• Visit Alpine.WyoClassical.org for details

By Dan Dockstader & Duke Dance
SVI Media

Registration has opened for the inaugural school year of Wyoming Classical Academy-Alpine, a K-6 tuition-free public charter school located at 200 Buffalo Drive. Residents were given the opportunity to tour the school facilities on Thursday, April 30 as part of an Open House.

“For me, seeing the kids so excited, running through the halls and showing their friends their classrooms, brought a real energy to everything we’ve been working toward,” stated Merideth Leonard, Chairman of the Alpine Education Foundation. “It reminded us why we’re doing this. We heard so much positive feedback from parents and grandparents who are excited about a back-to-basics education. They could see and feel the difference.”

RELATED: RADIO INTERVIEW WITH DR. ALEX OLIVER OF WYOMING CLASSICAL ACADEMY-ALPINE –

She added, “We look forward to having the entire community back for our grand opening event this summer.”

Dave Jenkins, a Founding Community Member for the school, said he expects enrollment to start ticking up after the event. He noted, “Most everyone that came was pleasantly surprised about how it feels like a real school.”

Dr. Alex Oliver, who is serving as the school’s first Headmaster, stated during a live interview on SVI Radio that he felt those who attended the open house were surprised with the inside of the school’s building. “Every time you pull up to the building, you see a set of modulars and you say, ‘Oh, these are gonna be small buildings. They’re gonna have to go building to building.’ However, once they walked through those doors, they really saw that it was an open concept from one side of the building to the other.”

Dr. Oliver emphasized the Phonics Based System that will be the school’s curriculum, focused on writing, reading, math, history and science. “We’re very big in the arts.” He continued. “We want to make sure that all our students have the baseline established to really understand what they are needing once they move into middle school, high school and into post secondary life.”

For now, the school is for children in grades K-6, however Wyoming Classical Academy-Alpine plans to add an additional grade with each school year, with plans to offer a K-12 education within the next six years.

“We operate just like any Lincoln County school, we are mandated by the state to follow all regulations and certifications when it comes to teachers,” Dr. Oliver explained. “We want to make sure that we are providing any opportunity for any child that wants to come and see what we have to offer.”

Anyone who would like additional information can visit Alpine.WyoClassical.org.