CAPE organizers move forward with new school set to open Sept. 5
Parents pitch in to help clean up campus
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Charter school organizers already jumped three major hurdles in their efforts to open a new charter school in Camarillo by fall.

The Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education is poised to open its doors on Sept. 5 since recently opening enrollment, hiring a principal and teachers and securing a school site.

"I'm really excited about it," academy Principal Janet Kanongata'a said. "I'm looking forward to it."

The academy will be located at 380 Arneill Road, the site of a former private school.

In March, the Pleasant Valley School Board opted to close Los Senderos Open School by the end of the school year. Kanongata'a, involved as a teacher or administrator with the open philosophy for about 20 years, had been Los Senderos' principal.

She resigned last month from the district she'd worked for since 1989 to go to work for the academy.

"I feel a lot of loyalty to the district, but you don't get this kind of opportunity very often," she said.

Although it's a challenge to pull together everything for the Sept. 5 opening, Kanongata'a said, the opportunities far outweigh the challenges the academy presents, such as having the support of a dedicated group of parents and teachers so committed that they're meeting together throughout the summer in preparation for opening day.

"You can't go wrong when you have people like that on board," Kanongata'a said.

The district told Los Senderos parents their children could attend another school within the district that would use the open philosophy; however many were dissatisfied that teachers from the former school were not guaranteed to follow.

The open philosophy encourages students to be selfmotivated while teachers adapt to techniques for the students' learning style rather than promoting competition.

The charter school also hired seven former Los Senderos teachers.

Academy founders asked Pleasant Valley to sponsor their school in May but were turned away. They then submitted their application to the Oxnard Union High School District, which approved it on June 20.

Chris Parker, a charter school founding member, said 150 parents responded to a word-of-mouth notice last Saturday to help clean up the academy school grounds, including members of the First Lutheran Church of Camarillo, which owns the property.

"It was very impressive . . . we think it's pretty indicative of the positive energy the school is creating," Parker said.

"We don't even feel like calling them our landlord," Parker said. "They're friends."

The academy closed the early enrollment period on July 11 but will continue to accept enrollment applications and fill space on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, visit www.camarillocharter.org.