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The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    New charter school coming to Hammond

    Arts integrated charter school Tangi Academy is set to open August 2015 in the Hammond area. 

    A charter school is a tuition-free public school that is independently run. This gives it a higher level of autonomy, making the school’s administrators responsible for staffing and curriculum development.

    Because the school itself is responsible for these things, the Louisiana Charter School law holds them to a higher academic, financial and organizational standard. The school is to be shut down if it fails to meet the set standards.

    “We’re going to be the first [arts integrated school] on the North Shore,” said Lisa Prossitran, founder of Tangi Academy. “What arts integration means is not performing arts. It means your math, science, technology, engineering, your English, all those things are taught in and through the arts. Where you would be teaching fractions, you would teach through rhythm.”

    There are currently over 100 successful charter schools in Louisiana, most of which are in New Orleans.

    According to lacharterschools.org, “Many schools have been successful enough to have their charters renewed, which means that their authorizers were satisfied that they met the original goals of their charter, and therefore deserved to continue to operate. According to a 2013 study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Educational Reform, Louisiana’s Charter Schools are outperforming traditional public schools in the state in reading and math.”

    The school is now accepting applications for students who will be in kindergarten through fifth grade until Jan. 15, 2015. Applications are available at the Hammond Rec Center at 601 W. Coleman Ave and Ruby at 111 E. Thomas Ave. They are also available online at tangiacademy.org.

    “Instead of opening with just the kindergarten and slowly growing, we’re taking applications from K-5 the first year,” said Possitran. “Our model is a little bit more aggressive because there’s such a huge need in Tangipahoa Parish.”

    The schools are looking to have 200 students enrolled for the 2015 year, and if more than 200 students apply, names will be drawn publicly by a third party to ensure equality. After about five years, the school is expected to reach full capacity of 450 students, ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade. 

    Students from St. Tammany and Livingston Parishes can apply for admission, and Tangi Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality or ethnicity in any of its practices. There will be no testing to attend the school and has open enrollment.

    Community Information meetings will be held Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Hammond Feed & Seed, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. at the Hammond Rec Center and Nov. 24 at Hammond City Hall. These meetings will discuss the structure and mission of Tangi Academy.

    The location for the school is still tentative.

    “Even though we don’t have our location, we know it’s going to be in Hammond and it’s going to be accessible to our community. That’s part of our mission. Academic excellence through arts integration and individual creativity,” said Possitran.

    For more information, visit tangiacademy.org, call 985-218-0179 or email [email protected].

     
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