Welcome To CORE
It is back to school for all, even us homeschoolers. Most of you have probably never heard of my school, CORE at the Camptonville Academy. CORE (Community Options for Resources in Education) is a charter school in Marysville located in a very small building, with about 10 rooms, affectionately called our Resource Center.
All the rooms in our building, besides the computer lab and a couple of offices, are painted with murals. We have the outback of Australia, the Arctic and various other landscapes. We have a complete computer lab containing Mac desktops and laptops and a small library.
Our school learning model is known as personalized learning. Personalized learning offers independent study, classroom and long-distance instruction, tutoring, field trips, socialization and leadership development. Although we do most of our work at home, we can take enrichment classes at the center depending on our interests and needs.
We are still required to study all the normal subjects in order to graduate — math, English, science, etc. — but a student interested in science could focus more on science, for example.
We can choose from publishers and curriculums depending on our learning style. For high school students planning to go to college, a-g courses are offered. A-g courses are classes that fulfill admission requirements for freshmen entering the University of California system.
One of my favorite options is our variety of foreign languages. Students can study Italian, Spanish and Latin, taught at the resource center, but because of programs like Rosetta Stone, many other languages are available.
Schooling at CORE is like homeschooling with fringe benefits. Opportunities for extracurricular activities like swim teams, gymnastics, singing and music lessons and art are provided. We even have a performing arts program, which culminates in a production for the community to enjoy every January.
Our school offers at least 12 field trips every year. Some of our field trips include: rock climbing, seeing "The Nutcracker" at the Sacramento Ballet, indoor sky diving and a student favorite: a trip back in time for two days at Sutter's Fort.
The students and teachers are the best part of our school and are what make it special and unique. Autymn Fox, a sophomore, said, "I think (our school) is special because we have teachers that really care for us, and it's more one-on-one because it's small."
Tristan Faubel, an alumnus, said, "(CORE) is kind of amazing because I have never actually seen or heard of anybody being bullied or picked on in this school, partly because none of the students would allow it."
Our teachers care about what we are learning and make sure it's not slipping out the other ear. Individual connections between each student and teacher show this.
Our student body is very diverse. Some are highly talented writers, artists and musicians. Our school showcases these talents with events like the Literary & Art Fair and the Music Fest.
If you want to learn more about our school, check us out at coretca.org.
Evan Campbell is a sophomore at CORE at the Camptonville Academy. His column appears every six weeks in Education.
