EASLEY — After a successful debut last year, the students and staff of Lakes and Bridges Charter School are settling into their routine — as well as a new building — for the 2019-2020 school year.
“We’re so excited to be here,” said Board Chair Nancy Linvill. “We were grateful to (SDPC Superintendent) Dr. Merck allowing us to use Crosswell Elementary last year, but it’s so nice to have this space now.”
The school is located in the old 5-Points Church building on S.C.93 in Easley — which was originally a car dealership. Realizing the building wouldn’t be completed in time for occupancy last year, school officials had reached out to Merck for help.
Linvill said the partnership worked well because it was in everyone’s best interest.
But with the help of a low interest loan taken out with the S.C. Department of Treasury, all that’s changed.
“It allowed us to really get to work getting the building up to par,” said Linvill. “But even then, we couldn’t have done it without the help and donations of some really amazing people.”
Linvill said the painting on the outside of the building was donated by the family of a student — as was all of the parking lot pavement.
“That was huge,” she said.
Lakes and Bridges is unique in that it is a tuition-free school that focuses solely on students with dyslexia — a language-based learning disability that affects up to 20 percent of the population, according to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
IDA states the impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of instruction or remediation. The core difficulty is with word recognition and reading fluency, spelling, and writing. Some individuals with dyslexia manage to learn early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent instruction, but later experience their most debilitating problems when more complex language skills are required, such as grammar, understanding textbook material and writing essays.
People with dyslexia can also have problems with spoken language, even after they have been exposed to good language models in their homes and good language instruction in school. They may find it difficult to express themselves clearly, or to fully comprehend what others mean when they speak. Such language problems are often difficult to recognize, but they can lead to major problems in school, in the workplace, and in relating to other people. The effects of dyslexia reach well beyond the classroom, they cautioned.
Unfortunately, dyslexia can also affect a person’s self-image.
Students with dyslexia often end up feeling “dumb” and less capable than they actually are, said Linvill. And after experiencing a great deal of stress due to academic problems, a student may become discouraged about continuing in school.
“And there’s nothing ‘dumb’ about these kids — they’re amazing,” she said — which only stresses the importance of Lakes and Bridges.
In only it’s second year, there’s already 150 students currently enrolled at the charter school, with a waiting list full of kids hoping for a spot.
School admins may be happy with their new building now, but if the demand keeps up, they’re going to need a bigger building before you know it.