MABLETON — Amana Academy West Atlanta, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, unveiled on Thursday its new charter school with the joint mission of educating beyond the traditional classroom.
Those attending the morning festivities at Camp Timber Ridge in Mableton convened around a stage overlooking the campus’ amphitheater. A canopy of trees shaded guests from the harsh sun, with bird calls competing with speakers for the attention of board members, teachers, and parents who gathered at the 270-acre property for the grand opening ceremonies.
AAW students attend school at the spacious Camp Timber Ridge, where they can learn in a cabin, canoe, practice archery, study at picnic tables set up for outdoor learning and hike one of the nature trails.
The school educates 220 students in grades K-3 during this first year. A new grade will be added each year up to eighth grade. The school is expected to serve around 800 students once eighth grade is added.
“Being at Amana is so much fun,” said Sebastian, a second grader at Amana Academy, who was one of the speakers at the ceremony. Sebastian talked about how he likes to experience the outdoors and meet new friends.
Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta CEO Amy Dosik said she wanted to partner with Amana Academy West to help encourage the learning-by-doing style of the Girl Scouts and to offer area students the chance to experience the camp.
Ehab Jaleel, the academy’s executive director, said he wanted to replicate the success of Amana Academy’s Alpharetta’s location — with full STEM-program certification and roughly 700 students — and plant it in Cobb County.
“As Ehab thought about ways to bring that learning philosophy to life, we got excited about the potential to do that in ... (these) acres of un-manicured forest every day,” Dosik said.
She added she wanted to offer a different education than what a typical public school provides.
“Every kid is different,” Dosik said. “Different kids learn in different ways, and this is a unique and innovative school for kids who want to be in charge of their own educational journey.”
Amana Academy primarily focuses on “expeditionary learning,” which allows for more critical thinking and active engagement from students, according to Jaleel. Layering on a curriculum of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, the school promotes more hands-on, interactive styles of learning that Jaleel says can be beneficial to children who experience it earlier on in life.
“There’s plenty of research that says that when you inspire kids at a very early age to think about STEM, they’re more apt to become better problem solvers and critical thinkers,” Jaleel said. “Being at Camp Timber Ridge allows us to use the area as a STEM learning lab. There’s plenty of opportunity right here on campus for that type of field work.”
The new charter school is tuition free and open for public enrollment, due to authorization by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, the MDJ previously reported. Funding is provided by the state, with an amount nearing $3.5 million going toward renovations to the property, according to Jaleel.
Additional funding for the school is provided by the Charter School Growth Fund, redefinED Atlanta, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Kendeda Fund.
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