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Newest Propel charter school set to open this month in Pitcairn

Newest Propel charter school set to open this month in Pitcairn

The newest Propel charter school will open its doors to students Aug. 20, and this time it happened without much controversy.

Propel Pitcairn -- formerly Pitcairn Elementary, part of the Gateway School District -- is there because community members, even those without children, said they wanted the building to remain a neighborhood school, according to Carol Wooten, Propel's superintendent.

After the Gateway school board voted to close the school in 2011, a "grassroots movement" got rolling, Ms. Wooten said.

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The school was closed for only one school year, and the Gateway school board voted 8-1 in February to allow Propel to set up a K-6 school in the three-story building. Like other Propel schools, it will ultimately expand to K-8.

Because the building was closed for only a year, little had to be done to get it ready for students. Robert Bischoff, the school's principal, said major renovations will happen in the coming years; Propel plans to add classrooms, an elevator and an air-conditioning system.

The old building came with a lot of charming details. Wooden bookcases are built into the walls, functional chalkboards on rollers hide closets, and huge windows let plenty of natural light into the high-ceilinged rooms.

But that old charm will be complimented by technology -- interactive whiteboards adorn the walls, and each classroom will also have phones and several computers.

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While there's a cultural similarity among Propel schools, they also focus on the needs of the students, Propel Pitcairn assistant principal Jocelyn Artinger said.

"I think it's important to let the school culture turn into what the students want," she said.

Propel puts a strong emphasis on both academics and the arts, Ms. Wooten said, and the existing auditorium fits in well with the charter schools' focus on the arts.

"You can truly perform here," Ms. Artinger said earlier this week while standing on the auditorium's stage, looking out at the hundreds of wooden seats.

Classrooms are still empty and desks and chairs were crammed into the cafeteria. But by Aug. 20,everything will be ready for the first day.

"Once the teachers are here, they'll make it their own," Ms. Artinger said.

First Published: August 9, 2012, 9:00 a.m.

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