An Evans private school devoted to educating neuroatypical children accepted local and national recognition Thursday afternoon.
SOAR Academy celebrated its 12th anniversary with a robust ribbon-cutting event, welcoming both the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative, an organization that recognizes schools throughout the country, both public and private, for exceptional and innovative approaches to education.
Kenisha Skaggs founded SOAR Academy in 2011, with $700 paid to her from an auto accident. The school offers non-traditional, specialized education for neurodivergent students – children on the autism spectrum, or who have other developmental or learning disorders, such as dyslexia or ADHD.
Before she started the school, Skaggs had already been teaching with a provider in Augusta under the No Child Left Behind initiative.
“The kids were not engaged in lessons at all,” she said about her inspiration to launch the academy. “I decided to quit my job and start my own school in my attic.”
In the years since, SOAR has gone on to establish a 5,000 square foot campus inside the In Focus Church building on Rountree Way, serving some 60 K-12 students.
“Our approach here is very individualized,” said Skaggs. “Extremely flexible – flexible seating, flexible schedules, flexible curriculum; and it really eases the anxiety of our students here.”
Many students enrolled in the academy are in need of remediation. Kids coming in two or three grade levels behind in reading, for example, going on to read at or beyond their level is not an uncommon story.
“If you put them in front of a computer all day, or just give them a worksheet, it’s not going to work,” said Skaggs, noting that the school doesn’t believe in busywork, but rather consistent, hands-on engagement. “But if you factor in real world application, and you have tangible components to the reading program, it’s more likely to increase the reading fluency.”
Tiffany Scott has taught at SOAR for three years, having met Skaggs through a mutual friend. Scott incorporates music and art, passions of hers, into her classroom curriculum and daily activities to keep the children engaged in learning.
“It taps into their memory,” said Scott, noting that music helps the students retain lessons even when they’re having trouble remembering what they’ve read. “It’s just integrating the outside world into the classroom and making it come alive for them.”
Preston Major was one Skaggs’ first SOAR students, attending as a fourth grader diagnosed with auditory processing disorder. Now Major, 21, is an assistant teacher at the school.
“I see the kids as what I used to be like when I was in that state,” said Major, who emphasizes Skaggs’ impact on his learning. “Now I want to help the kids that struggle. I came a long way.”
In December of last year, SOAR Academy was named among nine finalists for the Yass Prize for “sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless education,” out of some 2,700 applicants nationwide, which entails a grant from the organization of $500,000.
“What stood out to us for SOAR was their ability to give an amazing, individualized option for families who really need it,” said Caroline Allen, vice president of the Yass Prize.
Skaggs said the school intends to put the money toward developing its own building and campus, complete with more outdoor space; as well as setting up other SOAR classrooms, both in the CSRA, and as far as Oklahoma.
“Our goal right now is to be in South Carolina, because we’re super close to North Augusta,” said Skaggs. “We have a ton of families that don’t get funding to come to SOAR… This is just the beginning for us.”
SOAR Academy is at 562 Roundtree Way, in Evans. For more information, visit its website at www.soaracademy.net.
