Tekoa Academy expands grade levels
Published 9:56 am Wednesday, July 13, 2016
- Dawn Burleigh/The Orange Leader Tekoa Academy faculty is preparing for the new school year with a registration blitz this week. As new students register, Emil Daniels, physical education, music and art teacher, adds a fresh coat of paint to the school.
By Dawn Burleigh
dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com
Tekoa Academy prepares for a fresh school year while now including up to grade seven classes.
“We have small settings here,” Badja Coleman-Rivers, educator, said. “Most classes are 10 students which allows for more one-on-one.”
The smaller settings are beneficial to both the teachers and the students according to Coleman-Rivers.
“I have worked in ISDs before with larger classes,” Coleman-Rivers said. “The smaller settings allow for more activities for the students.”
The charter school conducts Project Friday each week school is in session.
“We work on STEM projects and crafts,” Coleman-Rivers said. “This year we are going to implement a water infiltration system for a green house. These are projects not found at larger schools.”
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
PreK3 -7th grade students can register 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday- Thursday. The school is located at 1704 North 14th Street in Orange.
Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies’ core curriculum consists of Social Studies, Language Arts, Math and Science; differentiating the curriculum using integrated, interdisciplinary, thematic approach, according to the official website.
“We teach all the core subjects,” Coleman-Rivers said. “I also teach dance to some students. We will participate in all the local parades. We are a close-knit campus. It is a great place to go.”
Coleman-Rivers has been with the academy for three years and said one teacher has taught there for seven years since the Orange campus opened.
