LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – Parents and students got their first look at the latest charter school to come to Little Rock. ScholarMade Achievement Place of Arkansas will open its first school, the Ivy Hill Academy of Scholarship, in the historic James Mitchell School in August. It will serve 290 students from Kindergarten through 5th Grade.
The 110-year-old building has been empty since the Little Rock School District moved students out in 2003. Ivy Hill is a part of the "Scholar Made" chain of charter schools.
According to the press release, over the last year, ScholarMade Achievement Place has completed multi-million-dollar renovations to restore the building to National Register of Historic Place standards.
Arkansas native Dr. Phillis Nichols-Anderson founded ScholarMade Achievement Place in 2015. Nichols-Anderson previously established five schools in Arkansas, including Pine Bluff Lighthouse Charter School, and served as senior leader for Lighthouse Academies, Inc.
“ScholarMade’s fundamental belief is strong schools lift communities,” said Dr. Phillis Nichols-Anderson. “Community place-based learning is an interlocking principle of our model and our strategic alliances with the Wright Neighborhood Association and Metropolitan Housing Alliance represent an intentional effort and comprehensive plan to use the ScholarMade brand to the betterment of the community.”
To celebrate, the Ivy Hill Academy hosted a ribbon cutting and dedication at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28.