43
New charter school to open
By HAROLD GWIN
YOUNGSTOWN
There will be a new charter school — one focusing on math and science — opening on the city’s South Side in August.
Horizon Science Academy Youngstown expects to enroll about 200 children in kindergarten through seventh grade in its first year, said Hasan Akkaya, school director. It plans to add an eighth grade in 2011-12, he said.
Eventually, the school will offer K-12 programming, said Abdurrahman Arslanyilmaz, chairman of the school board and an assistant professor in the computer science and information-systems department at Youngstown State University.
The school is housed in the former St. Dominic’s School at 3404 Southern Blvd. St. Dominic closed its school about 10 years ago, and the building was recently purchased from the Diocese of Youngstown through Concept Schools of Chicago, Horizon’s management company. Concept is a nonprofit charter school management organization.
The local sponsor is the Buckeye Community Hope Foundation headquartered in Columbus.
Concept operates 16 urban charter schools under the Horizon and Noble academy banners in Ohio. They rated between “continuous improvement” and “excellent” on their 2009 state local report cards. Horizon Science Academy Cleveland was one of only 19 Ohio schools to earn a National Blue Ribbon School designation in 2009.
Because it is a public school, tuition will be covered by the state. Students will be required to pay only a $25 annual materials fee, Akkaya said.
Horizon Science Academy Youngstown will be a college prep school, he said, requiring longer school days with more hours spent on math, science and English than required in the traditional public school. There will be after-school trips and programs, free tutoring and a limit of 25 students per classroom, he said.
“We promise a safe environment,” Akkaya said, noting the school has a strict disciplinary policy that bans bullying and fighting. There is an “open door” policy for parents, and teachers will be required to make eight home visits annually, a move designed to allow them to become familiar with students’ families and those families to become familiar with the teacher, he added. Students will be honored and rewarded for their achievements, and there will be a focus on science fairs and math competitions. The school will have ties with Cleveland State University and, hopefully, Youngstown State University, to be able to take its students onto those campuses to spend time in their science labs, Akkaya said.
There is a great need in Youngstown for a school that is qualified and can provide a high level of education, Arslanyilmaz said, stressing that the school is here to help students with their academic achievements.
There are no academic requirements for admission. Anyone can apply to enroll, Akkaya said.
Most of the enrollment is expected to come from the city, and the Youngstown City School District will be required to provide the transportation.
To enroll, parents can visit the school or call 330-782-3003 to have an application mailed to them.
Arslanyilmaz has served on other Horizon school boards and said he saw the need for the Concept Schools curriculum here. It was he who proposed that Concept look at St. Dominic’s as a location for the first Horizon charter school in the area, he said.