By Mary Lide Parker
Staff Writer
For a private school setting with a public school price tag, North Carolina parents and students in grades K-12 can look to the Woods Charter School, now located in a brand-new North Chatham facility on Andrews Store Road.
“The charter school is a way to give students a private school experience at no cost,†said Principal Harrell Rentz.
Charter schools are subject to the same fundamental regulations as public schools but are allowed to differentiate curriculum in some ways – they can be more thematic or specific if so desired.
They are also typically much smaller. WCS is a one-building facility with 485 students and 65 faculty and staff.
WCS used to be located in the Cole Park Plaza shopping center on 15-501. The new building is located two miles down the road off of Andrews Store Road.
“We went from a funky, barely adequate facility to an incredible facility,†said Rentz. “Everyone is really thrilled with it.â€
Some perks of the new building and facilities include a full kitchen, science labs, a library, computer labs, a large gym and a “great room,†which is used for lunch every day as well as school dances and performances. WCS also owns the 18 acres of land that surround the building.
WCS draws students from nine surrounding counties, the majority of whom are from Chatham. The school receives an allotment of educational funds from the state and the students’ home counties.
“We have kids coming from Siler City and the other side of Durham,†Rentz said. “We pull from a large geographical area.â€
Rentz, who has experience in public, private and charter schools, said charter schools came about to give parents more control over their child’s schooling.
“I think the largest advantage for parents is they’re closer to the decision making and the way the school operates,†Rentz said. “For the parents, it’s about having more direct involvement in the way the school works.â€
Every WCS parent is required to volunteer in some way, which can include organizing fundraisers, contributing to the parent-coordinated lunch program or helping out with school-wide projects.
WCS puts academics first. The “core knowledge†program is used for grades K-8. The high school offers 12 AP classes. The entire school’s curricula is based on a classical liberal arts context.
With such a large emphasis on academics, WCS offers only a select number of sports teams including a basketball team, coed soccer and a cheer leading squad. They hope to add cross country, tennis and baseball in the coming years.
“Sometimes the students are disappointed they can’t walk outside and go to the Dollar Store,†said Rentz, referring to the old location of the school. “Now they have 18 acres of wilderness around them and so many new opportunities to grow.â€