Set in the country on nearly 70 acres marked by rolling creeks, nature trails and nearby farms is Countryside Academy. This green-themed school near Benton Harbor integrates an environmentally based curriculum into learning. Principal Steve Rigoni said instruction revolves around the environment: “Students in English class can be reading about the environment or renewable resources, […]
Eaton Rapids
Posted inTalent & Education
Charter champs know: Writing is tough
When Sherry Swain was teaching writing to first-graders, she sometimes took a lesson from E.B. White’s classic, “Charlotte’s Web.” She would read the first sentence — “‘Where’s Papa going with that ax?’ said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.” — and tell her students, “You know, that wasn’t E.B. […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Reading champs point to early prep
Now in its 16th year, Island City Academy was founded as an independent charter school in Eaton Rapids, a small town about 20 miles south of Lansing. Thomas Ackerson, its principal, said the school was born to institute a back-to-basics program that ran counter to the educational trends of the time. “The original idea was […]