A new charter school in Madison Heights hopes to preserve Chaldean heritage.
Keys Grace Academy will be open to any student, but school officials expect most to be Chaldean. It will serve children from pre-kindergarden through high school.
Rhonda Foumia is with the academy.
She says this will be the first school in the nation to teach Aramaic, which is a native language for many Chaldeans.
"It's a public school with a private school feel," Foumia said.
The students will also be expected to be proficient in English and either Spanish and French when they graduate, Foumia said.
Every student will receive two uniforms, shoes, a computer, breakfast and lunch, and free transportation.
Metro Detroit has the largest community of Chaldeans outside Iraq. Metro Detroit is home to many Chaldeans, most of whom are Catholics.
The school will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday. It will have an open house on Friday and August 21.
