There was a platoon of parents in action when Foothills Academy opened in 1984, and another strong contingent of parents behind a new school to open at the same site this fall.
The private school Foothills Academy closed at the end of this school year due to declining enrollment, and the lease was secured by Mountain Phoenix Community School, a Jefferson County charter school.
Parent Sarah Hower stopped teaching at Foothills three years ago, but has her 8-year-old son attending the school. She is one of numerous parents who have stepped forward — her role being to serve on the teacher hiring team.
“It has been remarkable how people have come out of the woodwork — not just to be a part of it — but to roll up their sleeves,” Hower said.
During the 15 years she taught at Foothills she said she became aware that the founding of Foothills involved a founding board of parents seeking a model outside the mainstream of traditional education — one that highlighted experiential learning among other factors.
Hower said she sees parallels that connect Foothills and Mountain Phoenix on the attractive campus at 4725 Miller St. — an enclosed campus that features a farmhouse built in 1918, which serves as an administration building, and newer buildings including a science building built in 2002.
Principal Donna Newberg-Long agrees and said many parents have exceeded a requirement to volunteer 40 hours per year for the school.
She proudly said she has a dad fixing the sprinklers, an architect giving free advice, parents helping with painting and strong participation on various committees involving tech, fundraising and school events.
Newberg-Long said the school doing well on its goal to have about 280 students, breaking out to two classes at each grade level pre-K through eighth.
She said it looks like there will be two grades in first through fourth grades, one class each for fifth and sixth, a sixth-seventh combined and, for this year a modest number of eighth-grade students will be bused to the Mountain Phoenix school at the Coal Creek Canyon location to be with other grade-mates.
“It is amazing how enrollment has gone because it has all gone through mommy blog … and it has draw people who really want this,” Newberg-Long said.
Newberg-Long described the curriculum as education inspired by Waldorf, known for an emphasis in arts, experiential learning and strong background knowledge in support of learning comprehension. Parents appreciate that hands-on creative activities are highlighted over computer interaction in the early grades, she added.
The school is working its way through a waiting list and parents can learn more about the school at the website www.mountainphoenix.org.