From staff reports
With two kindergarten students and two seniors helping cut the red ribbon, Polaris Tech Charter School leaders Thursday night, Dec. 21, celebrated the fast-growing school’s expansion to serve elementary grades.
“In five years, the time it takes for a child to be born and enter kindergarten, Polaris Tech has grown from serving about 300 middle and high school students to almost 550 learners from kindergarten through 12th Grade,” said retired Air Force Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton, chair of the school’s board of directors and one of its founders.
“What started as a dream to offer options to Lowcountry families is fast becoming a rising, soaring school success story,” he said.
School leaders and students cut a ceremonial ribbon organized by the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce to commemorate opening the new elementary wing, then showcased student work across all grades during the community open house.
“Polaris Tech uses a project-based learning model that we find hooks the students into being more interested in their daily schoolwork,” Executive Director and co-founder Kim Statler said.
“We found great success with that model for our middle and high school students, but we also were dealing with their challenges in the core subjects of reading and math,” she said. “We are moving to solve that shortcoming by offering Polaris Tech to all the grades, starting at kindergarten.”
Polaris Tech is a state-approved charter school serving K-12 students from Jasper County and the Lowcountry. It is a free school (no tuition), that focuses on preparing young people for successful work and college.
Chris Neeley, superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, joined Polaris Tech with John Payne, chairman of the state charter board, at the ribbon cutting.
The Polaris Tech academic emphasis is on six career areas, starting with: Aerospace, Health Sciences and Business Management. Polaris Tech continues to accept student applications for the upcoming school year for students in grades K-12 and families can apply online at www.polaristech.org.
The school is located on Grays Highway across from the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport. Young people from Jasper, Colleton, Hampton and Beaufort counties attend.
To keep updated about Polaris Tech Charter School, follow them on Facebook and at www.polaristech.org. For specific questions, email info@polaristech.org or call 843-645-0605.
