Saxapahaw is a small town in Alamance county known as the old mill town for the Haw River. This small and modest town has no major highway, and can be missed in the blink of an eye. Yet, this quiet town is home to a very unique charter school that shouldn’t be overlooked: the Hawbridge School.
The Hawbridge School was founded in 1998 as an alternative school for students who struggled to keep up in a traditional academic setting. However, 12 years ago, under the guidance of a new Director, the Hawbridge School evolved into the astounding and distinguished school that it is today. The Hawbridge School is a small, yet vibrant and collaborative charter school located in the Old Mill, beside …show more content…
However, it also has many characteristics that set it apart not only from traditional public schools, but also from most charter schools. The first of many such characteristics is the amount of community support and student involvement. Because the school is located at the epicenter of the town, in the Old Mill, students can be directly involved in the surrounding community, by taking engaging electives such as tending to the community garden, learning culinary skills at the local restaurant, harvesting and processing clay from a local deposit to make ceramic objects, or even canoeing on the Haw …show more content…
Charter schools receive funding directly from their counties based on the number of students they have. Because of this, many charter schools often fall into the trap of expanding too rapidly and losing sight of their mission in an attempt to increase their funding. Likewise, charter schools are not provided money for facilities, transportation, or school lunches, which can severely limit the demographics of students that are able to attend the school. Parents of attending students are required to provide both lunch and daily transportation, without the possibility for financial aid from the