The leaders of Edkey Inc., formally known as Sequoia Schools, had a $6 million dream.
It has been a dream to build a new campus for Pathfinder Academy’s existing kindergarten through eighth grade. On Aug. 5, those dreams will be a reality with the opening of Pathfinder Academy in the Las Sendas community. The community is invited to explore the new campus during the Pathfinder Academy ribbon cutting ceremony and open house, on Thursday, July 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., at 2906 N. Boulder Canyon. Just 16 years ago, Pathfinder Academy Principal Susan Stradling joined the family of Edkey Inc. schools by creating Pathfinder Academy. From the beginning, her tuition-free public charter school, consisting of kindergarten through eighth grade, has been on a mission to build strong academic foundations through unique back to basics philosophies. For the past seven years, accomplishing her mission has earned Pathfinder Academy the highest academic ratings of Excelling and A+ from the Arizona Department of Education.
According to Edkey Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug Pike, the overwhelming success, combined with the student waiting list, were motivating factors for Edkey Inc. to invest approximately $6 million in the construction of the new campus. He describes it as a campus with an evocative colonial leadership style.
The new 34,000-square-foot campus will serve up to 250 students. The campus, located at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and Ridgecrest Drive, will include 11 classrooms, a large multipurpose room for sports and school activities, a stage for drama classes, as well as art and music rooms. In addition, a library will serve to facilitate the love of reading at Pathfinder. A serving kitchen for lunch and a new playground for fun will complete the campus.
According to Principal Stradling, the four-day school week and award-winning academics will not change. To enhance the state’s curriculum requirements, Pathfinder Academy will continue to use Spalding’s Writing Road to Reading, with an emphasis on reading the classics.
By third grade, students will begin to master more than 450 Greek and Latin roots, which teach the vocabulary of all subjects, along with memorizing hundreds of short poems, teaching math, history, geography and science. Arizona history and the U.S. Constitution will be studied, along with historic field trips, which enable students to experience what they have learned. A Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics curriculum-based (STEM-based) science camp also will be offered every year.
Enrollment at the new Pathfinder Academy is under way. The first day of school is Aug. 5. To learn more, visit www.pathfinder-academy.org, or call (480) 986-7071.