Mountain Discovery Charter School

Mountain Discovery
Charter School

Co-Director:
Chantelle Carroll

Co-Director:
Carter Petty

Our physical address:
890 Jenkins Branch Road North
Bryson City, NC 28713

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 1879
Bryson City, NC 28713

School Phone:
(828) 488-1222

School Fax:
(828) 488-0526

School Website / E-Mail:
www.mountaindiscovery.org / e-mail

Grades:
Kindergarten - 8th Grade

2005-2006
Enrollment:
126

120 students in '04-'05

84 students in '03-'04

71 students in '02-'03

2005-2006
Teachers:
12

A North Carolina School of Distinction with
High Growth for the 2003-2004 school year.

Basic Charter Info:

As a public school, MDCS is funded by the state, and no tuition is charged. Like other charter schools, MDCS operates independently of the local Board of Education. Instead, it is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of parents, local businesspeople and other community members. The Board is accountable to students, parents, and the state for student achievement and fiscal priorities. Parents are actively involved in the school.

A charter school also determines its own instructional approach and curriculum.

“At MDCS, class sizes will be small, and there will be equal emphasis on all subjects, including science, music and art. Students at this charter school will learn not only by listening, counting, reading, and writing, but also by building, drawing, singing, and moving,” said Hammond. MDCS will use the New American Schools Expeditionary Learning instructional model, which emphasizes hands-on learning, team teaching, and reinforcing school skills with real world experiences.

Now enrolling students
for the 2006-2007
academic school year!

2006-2007 New Student
Registration Form

About MDCS:

* A North Carolina Public School
* Tuition-Free K-8 Education
* Expeditionary Learning
* A focus on Art, Music, Science
* Positive Family Involvement
* Serving Swain, Jackson, Macon and Graham Counties, including the Qualla Boundary.

New 11-acre campus
for 2004-2005

Bus Transportation Now Available
Please call (828) 488-1222 for details.

Any student residing in North Carolina
is eligible to enroll, and children will be
admitted on a space available basis.

A Brief History of MDCS:

The N.C. State Board of Education granted a charter to Mountain Discovery Charter School (MDCS) on February 7, 2002.

“We are extremely pleased with the State Board’s decision,” said MDCS Board Chair Mary Ellen Hammond. “It has been a year-long process and involved a lot of hard work, but it has been worth the effort. We look forward to serving the children of our region with a new choice in public education, beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. It’s a very exciting prospect.”

MDCS opened in the fall of 2002.

The new school served grades K-6 in its first year, adding grades seven and eight in the two years following.

A 20-mile radius of MDCS encompasses the towns of Sylva, Franklin, Bryson City, Cherokee, and reaches into Graham and Haywood counties.