LELAND, North Carolina –The Charter Day School network of charter schools, anticipating further growth and heightened enrollment demands, is adopting a new name reflecting the schools’ unique classical curriculum and emphasis on civic virtue: Classical Charter Schools of America. The new names will be phased-in for the network and each of its schools beginning immediately.

Charter Day School, Inc. Board Chairman Robert Spencer said the name change was prompted by “the need to clarify what makes our schools different and better” and a desire to “bring unity and uniformity to our family of schools” at a time when charter school popularity has been rapidly accelerating.

Headquartered in Leland, a Wilmington neighbor, the Charter Day School, Inc. network began 20 years ago with a single charter school in grades K-5. Today, the network includes four schools—in Leland, Southport, Whiteville and Wilmington—enrolling more than 2,500 students. Spencer said Classical Charter Schools of America will likely apply for a fifth area school in the next 18-24 months and is planning additional schools elsewhere in the state “and even in other states.”

In North Carolina, charter schools became law on June 22, 1996 as independently controlled, tuition-free schools open to the public.  Charter school boards are accountable to the state for maintaining high academic performance and financial stability.

Spencer said the network’s first school, Charter Day School, opened in 2000 in Leland. Just five years later the State Board of Education recognized its academic success, designating Charter Day School one of the Top-25 elementary schools out of 1,800 in North Carolina.

As a result of this success, a second school was established in 2007: Columbus Charter School in Whiteville. A third school was added in 2013—Douglass Academy in downtown Wilmington—and a fourth in 2014, South Brunswick Charter School in Southport. All four schools will be renamed. Columbus Charter School, for example, is becoming Classical Charter Schools of Whiteville and Douglass Academy is becoming Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington.  All schools will continue to be under the central control of Charter Day School, Inc. which is becoming Classical Charter Schools of America.

“While all of these schools share the same management team and use the same time-tested, field-proven classical curricula and instructional methods, their legacy names didn’t reflect that fact,” Spencer said, “the new names do.”  Spencer also noted that uniforms and other materials bearing the old names would be grandfathered.

Spencer said that renaming the network and its schools is one of several steps the Board is taking. The second step, which is ongoing, will be to evaluate future locations for possible expansion. “We have a terrific educational model as our wait lists attest; we want to share this model,” he said.

The Board also is looking at ways to “further differentiate the way our schools teach citizenship and life lessons to impressionable young students as distinct from the highly politicized ways many traditional public schools have been adopting,” Spencer said. “We teach students to work hard, do their best, respect their teachers and each other and to love their country; the contrast with what’s going on in many traditional public schools couldn’t be greater, and many parents are choosing our educational model.” 

Schools in the Classical Charter Schools of America network are managed by The Roger Bacon Academy charter school management firm, which provides the schools’ curriculum, instructional, and operational services—including professional development for teaching staff, accounting, human resources, recruiting, IT, maintenance, and security.

For virtual tours of the network and its schools visit www.CCSAM.net and select the location of interest for enrollment and employment opportunities, or contact The Roger Bacon Academy, 3610 Thaddeus Lott Lane, Leland, NC 28451. Phone: (910) 655-3600.

Whiteville, NC – Kindergarten and eighth grade students received diplomas and accolades in front of a glowing crowd of family and friends. The occasion capped off a year of hard work and inspired persistence in the face of adversity.

Steve Smith, Headmaster of Columbus Charter School, commented, “We are incredibly proud of our amazing students! Their resilience, optimism, and dedication are an inspiration to us all. Congratulations!” Columbus Charter School is one of four charter schools managed by The Roger Bacon Academy, Inc. founded in 1999 by education pioneer Baker Mitchell.

The other schools include Charter Day School in Leland, 1Douglass Academy in Wilmington, and South Brunswick Charter School in Southport with a combined enrollment of over 2,100 students in K-8. All four are tuition-free, charter schools that welcome all students, regardless of income, ability, or address. To learn more or enroll online, please visit EnrollRBA.com

Over 30 students at Columbus Charter School received awards for their exemplary handwriting as part of a competition in honor of National Handwriting Day. Six students received a $5 first-place award, and twenty-six students received an honorable mention $1 prize. In addition, numerous classes and grades performed so well overall they received a collective award and ice-cream party. The handwriting competition occurred across all four campuses in The Roger Bacon Academy family of charter schools – Charter Day School in Leland, Columbus Charter School in Whiteville, Douglass Academy in Wilmington, and South Brunswick Charter School in Southport.

Kolton Lovett, a third-grade winner, exclaimed, “Handwriting is important for the people reading and understanding your work! It has been cool winning two years in a row. Some people work very hard to have nice handwriting, and I think having nice handwriting will help me be better at cursive!” Kolton’s class also received an award and ice-cream party for their excellent handwriting overall.

“Handwriting is important because when I get into college, I will do a lot of essays and writing”, said fifth-grade winner Alexia Villa. She explained, “I want to write neatly so my family, friends, and teachers can understand my writing!” Her class also received an ice-cream party and award for their astounding work.

“Handwriting is important because people need to be able to understand what you are saying”, declared fifth-grade honorable mention winner Zachary Dryden. He added, “I take pride in my work!”

Jessica Lopez, Dean of English, Latin, and History at The Roger Bacon Academy, commented, “Penmanship is the art of writing by hand and distinguishes our students from their peers at other schools.  Not only do we teach cursive, we also stress the importance of penmanship beginning in kindergarten.  This teaches our students to take pride in their work and to do their best in all endeavors, an important life lesson.  Our National Handwriting Day competition showcases our students’ handwriting and allows them the opportunity to be rewarded for their efforts.  We are very happy that in a year of many cancellations, we were able to provide this rewarding and fun competition for our students.”

Columbus Charter School is one of four charter schools managed by The Roger Bacon Academy, Inc. founded in 1999 by education pioneer Baker Mitchell. The other schools include Charter Day School in Leland, 1Douglass Academy in Wilmington, and South Brunswick Charter School in Southport with a combined enrollment of over 2,100 students in K-8. All four are tuition-free, charter schools that welcome all students, regardless of income, ability, or address. To learn more or enroll online, please visit EnrollRBA.com