Charter school adds on

PALMER -- Academy Charter School will expand its grade level to eighth grade in the upcoming school year, made possible by the purchase of a 2,400 square foot building that will house the students.

"That's as large as we are going to grow," said Academy principal Barb Gerard.

The school now teaches grades kindergarten through seven, and the addition of the new building will allow this year's seventh-graders to continue their studies one more year at Academy, bringing the number of students at the school to 232.

The building, owned previously by Valley Hotel, cost the school $42,500. The purchase of the building was approved by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board earlier this month, and the funds to purchase the building will come from Academy's operating budget for this year. The building is currently located at Greenstreet General Contracting and House Moving off of Palmer-Fishhook Road.

Gerard said Darrel Greenstreet, whose company moved the Baptist church in Palmer last year to make room for the new Fred Meyer, will move the building to Academy's Arctic Avenue location once all of the paperwork needed is complete. Once moved, parent and staff volunteers will remodel the building.

"IBEW is helping with the wiring, and parents are [drywalling] and putting up the walls," Gerard said.

Academy is holding a fundraiser, featuring the Borealis Circus, at the administration building gymnasium from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, to raise funds for remodeling. Gerard is encouraging people of all ages to show up for the carnival.

The eighth-grade building brings Academy once step closer to its final layout plan; while the school does not plan on teaching any additional grade levels, Gerard said school administrators are hoping to build a few more amenities on the school grounds.

"We're still trying to find funds to build a gym and a stage, then we will have a pretty workable site," Gerard said.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.