Academy building is under way

SPANISH FORK — Construction has started on what is expected to be the largest charter school in Utah.

When built, American Achievement Academy will have room for 1,275 students in grades kindergarten through 12. A groundbreaking was Tuesday.

The goal is to have construction finished by Aug. 25, although it may not be complete until after Labor Day. School will begin when the building is ready, said Shelina Way, a parent who has been on the school's founding council.

Cost of the land and the three-building project will be about $12 million. The property will be owned by Charter One Development and will be leased to the school for 10 years.

Then, the school can exercise an option to buy it, said Shelina Way's husband, Glenn Way, a former state lawmaker and managing partner at Charter One Development.

Charter One built the Summit Academy in Draper last year, and has other charter school projects in Utah County.

Charter schools receive public money and are subject to most of the state laws governing schools. However, they govern themselves, much like private schools. By next school year, there will be some 40 charter schools in Utah.

"I believe parents just like to have choice. I think they like to have the ability to choose. I don't think this is an indictment against the public school," Glenn Way said.

The founders of American Achievement Academy are emphasizing parental involvement at school. Parents have decided the students will wear uniforms, will be involved in faculty hiring and are developing the curriculum for the elementary, junior and high schools. Parents will be expected to volunteer, although it hasn't been decided whether to set a mandatory amount of hours a year for parents in each family.

High school students will be encouraged to decide whether they want college or applied-technology degrees and will be encouraged to take concurrent enrollment courses through Utah colleges or universities. Organizers hope that many will have associate's degrees when they graduate from high school, said MaryAnne Davis, chairwoman of the school's curriculum committee.

Subjects will be integrated. For instance, students studying the Civil War in history will read period literature in English.

The result will be "multi-sensory learning," said Davis, who is using materials from the Core Knowledge Foundation, developed by University of Virginia professor E. D. Hirsch.