A year ago, I had never heard of Ivy Academy in Soddy Daisy. Today, I'm the parent of a ninth grader at Ivy. Ivy Academy is one of the three charter schools in Hamilton County. It is a local charter school, which means it is made up of local educators and administrators.
Charter schools are regulated by the State of Tennessee and are held to the same educational standards as public schools. I thought it was interesting that charter schools do not fall under the authority of the Hamilton County school system or the School Board and that they obtain their funding exclusively from the state.
Ivy is known as the "environmental school." It is the only environmental school in the state of Tennessee. The foundational element of Ivy Academy’s curriculum is to develop environmentally conscious citizens who have an appreciation of the woods, mountains, valleys and streams, our precious natural resources.
At orientation I was especially impressed by the faculty which seemed more like a team than anything else.
If you like the idea of small classes of 10-12 students and a lot of individual attention then Ivy Academy might be of interest to you and your child. Students attend classes from Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. On Fridays they do not attend classes, but they are given "virtual assignments" that they complete online at home.
The school is tuition free and students are bused from all over the county to attend Ivy. At least 50 percent of class time is held outdoors, so if your child likes being outside and being physically active then this is the school for you.
Ivy might not have a fancy building or sports teams, but it has a first class group of teachers and administrators that will communicate with interested parents.
If you are interested, now is the time to contact Ivy to enroll your student for the fall. There are only so many spaces available and they are filled on a first come basis, so don't wait and miss your opportunity for this next school year.
Ronnie Land
ronnieland@epbfi.com