Jack James, COO, Union Academy Charter School
Invest: spoke with Jack James, COO of Union Academy, to discuss how the charter school serves the development of students at the intersection of innovation, engagement, and diversity. ” We design our programs and invest in areas in our schools so that all of our students feel like they belong,” he said.
What have been the key highlights from the past year?
We completed our strategic plan this past year, focusing on our mission to provide Challenge, develop Character, and support Community, This is a big milestone given how the pandemic set back our previous plan. Our new strategic plan is giving us a great view of what we’ll be doing over the next five years. We also just finished our campus master plan, with a perspective of what our campus will look like over the next 20 years. It’s a big and aggressive goal that centers on what we really want to provide our students and staff here. The last big construction project we completed about a year ago is the Ken Stanley Memorial Ballpark, named after one of our teachers who passed away. Except for tennis, any sport that we can have on campus is now available. As a charter school, we do not receive funds for facilities like a traditional public school, so anytime we can partner with our Foundation to complete a big project, it’s a huge accomplishment for our school community.
How is technology preparing students for their long-term education and career preparation?
If you think about it, some of the most technologically advanced people in our school are the students. We also understand tech is constantly evolving, and we are addressing all sorts of issues like AI. Emerging technology enhances what we do, but we need to be vigilant about the ways students use it. We’re a K-12 school, and from grades three to 12, we are a one-to-one school, so every student has a piece of technology to use. Technology is intertwined with everything we do here and how we deliver our curriculum. As a college prep school, we design our programs knowing not every student is college-bound. We want to prepare all of our students for the job market, with partnerships in industries and community colleges to give students a wide variety of options. We want to make sure every student has the opportunity to take classes in something that is interesting to them. I’m excited that our students will have the opportunity to enroll in an aviation maintenance program in the fall of 2024, demonstrating how we are always looking for new opportunities for our students. Next year, we are also launching a new engineering pathway program in our high school.
How is Union Academy implementing a STEM curriculum?
Our STEM program begins in elementary and continues through high school, where you see a little less of it because we cater to what our students want at that point. Our new engineering program is borne out of a project that will also offer pathways in computer sciences and health services. We have great programs in design and digital media, with communications interns working with us to create new content and media.
How does the school engage with the community?
We’re still a public school with students from all surrounding counties, but as a charter school, we are a school of choice. It’s part of our mission to engage with the community, and that’s a requirement for our students as well. We ultimately want every student and family to have a choice about where they get their education and how we can best serve them. Our mission boils down to the fact that we provide challenges through academic vigor. We are a school that builds character from kindergarten on. We support our community through volunteerism, with each family signing a partnership agreement that commits to our service and we expect students to do their own. It helps us tie into the community and stay involved. We have a great school system in North Carolina and we strive to give our students a unique option that can help them take off in the world.
How does Union Academy embrace diversity?
One of our founding principles was to be a community school that better represents the demographic makeup of the county. Since our admissions are based on a lottery system, we have students from all economic backgrounds, and we have to meet them where they are. We design our programs and invest in areas in our schools so that all of our students feel like they belong.
