Teachers Self-Fund New Private School in Roseville, Aim for Unique Experience

A group of laid-off teachers in Roseville are turning lemons into lemonade and opening a private school funded from their own pockets.

The Hawthorne Academy of Arts and Sciences, a private school that will open this fall, will occupy the old Roseville hospital at 333 Sunrise Ave. after some renovations are completed.

"We realized there are so many struggles in the public school system," Janel Catalano said. "We wanted to move on and see if we could get something of a quality education for a reasonale price."

Catalano is an example of one of the ways the school's teachers are looking to save money: she'll teach English to seventh and eighth graders, but will also serve as vice principal.

The Hawthorne Academy will have only a principal, some supporting staff, and teachers–minimizing administrative expenses, Catalano said.

The initial group of teachers who are working to found the school come entirely from Horizon Charter School's Accelerated Learning Academy in Rocklin, which closed last year. After the initial startup costs were paid for by the teachers, the school will be funded entirely by student tuition, which starts at about $6,200.

Catalano said after a few more hirings, the school will have a dozen teachers. Its principal is Pat Teilh, who is coming out of retirement to lead the school. Class sizes will be limited to 20 students, Catalano said.

Its class sizes will be smaller and the school day slightly longer, but Catalano said the school will also be different in the material it teaches. The teachers will focus on project-based learning.

"It's our policy that children learn by doing instead of watching," she said. "It's more effective for a student to actually dissect a cricket instead of looking in the book. ... Instead of just reading a book they'll act out the book."

The school has an open house planned for Feb. 12, and Catalano said the school's small roster could fill up fast. Officials are hoping for about 170 kids in the school's first year, but only the first 20 are guaranteed a seat. After that, each prospective student will be placed on a waiting list.

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The Hawthorne Academy of Arts and Sciences - parent information night
6:30 p.m., Feb. 12
Harvest Community Church, 1376 Blue Oaks Blvd.

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