Macon Charter Academy principal: ‘There’s no place like home’

After three weeks of classes in the Macon Coliseum, Macon Charter Academy has come home.

“There’s no place like home,” principal Ron Boykins said with a smile as he watched parents drive through the traffic loop Monday morning to drop off their children at the school’s new building for the first time.

“We appreciate the time we had at the convention center, but now it’s time to get to work,” he said.

Loudspeakers outside the school blasted happy tones as students skipped with excitement into the building.

People, Boykins said, will ask, “What’s different about MCA?” And his response is the “anticipation the kids come to school with.”

He said he is committed to doing whatever is necessary to make sure students will be able to stand on their own when they graduate from the school.

A feeling of gratitude and relief permeated the campus Monday.

“We are glad to be out of the Centreplex,” Spanish teacher Cinda Ortiz said. “We are glad to be at our new home.”

Daisy Ross, who has three girls at the school -- from third to sixth grade -- said school at the Coliseum was “a lot less challenging” than she thought it would be.

“I thought it was awesome how they pulled it off” though, she said.

Now, she said she’s pleased that the school building is done and is eagerly awaiting the start of the clubs, competitions and other school activities.

As one of her daughters walked into the new building, she exclaimed, “Mommy, this looks like one of those schools on TV!”

Leriya Foster, an eighth-grader, and Anastasia Norton, a sixth-grader, said they were both nervous but excited about the new building.

“This is going really good for me so far,” Norton said.

Boykins said the next big event for MCA will be academic night on Sept. 3 from 5-10 p.m.

That night, he said, the school will “unveil the academic plan” to parents through a series of meetings that will take place in every room of the new building with teachers and parents.

During the meetings with teachers, Boykins said the assessments -- taken by MCA students while at the Coliseum -- will be revealed to parents.

To contact writer David Schick, call 744-4382 or find him on Twitter@davidcschick.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Macon Charter Academy principal: ‘There’s no place like home’ ."