New charter school to hold local informational meeting March 5

By Lynn Hotaling

"Our enrollment period will begin March 1 and go through April 12," said Karl Wolz, vice chairman of the MDCS board. "Because students are admitted on a space available basis, we want interested parents to know as much about the school as possible before that enrollment period ends, so they can make an informed choice about which school is right for their child."

Mountain Discovery will be located in the old Whittier School near the Jackson/Swain county line and expects to draw students from Jackson, Swain, Macon and Graham counties as well as the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Charter school officials will hold an informational meeting in Sylva on Tuesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at United Community Bank in Lovesfield. Details for a meeting in Cherokee will be announced soon.

Mountain Discovery's board members, who will be responsible for the governance of the school, held their first informational meeting Feb. 19. The group made a short presentation and then answered questions for more than an hour from some 50 attendees.

"We were pleased with the turnout," said board member Katy Travitz. "We are getting a strong response from the community and it's very encouraging."

Board members described the curriculum and instructional approach that will be taken at Mountain Discovery and described procedures for student assessment.

Teachers will use the New American Schools Expeditionary Learning approach, in which different skills and subjects are woven together in thematic units called "learning expeditions."

"Expeditionary learning engages children on many different levels, giving them a number of ways to be successful. It supports a school culture of respect for oneself and others, and an excitement about learning," said board member Heather Green.

Although the school will participate in state testing, Green said, standardized tests will be only one aspect of student assessment. Samples of student writing, artwork, and field work, which is an integral part of expeditionary learning, will be compiled in a portfolio to produce a clearer and more meaningful picture of the growth and achievement of the whole child.

Other issues addressed were funding, the hiring of staff, plans for technology in the curriculum, and school policies. Because charter schools are funded from the same sources as traditional public schools, no tuition is charged, and parent involvement will be vital to the success of the school, Green said.

A permanent location for the school has not been established, although Whittier is an ideal location, Green said.

Mountain Discovery is limited by the state to 144 students during its first year. Should the new school receive more applicants than it has spaces, state regulations require a lottery to determine enrollment.

Charter schools are deregulated public schools operated by non-profit corporations approved by the state. Such schools do not have to pay teachers a state-set salary, provide breakfast or lunch, or follow certain other state and local guidelines.

North Carolina's Legislature in 1996 passed the Charter Schools Act, which authorized a system of public schools to provide opportunities for communities to establish and maintain schools that operate independently of existing school systems.

Enrollment forms are available at libraries in Sylva, Bryson City, Robbinsville, Franklin and Cherokee. To learn more about Mountain Discovery, call 497-1122 or visit the school's website at www.mtndiscovery.org.

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