Charter school set to open next fall in Canton

By High School Intern Writer Jameson Thompson

The city of Canton will be gaining another school for the 2023-24 school year. The SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy (CPSA) will be a charter school focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

SR1 is a nonprofit organization that provides education and technology to lower-income areas.

A charter school is a free school that is publicly funded and privately managed. They are required to teach to the regular academic standards, just like public and private schools.
Starting next year,  SR1 CPSA will be accepting students who are entering kindergarten through first grade. Each year, a new grade will be added until the school reaches the fifth grade. Any students that went to a school in a school district rated a “C” or below can apply to CPSA.

Kymberley Hutchinson will be the provost of the school when it opens. She has worked in school systems for fourteen years. Eleven of those years were spent at STEM academies located in San Antonio, Texas. Hutchinson expressed how thrilled she was when talking about this new journey.

“I am extremely excited about our endeavor in Madison County,” said Hutchinson. “Our campus will be located four miles north of Canton on over 200 acres of land, with plentiful opportunities for students to foster their inquisitiveness and curiosity of the world around them.”

Moving from Texas to Mississippi can be a huge change, but Hutchinson talked about her motivation to take on a new challenge in Mississippi.

“I moved from Texas because I truly believe in the vision Mr. Green, founder of SR1, has for the school, community and state. I’ve been involved with STEM for ten years in San Antonio. To know I will be an integral part of bringing the first public charter STEM academy to Mississippi is an amazing opportunity I could not pass on.”

There will be an application process for students to be able to attend the school, Hutchinson explained.

“Students will be able to apply online at www.SR1cpsa.org. We will have seventy-five seats for kindergarten and first grade. Should we have more than seventy-five students apply to enroll for each grade level, all applicants will be entered into a lottery process to select the seventy-five students to continue through the registration process. As a seat comes open, we will contact the next student/family on the lottery list to register their child to attend.”

Hutchinson has high hopes for the school, as she hopes to see diversity within the program.

“I hope we have a diverse group of students attending. This will create another layer of authentic learning that will prepare students for a globally competitive environment by creating cultural acceptance.”

Since the school will be new, there are a lot of high expectations. Hutchinson expressed what one of their main goals were.

“Our goal is to focus on habits of mind to enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills that prepare students for higher education and careers through the STEM method of teaching that blends curriculum.”