Macon Magazine

32 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2025 as a student at L.H. Williams Elementary. While Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954, widespread integration of the Bibb County School District did not occur until 1970. That change resulted in a wave of private schools opening immediately in Macon, often known as 'segregation academies' due to their near-exclusively white population. "We didn't get the education we were supposed to get because of segregation," she shared. "I was turned down by the City of Macon when I first proposed this school and cried and cried about that, but it was like God was urging me to do it anyway." That urge and rejection collided, motivating her even more, and manifested into the opening of a humble school with just two rooms, a kitchen, and 12 children, which today has around 250 pre-K to second grade students in multiple rooms. Building Blocks Great leaders tend to know what components are necessary to create a great product. Gantt-Evans' vision is proof of what happens when all the right pieces of the puzzle are in place. Part of her strategy included bringing together a team of educators and administrators with excellent reputations and experience in the field of education. To help build the school out and officially open its doors, Gantt-Evans called on retired Bibb County schoolteacher Dorothy Johnson. A Unionville resident and wife of neighborhood caretaker Frank J. Johnson, she also specialized in phonics – a method of teaching reading by connecting sounds with letters or groups of letters – which is a foundational skill for literacy. Gantt-Evans was no stranger to Johnson's capacity. Her methodology helped Gantt-Evans' daughter, Merita, become a better student while attending Matilda Hartley Elementary School. Johnson had taught there before working at M.A. Evans Academy and Gantt's Pre-School. "I believed from the beginning that if they were exposed to phonics, they would read better. I give Dorothy an A+ for teaching. We couldn't have made it without her," Gantt-Evans said. The Johnson's only child, Cheryl J. Knight, calls the school a divinely placed national treasure sitting discreetly in the heart of Unionville. She says it's had an immeasurable impact, adding that the educational foundation that each student acquires within its "We didn't get the education we were supposed to get because of segregation. I was turned down by the City of Macon when I first proposed this school and cried and cried about that, but it was like God was urging me to do it anyway." ABOVE RIGHT The blue school building on Edwards Avenue RIGHT A blast from the past with these proud graduates. Photo courtesy of maevans academy.com walls prepares him or her for a world of unlimited possibilities. "It's a much-needed place in times like these, where learning has no limits and where discipline is fundamental to existence and success," Johnson said enthusiastically. That discipline is woven into the educational fabric of the school and has always been a part of its DNA. Just ask the writer of this story's younger sister, Tamara Mosley of Macon. A veteran healthcare professional, Mosley admits to vaguely remembering her time as a four-year-old member of Gantt's Pre- School in the early 1970s. But what she remembers fondly (and ironically) is a Mrs. Jackson getting them in line with the utterance of a few words. "With her around I never got into trouble," she chuckled. "I love that school." Expanding the Vision Another foundational member of M.A. Evans and Gantt's Pre-School arrived three years after it opened in the form of Director Mary Stephens. She is Gantt- Evans' professional right hand and was instrumental in adding extracurricular activities, including the school's renowned, award-winning marching band. For more than 25 years, the band has been a fixture in Middle Georgia parades and at locations such as Savannah and South Carolina. Like the high school it feeds into — neighboring Southwest High — it also bears the name Marching Patriots. "Choosing this platform proved to be a good thing for them since it's music," said Stephens. "But they have to maintain a B average or better to participate," Gantt-Evans reminded the magazine. Model of Success in Macon's Mist M.A. Evans Academy and Gantt's Pre-School is not confined to the classroom. They have a band to pursue music as a community endeavor. In addition to the marching band, the school gets great support during its annual Black History program and gospel concerts. The goal is to provide a balanced, well- rounded experience for students. But the learning institution's bread and butter remains its classroom success. The academic prowess students possess has produced fans throughout Macon-Bibb's communities. According to the school, three-fourths of their student population finish college. Public and private middle and high schools anticipate M.A. Evans Academy grads

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