As I begin to chronicle the stories that tell The Learning Center story, I go back to those early days when the thought of starting a school was much like a seed working its way to the surface. I knew the seed was planted in the right environment; I watered and nurtured it daily. However, the miracle of nature remained underground for what seemed an eternity. What kept my belief in a school coming to life someday was a truth I had already internalized early in my teaching career:
WHAT I KNEW FOR SURE: School has one major goal: to grow students into all they can be.
In the months that led up to the opening of The Learning Center, PS-3rd, in 1983, the first dedicated educators that joined rank with me around WHAT I KNEW FOR SURE, quickly realized we basically knew nothing about a public relations plan, certainly not an organized marketing strategy. What we did know as a small but mighty team of educators was what growth looked like in a student. Our school development and improvement plan was simplistic: Be willing to create environments where student growth can take place. If the student is not growing, be willing to make changes in the environment to meet the individual learning needs.
With a typewriter and a hand-cranked mimeo machine that left me covered in the blue ink intended for the flyer itself, these words took root in our school vocabulary as the fruit of our labors grew the students we served:
"Planting seeds to someday see many a fruitful, well-rooted tree."
1997 proved a landmark year. Our small private school emerged as one of the 33 original North Carolina Charter Schools.
Head of School Ryan Bender and a team of dedicated educators are currently laying plans for school year 2021-2022. New growth is on our horizon with with adding 9th grade, and in the years to follow, grades 10th-12th, to our school offerings. WHAT WE KNOW FOR SURE is still grounded in one truth. Our school remains dedicated to our priority goal: To grow students into all they can be.
