Saturday, February 06, 2010

Charter School Will Relocate To Old Town Location

By Andrea Schoellkopf
Journal Staff Writer
          A north Albuquerque charter school plans to reopen in the former Atomic Museum in Old Town next fall.
        Alice King Community School, formerly the North Albuquerque Cooperative Community Charter School, has announced its move from the Jefferson Corridor area to 1905 Mountain Road NW, north of Tiguex Park in Old Town.
        School director Shelly Cherrin said the school, which has a waiting list, was looking to expand its enrollment, which can be no more than 165 in its current 10,000-square-foot location.
        It also plans to seek authorization from Albuquerque Public Schools to eventually expand to eighth grade. It currently enrolls students from kindergarten through the sixth grade.
        Cherrin said the school can add 80 students this fall and eventually grow to 300 in the 20,000-square-foot Old Town building.
        Alice King, which is in its fourth year, offers multiage classrooms with a project-based curriculum.
        "The educational opportunities ... that our kids will be exposed to are phenomenal," said Cherrin, who has also discussed partnerships and enrichment programs with Explora! children's museum.
        Charters are public schools that run independently of school districts, and the state reimburses them for lease payments. Admission to the schools is by lottery.
        Cherrin said the school's governance board will inquire about a capital campaign to purchase the privately-owned property, which would meet the state's new deadline of 2015 for charters to be in public buildings.
        An architect has been hired to help create classrooms in the building and a small playground.
        Old Town neighbors said they were thrilled to see a school move into the building.
        "What a perfect location for them," said Nancy Hoffman , owner of Old Town Bed and Breakfast and former president of the disbanded Plaza Vieja (Old Town) Neighborhood Association.
        The Atomic Museum's outdoor missile display was a sore spot for Hoffman and other residents.
        "I can't think of anything better than a school," said Peri Pakroo, who lives south of Tiguex Park and has two small children. "I think it's kind of neat they're near Old Town and do cultural activities. And being close to the museums and historical features will be kind of neat for the kids."
       

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