Meredith Leonard, Chair of the Alpine Education Foundation Board of Directors, spoke with SVI Media’s Dan Dockstader regarding the American Preparatory Academy Charter School coming to Alpine.

(0:00) SBIA with the chair of the Alpine Education Foundation, Meredith Leonard. Thank you for (0:06) joining us. Meredith, where are we with the Alpine Charter School? We’re in the early stages.
Bring (0:11) us up to date. Okay, well thank you so much for having me. Yes, we’re very excited.
We’ve made (0:16) a lot of headway in the last year. So, you know, there was always kind of hummings of a (0:22) charter school opening in Alpine, but we’re really excited to bring it to fruition. We have leased (0:29) the land with the Town of Alpine.
We have also purchased modular buildings that we’re bringing (0:34) down, or that, excuse me, are already down in Alpine, but not currently on site. We’re working (0:41) with the Town of Alpine to have all of, excuse me, our permits approved, hopefully in a couple of (0:49) weeks, and then that will allow us to start prepping the site and moving the modulars (0:55) on to the site. We’re hoping to do that before the snow flies.
And you’ve been keeping the Alpine (1:00) Town Council up to date, giving them reports and coordinating that. As we move into winter, then (1:06) what can we kind of expect winter to spring for the Alpine Charter School? Yes, so we are starting (1:12) to hand out flyers that will allow families to express interest in enrollment. We are also getting (1:19) our website up and going, so we’ll blast that out via an email newsletter once we have all of that (1:24) information.
So really, once we get the modulars moved, our focus will then be shifting to (1:33) enrollment and getting our lottery done and students enrolled for the fall 2026 school year. (1:42) Fall of 2026? Yes. Very good.
Give us a little preview of enrollment. How can people get involved? (1:49) That’s a great question. What we will start to do, you’ll start to see flyers and information (1:54) out, and then there will be QR codes that you can scan, and then that will lead you to the process.
(1:59) Yes, so we are working with Academica, who is our service provider, and they’ll kind of be managing (2:05) all of that. We will also be, like I said, we’ll have a website and we’ll be holding community (2:11) events as well, parent information nights and all of that. The other thing with how people (2:20) can get involved is just coming to our events.
I will say that we have… You’re planning those out. (2:27) Yes. Give us a few highlights.
Okay, highlights. We have, at the end of this month, we have a golf (2:34) tournament at Cedar Creek Country Club. It’s going to be a golf scramble.
Oh, very nice. And then (2:41) you’ll do other things throughout the coming season just to keep people aware of your progress? (2:46) Yes. In October, we’ll probably do another parent information night, and then looking into the (2:52) spring, we would like to have an annual gala that would be something that we would do every year to (2:59) bring the community together, and then also as fundraisers.
Very good. What haven’t we gone over (3:05) with the Alpine Charter School? We’re with Meredith Leonard. She’s chair of the Alpine Education (3:09) Foundation.
What would you like to close out with and keep in our minds the importance of this (3:16) school for the community and for the area? Well, I think it comes down to three things. Number one, (3:22) our children, and really working to give the best opportunities and the best education for our (3:27) children, because that sets a foundation for our towns and what our towns and our communities look (3:32) like. If we can invest in our kids, that’s an investment in our towns.
And then I think overall, (3:38) it comes down to then what does that do for our country? And the classical education is really (3:44) important to me because our goal is to develop the minds and improve the hearts of our young people (3:51) and create outstanding citizens that will contribute back to our communities. And I go back (3:59) to a quote by Larry Arnn, who is the president of Hillsdale College. This is a Hillsdale College (4:07) curriculum that we’ll be using and applying.
And he says that we use the word classical to remind (4:15) us that we’re doing basic things, things that are available to all human beings. And that’s a (4:23) superb place to start. So classical education is for everyone.
It will set every child up for (4:31) success no matter what they want to do. And I think it will really give back to our communities. (4:37) Very good.
That’s Meredith Leonard. She’s chair of the Alpine Education Foundation. Dan Dockstader, SBI Media.