Chattanooga Charter School Begins 2nd Year

Ivy Academy welcomed 135 ninth- and tenth-grade students to school yesterday, celebrating its second year as Tennessee’s environmental charter high school. Students spent the day getting to know one another, their teachers and the land surrounding them.

A tuition-free public charter high school, Ivy Academy opened in Hamilton County, Tenn., in the fall of 2009. Based on a philosophy developed by Marie Daly, the school’s founder and English teacher, Ivy Academy offers students small class sizes, longer class periods and an integrated thematic curriculum that integrates real-world concepts across all disciplines. Additionally, the school – located adjacent to 7,000 acres of protected wilderness land in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. – focuses on outdoor learning opportunities.

“The board of directors and staff are looking forward to another year of success,” says Ed Davis, director of the charter school. “It was so exciting to see all the students arrive yesterday. They were so excited to be here and we had a wonderful first day.”

In Tennessee, charter schools are open to students zoned for schools that are registered as failing under the state’s accountability system, students who failed to achieve proficiency on state assessments, and students who qualify for free or reduced lunch programs. Currently, students zoned for the following schools in Hamilton County are eligible to attend charter schools: Red Bank, Howard, Soddy Daisy, Lookout Valley, Ooltewah, Central and Sequoyah.

“I met our new students all summer doing admissions, so I was happy to see them all here together,” says Sharon Shedrick, Ivy Academy’s admissions and school coordinator.

For more information about Ivy Academy, call the school at (423) 305-7494 or visit www.ivyacademychattanooga.com.