertise; it never has. The Community does.
“Bobby Henry of the Westside Gazette once said we are the ‘Best Kept Secret in Fort Lauderdale,’” Ms. Gwen laughed, “that’s because we have a motto, ‘Work hard in Silence!’ she added, ‘Let Success make the Noise!’”
In 54 years, the family has let their legacy of excellence through love make the noise. The Red School House can be found at 1205 NW Fourth St., until the GPS catches up to the change to 1205 SHAW St., Fort Lauderdale. You can call Miss Gwen at (954) 462-5627 for more information.
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