“For most of the summer, the hallways of the old William Penn Elementary School in Penn Hills have been teeming with construction crews and school officials eager for classes to begin.
On Monday night, the school at 200 Penn School Drive was on display to the public before it opened to students Wednesday as the region’s newest charter school — Imagine Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship.
‘In terms of physical space, it is very much a traditional school building,’ principal Kristen Prignac said. ‘But it is the work we do with the kids inside that will set us apart.’
Ms. Prignac said in time the charter school’s students will turn the structure into their own community, with its own government, bank, civic organizations and businesses. The goal: Educate children and prepare them to become responsible and informed citizens, armed with the ability to solve problems creatively and communicate effectively.
‘They will have the opportunity to take over the building to make it look like what a community would look like,’ she said. ‘This school will come alive with the work that they do and, as a staff, we are excited to see what that will look like.’
This week’s open house was designed in part to let the community see what the region’s newest charter school looks like — and also to attract additional students.
Before the open house, Ms. Prignac said 202 students in kindergarten through second grade were officially enrolled. She was hoping to start the new school year with 250 students.
The charter school plans to add another grade each year until it reaches the eighth grade.
The charter school is free for students. It is funded by Penn Hills School District but operates independently, offering an educational program that differs from what is available in district schools.
Imagine Penn Hills is the first charter school within the Penn Hills School District boundaries. About 469 students in the district attend charter schools in neighboring school districts as well as cyber schools.
The Imagine Penn Hills school will offer preferential enrollment to children who live in the Penn Hills district, but anyone may apply for enrollment. Total enrollment eventually will be capped at 600 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
‘It has been a little slow going,’ Ms. Prignac said. ‘… I believe that once the school gets open and people start hearing about what our children are doing, that enrollment will grow exponentially.
‘We are in a community that is not really saturated with charter schools, so for parents in this community, it is a new concept.’
Ms. Prignac noted that because the school focuses on younger children, many parents are afraid of trying new things with their “babies.”
‘Sometimes parent are more hesitant to take a risk with younger children,’ she said. ‘That’s why building relationships with the parents has been an important part of this process.’
James Carmine, a professor at Carlow University, spearheaded the charter school initiative and serves a president of the board of trustees. His oldest child will attend the charter school this year.
‘Penn Hills had rejected every charter school program [before us],’ Mr. Carmine said. ‘I think one way to succeed was to get a well-known, well-funded organization with evidence of success involved.’
He said research led him and others to the Imagine school programs. Imagine operates schools in 14 states.
Another key to the school’s success has been including the Penn Hills School District in the process from the beginning.
‘Our goal is to work with the district,’ he said, adding that changes in state policy have helped, too. ‘Now, we are hoping for a really successful year.'”