Christian Peterson
Reporter@riverbendnews.org
Tara Lowe-Phillips has been the principal of Micanopy Academy in Micanopy, Fla., since 2015. The charter school began in 2001, growing as the years went by until it became a full fledged middle school and high school. There, she handles all of the day-to-day activities from paying the bills to handling disciplinary issues. She grew to be well-known throughout the area and throughout the educational sphere. It was for this reason that a group of teachers approached Phillips about starting a charter school in Hamilton County.
Currently, the only schools available are the public high school and elementary school, as well as a private school. Phillips, along with these teachers, want to offer a school with small classes and a large focus on reading under the name of Renaissance Reading Academy (RRA). Currently, Phillips has five teachers ready to take on the role, and is looking for three more. All teachers are required to have a Florida Teaching Certificate. Although they are still in the early stages of getting the school started, they already have plenty of ideas in mind for how the school will run, where it will be and what the future will look like.
First, the classes will have a minimum of 18 students, a manageable number to start. They have two buildings in mind as possible locations for the school. They have already been offered the ability to use Calvary Baptist Church's fellowship hall and its Sunday school buildings, located at 11320 CR 6 E, in Jasper. However, they are also working on getting access to the former Central Hamilton Elementary School building, as that is the ideal location.
The curriculum for the school will still follow Florida's educational standards. However, RRA will take a slightly different approach than the public schools around it, as it will focus on improving reading proficiency, which will help improve all areas of academics. “We will have two periods of reading instruction in order to give students their grade-level instruction, as well as intervention and enrichment,” Phillips said. The school plans to use structured literacy to teach reading, helping students have a strong foundation of phonics instruction. On top of that, teachers will use a workshop model to ensure the students are able to practice the skills they learn. Then, to top it all off, each class will start the day with a daily read-aloud, helping to promote reading engagement.
“RRA’s proposed educational program is designed to teach 21st Century learners to become successful citizens through our vision of providing students with a quality education focused on reading instruction. RRA’s team of teachers, parents, board members and volunteers have a common goal to teach students to be successful in life while enjoying school in a safe environment. The overall well-being and academic success of each student will be of the utmost importance to all RRA staff. It is our goal to create an environment for students that is both nurturing and rigorous. Using research-proven curriculum and instruction, electives, a character education program, and developing a love for reading and learning, will meet our mission of educating successful students that are academically and socially ready for life. RRA’s environment will promote pride in our school and our community. We want staff and students to feel like they are part of a family while at RRA. Charter schools can make a difference. We will have a good rating and bring people into Hamilton County: families and businesses. We can train the future workforce of Hamilton County. Our students will have a positive work ethic. They will be able to be responsible citizens. Renaissance Reading Academy, Inc. could be a pivotal turning point for our hometown,” Phillips explained.
Since the school will only serve students until eighth grade, they will then enter the public high school with a different set of tools, helping them to be successful, improve the high school's grades and the county's overall grade. RRA hopes to begin their first school year in August 2023. They are currently waiting for a decision from the Hamilton County School Board, which will be made on Tuesday, May 2.
To learn even more about RRA and their future plans, visit their Facebook page by searching for Renaissance Reading Academy, or email Phillips at tlowe.renaissance@gmail.com.