SOAR Academy is looking for a permanent home
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A school servicing local students with learning disabilities — struggling to buy a building to help them grow.
SOAR Academy has been making waves in our community for more than a decade.
But, they’re still looking for a place to call home.
Its building off Washington Road suffered severe damage from Hurricane Helene.
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Since then, they’ve been operating in a temporary location.
At the academy — students trace, build, and create — turning simple pieces into something bigger.
Ian Gregory, a student, says, “it all starts with Miss Kenisha and her goal to have an alternative for students.”
All it takes is that one person to make a difference in a child’s life.
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“Whether your child be visual, kinesthetic, auditory,” Kenisha Skaggs at SOAR Academy says. “We ensure the curriculum meets them the way they need to learn.”
With more than 300 students on the waitlist, the academy needs a place to grow and in return, giving more kids the chance to soar.
“Having the surplus properties available in Richmond County. It seemed like an excellent opportunity for us and the collaboration of how we can reach those students in underserved areas of Augusta,” Skaggs explains. “I think that Richmond County, I think we’re at an all-time high of desperation, of trying to figure out what our young people need, and it’s a better chance at education.”
So, she wants to send this message to the community.
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“We would love for the Richmond County School Board to know that we would like to collaborate with them in this initiative. We would love to see school buildings repurposed in Augusta for charter schools, for non-traditional school groups, maybe, that really hone in on the deficits of students that are not succeeding in public school.”
She says it starts with building the right foundation for a brighter future.
We reached out to the Richmond County School District, which says, “Potential uses for district properties follow a thorough process to ensure that any acquisition, disposal, or lease of property aligns with the district’s long-term goals and responsibilities.”
The academy is hosting a meeting for parents and community to learn more about their charter school proposal at 5 p.m. Sunday at Pineview Baptist Church.
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