Colleen Hroncich
Colleen Hroncich
“The more that I, as a parent, learned about Charlotte Mason principles, the more I realized that this woman was way ahead of her time,” says Andy Zawacki, Head of School at Arborbrook Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Arborbrook was founded in 2005 by four homeschooling families who wanted a Charlotte Mason-based education for their own children and others in the area. In the first year, it served 40 students K‑8, mostly homeschoolers. The school grew rapidly, both in enrollment and grades offered. By the fifth year there were 170 students in grades K‑11. “We’re at 270 students now without much room for more growth,” says Andy. “We currently have two sections of every grade in K‑7 and one section in the upper school, grades 8–12. But that trend is continuing, so K‑8 next year will have two sections. We’re looking to build a building to accommodate the growth.”
In the lower school, which includes grades K‑6, they have what they call Alpha and Omega time where they start and end their days with God. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they start with classroom devotions and prayer time. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they have assemblies. The classes rotate sharing about the chosen theme on Tuesdays and Andy generally shares a message building off that on Thursdays. Omega time at the end of each day for K‑6 is Bible class so they receive that right before they head home.
In between Alpha and Omega time, the day is full of short, fast-paced lessons. “We’re not rushing them, but we are moving them from subject to subject, special to special, ideal to ideal to give them a very robust feast throughout the school day that is all laced in the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education,” Andy explains.
Arborbrook includes the academic coursework and enrichment classes that parents expect in a private school. » Read More
https://www.cato.org/blog/friday-feature-arborbrook-christian-academy