Parents Take Interest In IMSA(posted July 25) Parents, grandparents, aunts, friends, siblings and enrolled students came to the Indiana Math and Science Academy's informal open house July 21. The two hour event offered a cookout, face painting by Chocolate the Clown and a tour of the building's work in progress renovations. According to IMSA Director G. John Aytekin, the conversion of the former ToysRus into a school is on scheduled. The projected occupancy date for 4575 W. 38th Street is August 14. This does not give the faculty much time to prepare before the first day of school scheduled for August 22. Brad and Cari Deck enrolled their daughter Adrian into the 6th grade. They heard about the charter school from a flier they got in the mail. The Decks were looking for a school that would offer their daughter more academic challenges than she was receiving at a private Christian school. "I heard it was a prep school with honor classes," Mr. Deck said. This became the driving force for the Decks to switch schools. Although the public schools are closer to their home, the Decks have never enrolled their children into the traditional school. Mrs. Deck said she never enrolled her daughter into Eagle Creek Elementary School because it did not offer before and after care hours at the time when she needed it. As a working mother, she needed those services. "I don't really know how they (public schools) work or how to enroll, but I do pay taxes ( to support them)," she said. "I think it will be fun to go class to class," Adrian said. Although IMSA will be offering small classes of 24 students, Mrs. Deck explained this is big for her daughter because she is coming from a combined fifth and sixth grade class size of nine. She noted the school year will be interesting as they try to figure out transporting their two girls to two different schools. Adrian's younger sister could not attend because she is in third grade. IMSA enrolls students from sixth to eighth grade this year, but will expand its enrollment up to seniors within the next four years. At that time, there will be 525 students. A charter school was also approved in March for 3440 Guion Road. Honor Academy Charter Elementary School will enroll students from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. The construction start had to be postponed for this year because of the entangled rezoning issues with the surrounding neighbors. Aytekin explained the 2007 enrollment goal was 225 students. He said they did not meet their goal, but would not say the number of enrollment. He contended the lack of a school building hindered enrollment, so he had to do the next best thing. Aytekin took his recruitment presentation out to the public. He recruited students by hosting enrollment meetings at the local libraries. He said word of mouth advertising also helped with recruitment. Although IMSA receives tax dollars, the tax dollars cannot be earmarked for bus transportation or books. Therefore, IMSA has no bus service to offer students. Aytekin said book rentals will be subsidized through the school's general fund budget. He noted book rental cost is based on income. For students on the free lunch program, book rental is $25 a year, the student on the reduced lunch program will pay $75 per year for books, and the student who pays for lunch in full will pay $125 a year for books. Aytekin said they offer payment plans for those parents who cannot pay for the rental all at once Tiffany and Antwun Freeman decided to enroll their child into a different charter school. It is IMSA's touted academic standards and student body diversity that prompted the couple to make the switch. Assistant Principal Fatih Unul, PhD and Assistant Dean and Basketball Coach Don Rohrer gave tours of the building. The hallway is an "O" shape with gymnasium in the center. The school offers a computer and science lab. Unul called this first year a time of taking baby steps because everything is new, ranging from the building to the faculty and students. Mr. Deck agreed. "You can't judge the first year," he said. "Who would think they could turn an old ToysRus building into a school. It is hard to believe," Mrs. Deck said. Rohrer said he came from Washington to teach here. He wanted to get away from the bureaucracy that public schools have to adhere to. Charter schools only requirement is administering the I-Step. The Indiana Department of Education gives charter schools more flexibility to develop their own standards of teaching. IMSA received its sponsorship from Ball State University. Rohrer was glad to see so many interested parents attending the cookout to ask questions about the school. Mrs. Deck's father, Rodney Qualkinbush,and her aunt Vera Mullikin were so intrigued about Adrian's future at the charter school that they drove from Muncie to attend the event. |
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