New private school opens in fitting fashion
By BRIDGET GUTIERREZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/04/07 Tiara "Princess" Meadows shot straight out of the cobalt-blue tunnel and slid flat on her back across the floor, her lips spreading into a wide smile."AMISTAD!" her classmates roared, indicating the team that Tiara, a fifth-grader, would be assigned to at the new Ron Clark Academy. During Tuesday's zany opening-day ceremony, the co-founders of the southeastern Atlanta private school introduced 60 students to the $3.5 million campus the only way they saw fit — with a ride on a slide, of course."This slide right here is a big symbol of what we do," Ron Clark, the school's namesake and a former Disney American Teacher, told his pupils. "This school is going to take you places you've never experienced before."Each fifth- and sixth-grader then took turns spinning a "wheel of houses," running up two flights of stairs and hopping into the snaking indoor chute. As they popped out the bottom, cheering classmates yelled the team name where the wheel had stopped.Altruismo! (Portuguese for altruism.)Reveur! (French, meaning to dream.)Isibindi! (Courage in Zulu.)Amistad! (Spanish for friendship.)Throughout the school year, the academy's first group of students will earn points for good grades and behavior. The team accumulating the most credits wins the house championship."That was fun," Tiara, 10, said as she took a seat with her new teammates. "I could do that every day." Lucky for her, she can.
