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New Private School to Open in The Poconos

JACKSON TOWNSHIP — A new private school is set to open in Monroe County, part of an effort to offer more educational choices in the Poconos. The building ...
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JACKSON TOWNSHIP -- A new private school is set to open in Monroe County, part of an effort to offer more educational choices in the Poconos.

The building that sits along Trout Lake in Jackson Township is typically used for special events, but soon the lower floor will be used as a classroom for the new school set to open in September.

"We don't have that much school choice in the Poconos, and not all of us have children going through the school system, and some are having great experiences, and some are less inspired, so we said what can we do about this," said school director Nicole Elwood.

That's when Elwood and several other parents decided to launch this new private school called Summit School of the Poconos.

The curriculum combines certified teacher instruction with project-based learning and will educate students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

"While we do follow the Pennsylvania state standards, the academic standards, the way we go about it is very different. So we are focusing on projects, project-based learning and we are a STEAM school which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math."

Students will be put in smaller groups based on their learning skills.

Mitchell Olson is 12 years old. He will start seventh grade at the Summit School in the fall.

"Other schools, there are a whole bunch of little desks that you have to sit at all day and listen to the teacher. This you can go to any table you want, chat with your friends a little bit, but you still have to do work."

School board president Jennifer Olson hopes to become a public charter school in the future.

"Everyone doesn't work on the same time line, everyone doesn't think the same way and you'll find you have much greater success if you allow kids to work at their own pace."

The hope is to have 50 children enroll this fall.

Tuition starts at $8,300 for the first child in a family and goes down after the second.

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