Grand River Prep opens today!!!

So grateful and pleased that Grand River Prep is open, as of today! Watch this school closely, breaking barriers and opening a whole new avenue of education to our area!
I found this article on m-live.com:

Grand River Preparatory School welcoming inaugural class
by Herb Woerpel Tuesday September 02, 2008, 9:59 AM
Grand River Preparatory High School, 264 52nd St., welcomes its inaugural freshman class as instruction begins this week. Grand River Preparatory High School, Kentwood's first charter high school, is preparing to welcome its inaugural class of 100 freshmen when the bell rings to start the school year today.
The 45,000-square-foot school, located in the former Kelloggsville Christian School, 264 52nd St. SE, has been vacant since 2006, when Cutlerville Christian School and Kelloggsville Christian School merged to become Legacy Christian Schools.

Students will follow a curriculum focused on preparing them for college. They will be expected to successfully complete a minimum of two advance placement courses, make a successful application to college, and participate in community service. Throughout their four years at Grand River Prep, students will be required to complete two years of a foreign language, four years of English and math, three years of science and history, and two years of fine arts elective courses.

"We'll provide a rigorous academic program. Our students are expected to enroll in a four-year college," said Principal David Angerer. "Our curriculum requires students to not only take the five core courses, but pass two advanced placement courses, an elective choice, and a foreign language."

The building has been completely renovated and school officials plan to add one grade each year until the school becomes a 400-student, four-year high school in 2011.

Only one-third of the school will be open this school year and officials hope to renovate little by little to allow the school expansion to follow in time with the scheduled enrollment additions.

"We have only renovated about one-third of the building thus far," Angerer said. "We will have to eventually open the entire building up, reconfigure for student parking, add athletic fields, possibly add some science labs and more."

As the school grows, school officials believe the proposed athletic programs will follow suit.

"We're still working on our sports programs," Angerer said. "In our first year, students have expressed an interest in volleyball, soccer, and cross-country, and we obviously will only play junior varsity games, but as our students progress we may be looking for an athletic conference to join somewhere down the road."

English teacher Annalise Venhuizen was setting up her classroom last week and said she was looking forward to helping the school gain an identity.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," she said. "Everything is new, the staff, the teachers, students; we are sort of starting with a blank slate and will have the opportunity to define what this school is all about."

The school received charter status through Grand Valley State University in July. Charter schools are similar to public schools with the difference being they are independently operated rather than publicly operated. There is no tuition and operation funding comes from state tax dollars, just like traditional public schools.

Charter schools must adhere to the same state and local rules and regulations, and must meet the same academic requirements as traditional public schools, but are overseen by their charter authorizer or sponsor, as well as their school board.

Though rare in the area, there are four high school charter schools spread throughout West Michigan.

Creative Technologies Academy in Cedar Springs enrolls approximately 75 students and graduated its first class in 1999. Black River Public School in Holland enlists nearly 250 pupils and awarded its first set of diplomas in 2000.

Byron Center Charter School enrolls approximately 65 students and graduated its first class in 2002, and the West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science in Walker features about 125 students with its first graduation in 2004.

At Grand River Preparatory, students from National Heritage Academy's Excel, Vista, and Vanguard academies receive enrollment preference, but officials said a few spaces are still available. More information can be obtained by calling (616) 261-1800 or by visiting www.grandriverprep.com.