ELIZABETHTOWN — Emereau: Bladen is open for business.

On Friday, the Emereau Foundation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its office in downtown Elizabethtown. Several families showed up to ask questions and find out more information.

Kate Alice Dunaway, executive director for the foundation, said that, as of Saturday, the school will be accepting applications for students. The board has set a goal of 308 students in grades K-6 and hopes to add a grade each year until the school goes through high school.

If more than 308 applications are received, as required by law, the school will hold a lottery, and preferential treatment will be given to siblings, step-siblings, foster children, or any other children residing in the same home.

The application period will run from Saturday through February, and equal preference is given to any applicant during that time. Applications can be requested by emailing emereaubladen@gmail.com.

Emereau: Bladen will follow the N.C. Standard Course of Study along with Core Knowledge, which Dunaway explained as an extension of Core Curriculum. All teachers will be required to have a college degree, though not necessarily in education.

“We are required to have 50 percent of our teachers certified, and we will meet or exceed that expectation,” said Dunaway.

Students at the school will wear gray and kiwi green uniforms, which will be available for purchase locally.

On display at the ceremony were architectural renderings of the school, which will be located between Airport Road and Hwy 87 in Elizabethtown. Architect Trey Greer said that, for the first three years, the entrance will be on Airport Road, after which time an additional entrance on Hwy. 87 will serve the property.

Several families were present and expressed interest in the charter school.

“We just want some stability for our children,” said Tabetha Dew, mother of a first- and third-grader. “The thought that our children could go to the same school all the way through high school is very appealing. We have two children with special needs, and worrying about their well-being all the time is taxing. I’d like to know they can have some continuity in their lives.”

When Dew and her husband asked about specialized education, Dunaway said the charter school, as a public school, will follow of the same guidelines and adhere to the same laws as any public school.

Emereau: Bladen will, Dunaway said, use a “spoke and wheel” system of transportation, in which buses are sent out and parents are responsible for bringing children to the buses.

When mother of four Lauren Womble asked about food, Dunaway said that currently the board does not plan on having a cafeteria, but could re-evaluate that issue later.

Along those lines, several parents asked about silent lunch, which seemed to be an issue associated with another charter school.

“While I can’t say we’ll never have children eating quietly, I’m not in favor of that as a rule,” said Dunaway. “I taught 32 first-grade children, so I understand trying to open 32 milk cartons … and understand a need to have a time to concentrate on making sure they are all eating, but I certainly don’t like it as a regular practice.”

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce President Tiina Mundy welcomed the board to Elizabethtown.

“I want to officially thank you for choosing Elizabethtown for the charter school,” she said. “We’re excited about the education opportunities the charter school will provide and the employment opportunities it will bring as well.”

An open house is planned for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. for interested parties.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

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By Chrysta Carroll

ccarroll@civitasmedia.com