Around Roswell
At Chrysalis Experiential Academy (CEA), there is a fundamental belief in a collaborative, integrative, experiential environment in which all members of the learning community are respected as learners and as teachers. Learners are educated toward their individual potential as well as their potential as community members. The academic, social, physical, and emotional needs of each individual are addressed. It is its goal that all students transfer from an external motivation to learn to an internal motivation to learn. As an extension of the rigorous academics, CEA translates the curriculum into creative, authentic and relevant educative, experiential learning opportunities. Why Chrysalis Experiential Academy? The following are a few examples to illustrate the unique instructional approaches Chrysalis utilizes to engage their students in the learning process. Chrysalis students, with the help of Bank of North Georgia, have opened a student-run bank with over half of the student body developing a savings plan to prepare them financially for the future. Economics instruction begins in the fourth grade. The Bank of North Georgia supplies materials, professional instruction, and expertise. The unique aspect of this banking experience is that it is student operated. Every action which takes place — making deposits, record keeping, and customer relations — is totally undertaken by students. The Institute of Cultural Arts includes a series of courses and field studies for the student body. The courses expose the students to a broad range of theater elements, including set design and development, costume creation, acting, speaking, staging, improvisation, directing and writing. Students attend productions at the Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Shakespeare Tavern and the Cobb Performing Arts Center which complement their course of study. Student artwork is featured annually at an exhibition at Regency Fine Arts. Currently a CEA student is learning the fundamentals of opera under the guidance of Mrs. Linda Havens. The Chrysalis outdoor education program is designed to provide an in-depth learning opportunity to integrate Native American, regional and US history, environmental science, and physical education. The course includes backpacking and camping trips to historical sites. Highlights of the program include student training at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, CPR certification training by the CPR Sisters, caving, participating in a Sweat Lodge, rock climbing, and a 50-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. Conversational Chinese and Spanish are the primary foreign languages taught at Chrysalis. The Institute of Business and Technology has identified these as the languages of the future along with English. The students extend their learning by co-teaching an adult English as a Second Language class held as a community service on a weekly basis and by conducting foreign language story hours at the North Point Barnes and Noble Bookstore. The Chrysalis Norcross-Segler library and media center is open to the community and has a large foreign language collection in support of community literacy. Positive self-esteem begins with the recognition of what Chrysalis students have to give to others; therefore, a requirement is in place for every student to complete a minimum number of community service hours. Students volunteer at their churches, synagogues, animal shelters, food banks, clothing closets, summer camp programs and the city of Roswell environmental programs. Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain expertise from professionals as well as to evaluate whether or not the profession feeds their passion. Michael Makropoulos, CEO of Ntrinsic, is hosting a student who is studying corporate strategic planning and public relations as he prepares his portfolio to acquire funding for his profession as a race car driver. Another student interned with Haigwood Studios and published a book cover and four magazine covers in his senior year. Student entrepreneurs operate several for profit and non-profit businesses. CEA economics students operate the school’s lunch program in cooperation with area food establishments. Geeks Get It Done is in its third year of building and repairing computers as well as IT management services. All vending services are operated by members of the student body. Currently Chrysalis has its fourth book of student creative works being published inclusive of poetry, short stories, photography and artwork. Several of the volumes are in both Spanish and English. The works of its published authors are available through Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and Target. Besides the business partnerships already mentioned, Chrysalis Experiential Academy has established relationships with the following organizations: North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Amy Ahrens Consulting, Those Two Guys, Perimeter Insurance, Around Town Publishing, Fast Dependable Plumbing, Empire Information Systems, and Birmingham Learning Center. All of these partnerships fall under the umbrella of the school’s major institutes: Institute of Cultural Arts, Institute of Business and Technology, Institute of Community Outreach, and the Institute of the Written and Spoken Word. The newly formed institutes provide a voice for businesses and experts from the community to assure that CEA graduates are fully prepared to meet the demands of the work environment after completion of high school and college.