Tall Pines STEM Academy was approved to double its current enrollment over the next three years at the Nov. 14 meeting of the South Carolina Public Charter School District Board.
Tall Pines serves students in fifth through eighth grades. As a public charter school, Tall Pines accepts all eligible registrations. The only requirement is that students are of the appropriate age level and live in South Carolina, according to a news release from the school.
For the rising fifth grade, a lottery will be held Tuesday to determine which students will be able to enroll. For grades 6-8, vacant positions will be filled from a waiting list.
The expansion plan will allow an additional 48 fifth graders, for a total of 96, to enroll for the 2020-21 school year, as well as an additional 48 sixth graders, for a total of 96. For the following two years, the incoming fifth grade will allow an additional 48 students to enroll, resulting in a capacity enrollment of 288 students in the third year of the expansion.
“We are very excited about this expansion,” Tall Pines Principal Brad Siedschlag said. “This will allow us to offer a unique middle school experience to twice the number of students in the Aiken area. We hope that we will continue to increase our student diversity in the process.”
The school currently is at full capacity with a waiting list that contains more students than the school’s enrollment, according to the release.
“Our waiting list is not even an accurate depiction of the interest in Tall Pines, as many families don’t fill out registration forms once they discover how many students are ahead of them,” Siedschlag said. “But this expansion will allow for more opportunities for enrollment, so this coming year would be an ideal time to register.”
Located at Camp Long on Wire Road in Aiken, Tall Pines collaborates with Clemson University’s Youth Learning Institute to share facilities. Students have access to all the amenities offered at Camp Long, including the lake area, cafeteria, ropes and challenge courses.
“Our students are constantly active,” Siedschlag said. “They have physical education class every day, as well as a recess period in the middle of the day. Our teachers also use every opportunity to have class outside, and we have multiple areas for outdoor classrooms.”
Students experience rigorous coursework with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, and have individual Chromebooks to take full advantage of tech opportunities, according to the release. Soft skills are also a major focus at Tall Pines, as students practice cooperation and communication skills daily.
For more information or to register, visit tallpinesacademy.com. For more information, visit the school's Facebook page.
The school address is 82 Camp Long Road. The phone number is 803-502-1692.
