Who we are
Friendship Academy of the Arts (FAA) was founded in 2000 by a group of community leaders committed to addressing the dire opportunity gap for African-American students in Minnesota. A group of educators from Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church embarked on a mission to create a school that provided access to a high quality education and the arts. After 2 years of planning the school opened in 2000 with 37 students and ended the year with 47. Since then, the school has become a beacon of quality within the charter-school landscape in the state.
FAA provides a small, caring environment with high-quality, standards-based relationships, instruction infused with the arts and artistic expression. Located in South Minneapolis, students are drawn from South and North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, St. Paul and other surrounding suburbs. Among FAA scholars, 96% are African-American and 80% qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch. The target population for FAA is families from diverse populations who appreciate the arts and are eager to collaborate with the school, and children who are eager to learn and discover.
Friendship Academy of the Arts has created a positive culture of learning for students. Parents and staff often describe the school as a family and a place where children are truly cared for and friendship is fostered. FAA considers a relatively small student population, in which everyone knows each other, to be integral to its culture and success. In 2016, FAA was one of just five schools in Minnesota to be named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools are nominated for the award by a state’s Department of Education, and FAA applied for and was granted status as an Exemplary High Performing School—which places FAA among the top schools statewide. In 2012 and 2014, FAA was recognized as a Reward School by the Minnesota Department of Education, performing in the top 15% of all Title I schools in the state. In 2013, FAA was recognized as a Celebration School, a designation awarded by MDE to schools for their efforts to increase student achievement. Additionally, FAA was recognized three times in the past five years as a Beating the Odds School by the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune newspaper.
The Friendship Way, FAA’s model for how things are done at the school, differentiates it from all other schools. This model explicitly lays out the academic and cultural norms and expectations for everyone in the school community. This methodology challenges scholars to explore their creativity while absorbing meaningful academic materials that prepare them for college, careers, and entrepreneurship. Integral to this curriculum is a focus on development of social/emotional skills and building positive relationships. Drawing on the school’s name and rich history, the FAA staff created The Friendship Way during the summer of 2017. The purpose of this model is to explicitly lay out academic and cultural norms and expectations for everyone in the FAA community. The Friendship Way comprises four interrelated pillars: Academics, Leadership, Family and Community Collaboration and Art Integration. At the heart of the model are FAA’s beliefs about the importance of friendship at school and in life. Core to The Friendship Way is the belief that the ability to build and sustain respectful relationships and enduring friendships is one of the most essential life skills. It is key to a successful personal and work life, and to being a competent, engaged citizen. Helping students develop the interpersonal skills necessary for effective relationships and friendships is interwoven throughout The Friendship Way.
Due to family and community demand, FAA expanded to a K-8 school opening a new site in 2020 and operated at two locations from 2020-2025. The Primary site (2600 E. 38th St.) served grades K-1st and the Intermediate site (3320 E. 41st St.) served grades 2nd-8th. Currently all grade levels are located at 3320 E. 41st St. in Minneapolis.
FAA prides itself in being a school started by the community, sustained by the community, and will continue to be led by the community it serves into the future. To date, FAA has been highly successful in providing a warm, caring educational environment with high expectations where scholars thrive academically, socially, emotionally and artistically, and the school is on a quest to become even more effective in meeting the needs of its students.
FAA has had 5 Executive Directors: Ethel Norewood (2000-2012), Dr. Nell Collier (2012-2015), Dr. B. Charvez Russell (2015-2021), and Carr Kpanyor (Interim 2021-2025), Kerry Kliman (2025-present)
