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North Star charter school to open second campus

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Contributed by: Erin Feese/YourHub.com on 9/26/2008

North Star Academy, a charter school at 16700 Keystone Blvd., Parker, is planning to open a second campus in Highlands Ranch, and will hold a live lottery event to fill the approximately 425 openings.

"This is something different for Douglas County charters as no other school has held a live lottery event for their inaugural year," said Lorrie Grove, a member of the North Star Academy board of directors. "The benefit for parents is that they will know before walking out the door if their child has a spot at that school."

The lottery event will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at Cresthill Middle School, 9195 Cresthill Lane, Highlands Ranch.

North Star opened its Parker location in 2006. The K-6 academy originally wanted to have its campus in Highlands Ranch, but could not find a suitable location, Grove said. When the school opened in Parker, they lost some of the families from Highlands Ranch who did not want to make the drive, she said.

About 30 percent of North Star's current enrollment is from Highlands Ranch and the rest is from Parker and other areas of Douglas County.

The academy considered moving its campus to Highlands Ranch, but ultimately decided to open a second location, called North Star West, that will be a "true replication" of the first school, Grove said. Both schools will be overseen by the same board of directors.

"Our intent is to have an executive director to report to the board to ensure the programs mirror each other," Grove said.

The west campus, to be located at 6161 Business Center Drive, off Quebec Street and C-470, will have grades K-8.

The school received its conditional approval from the Douglas County School District on Aug. 19 and plans to open North Star West in September 2009.

As one of the conditions from the district, parents who are interested in North Star must fill out an open enrollment form, even if they filled out another form for the school in the past, Grove said. Forms are available on North Star's Web site at www.nstaracademy.org and must be returned by Oct. 24 for the west campus.

Grove, whose two daughters attend North Star, has been involved with the academy since the effort to open the school began in 2004, she said. The school was founded by a group of Highlands Ranch parents.

"My husband and I really wanted something better and different for our kids," Grove said. "It's incredibly rewarding to be part of something that affects not only my children but the community as well."

North Star's curriculum is based on the core knowledge concept. Core knowledge is the premise that a grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary to ensure a sound and fair elementary education; in other words, students learn by building on what they already know, according to the academy's Web site.

Another distinctive element the school offers is an integrated Spanish program, which incorporates Spanish lessons across the curriculum, Grove said.

UP NEXT

Parents who are interested in learning more about the new North Star West campus are invited to attend an upcoming meeting in Highlands Ranch.

7 p.m. Oct. 6, Eastridge Recreation Center, 9568 University Blvd.
7 p.m. Oct. 16, Westridge Recreation Center, 9650 S. Foothills Canyon Blvd.
7 p.m. Oct. 20, Southridge Recreation Center, 4800 McArthur Ranch Road

For more information, visit www.nsawest.org or call 720-851-7827.

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