Planned charter school in Macon breaking barriers, promises to be different. Here’s how

A new tuition-free public charter school prioritizing community engagement, diversity and a holistic approach to education hopes to open in Middle Georgia next year.

The Infinity Academy is aiming to open its doors in August 2025 in Macon. Mercer alumnus and founder Dr. Christopher Holmes said he is excited to offer the city a unique curriculum that gives students voices and choices in the classroom.

“One of the things that I feel is holding students back now is that we have a glass ceiling on what their potential is,” Holmes said in an interview with The Telegraph. “This school is a school that is taking the limits off of students. We’re breaking all the chains. We’re breaking the barriers. It is our job to lead and guide them to reach their fullest potential.”

Holmes has over 20 years of educational experience as a teacher and an instructional coach. Now he is ready to shift gears, adopting all of the advice he has provided and running his own school.

Emphasis will be on student success

As an education consultant in Bibb County, Holmes said he noticed a lot of children in the public school district entering sixth grade not academically prepared, especially in math and reading.

The transition from elementary school to middle school can be hard for students because the standards and expectations are different, he said.

That is why The Infinity Academy will offer an accelerated learning program to ensure that students leave its premises ticking off all the scholastic criteria.

“All students will be exposed to current grade level standards and up to half of the next grade level’s standards,” Holmes said.

The school’s curriculum will center around science, technology, engineering and arts with the STEAM model. There will be emphasis on the exposure of the arts through partnerships with local theaters and museums in Macon, Holmes added.

But what really makes the school model unique is its whole-child approach to teaching, which embraces the long-term development for student success academically, emotionally and psychologically.

The school intends to have a specific focus on mindfulness training, such as yoga, meditation or journal reflections in the morning before classes start, Holmes said. The exercises will also take place in the afternoon before school ends, he added.

“Because students are coming from so many different communities, students need to be centered, focused, and they need to feel safe,” Holmes said after briefly mentioning impoverished neighborhoods throughout parts of the city.

These mindfulness strategies and centering spaces will also be extended to the school’s teachers because “there’s a human component to education, too,” he said. Mental health will be a priority for all at The Infinity Academy.

Students will also participate in personalized groups known as I-CAD, which provides them with safe spaces to share opinions and learn about character development.

According to Holmes, these implementations aim to diffuse problems that may distract students’ learning throughout the day.

Community involvement and diversity

Bibb County School District officials said The Infinity Academy has not yet been approved since the district’s charter school petition process for the 2025-26 school year has not been completed yet.

While Holmes waits for the process to play out, , he has been looking for diverse leadership to serve on the school’s board. Diversity and inclusion will be another unique attribute of the school, he said.

Harold Young, executive director of the Tubman Museum, expressed admiration for Holmes’ vision for the school. Young, an education advocate, said its emphasis on student success and parental involvement resonated with him.

“We hear the term ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ Well, our village is our community,” Young said. “Engaging the community with the school is very important.”

For Holmes, a healthy school culture stems from active community involvement.

“We’re going to build the community into the schools,” Holmes said. “This is not a school that I’m creating. This is a school that we are creating. That is important to me.”

A strong school culture also stems from strong family involvement, Holmes said, before listing ways that parents can get involved at The Infinity Academy other than serving snacks to children.

“We want parents to come and have a seat at the table to help make decisions as it relates to curriculum, discipline and positive interventions,” he said.

Every student will participate in servant leadership projects each year because Holmes, who will serve as the school’s principal, wants them to understand that leadership is also about service. Students might conduct book drives to promote reading in the community, or they can raise funds for local nursing homes by selling lemonade, he said.

“I want them to understand that they don’t have to wait until they’re 20 or 25 to be a leader. They can be a leader right now at 5 years old as a kindergartner,” Holmes said.

Go here. to learn more about the school and its leaders.

This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 6:00 AM.