When Margaret Black decided to team up with Dr. Shirley Heck to start a school back in 1975 she didn’t know it would garner so much support. Discovery School held its first class in September of 1975 with 27 children. They didn’t even have their own building; they rented a space.
Over a span of 39 years, they have increased enrollment and nearly tripled their facility’s size. The addition of a $400,000 Early Learning Center for pre-school aged children (ages 3-5) has contributed. The building started construction in late May 2014 and was ready for the first day of school on August 20 in the same year.
Current enrollment for the school on Milsboro in Mansfield is 183. The Early Learning Center has 66 of the 183. The school offers pre-school to eighth grade and is also a candidate school of the Primary Years International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”
The IB programs can be found in 3,875 schools in 147 countries including Bexley High School and Oberlin High School in Ohio. Discovery School is currently undergoing the application process for the Primary Years Program, which could take up to two years.
“Learning has to start early. That’s why we’re so excited [about the Early Learning Center.] It’s a real advantage to these kids. You have to start early; kindergarten is too late for most children,” said Chairman of the Board of Governors for Discovery School, Margaret Black.
The Early Learning Center started construction in late May and was ready for the first day of school on August 20. Flip Wisdom was the contractor for the construction of the building.
“Those guys worked so hard this last summer. They worked seven days a week and on holidays. I went over to look at the building on July Fourth and there was the crew – just working away,” said Black.
Discovery School did not have a building constructed until after four years of meeting in a rented space. In 1979, a contractor, who was a parent of a student, offered to build a 3,600 square foot building. Since then, the school has “just grown organically,” said Black.
Over the years there have been different leaders involved in manifesting the school’s mission. Current Head of School Amy Oswalt said the school’s mission is “to provide each child the educational opportunity to discover, with perseverance and imagination, the joy of learning and the interconnectedness of our world.”
One way this is done is through the school’s use of technology in each classroom.
“We incorporate lots of technology. We have a SMART board in every room, along with a Macbook and an iPad. But we don’t teach technology, we try to teach the kids how to assess information,” explained Oswalt. Another reason technology is used in the school is for its environmental efficiency.
“We are a very environmentally friendly school. We recycle everything. We’re down to one bag of trash per day. And we don’t use much plastic,” said Oswalt.
For many years, Discovery School has been known by the community to be a private school. According to Black, however, the school’s Board of Governors recognize the school as an “Independent School” because ‘private’ implies exclusion.
“We’re not private because we don’t exclude people. There is financial aid available to families,” said Black.
To learn more information about and how to attend Discovery School, visit their website or call 419-756-8880.
