"I can vividly recall the day that my husband came home and told me he had just heard about a great new charter school opening up in Londonderry. The deadline to apply was just one week away. At the time, I was happily homeschooling 3 kids! My husband shared how their focus was going to be on history, morals, debate and leadership- all things we were trying to accomplish at home. Although I do have to share, teaching history was not my calling. I know I leave myself a bit vulnerable here as a homeschooling mom but, I was terrible at teaching history and my kids knew it and in return, they hated history! Applying to this school was a huge gamble for us at the time. Not only did my kids want to remain homeschooled but the idea of going to a school that focused on history was just crazy! Surely we had lost our minds! In spite of pleas from our children otherwise, we applied to the school. To our surprise, both of our children were accepted. The school also changed plans and decided to establish in Manchester, which was even closer for us. We prepared for our first day of school, a little nervous, excited, skeptical and without knowing what would come of our decision, after all, this was still another public school. Now, looking back over the last 2 years at TFA, I realize what an amazing leap of faith we took that summer. TFA has been a wonderful experience for my kids. They have made great friendships both with their peers and with their teachers. I have seen their love for music grow and are amazed by the progress they have made in their band and chorus classes. Also, with Mrs. Henry's new "flipped classroom" approach, my daughter has seen great success in math, even though it is a subject that she has struggled with in the past. And most amazing of all is the enthusiasm and love both of my children now have for history! I hear my kids engaging in conversation with each other about the Revolutionary War and debating one another on their views on freedom and the Constitution. We've had great family conversations at the dinner table and we are quite impressed that we are having a fairly intelligent conversation with them and they really do understand what they are talking about. They have been incredibly enthusiastic about the election process and can tell you quite a bit about each candidates platform. Mr. Van Ewyk has done a fabulous job exposing our kids to history and does it in a way that catches their interest. They have had classroom debates, re-enactments, a mock election that was run completely by the kids. I cannot say enough good things about this school. The change I have seen in my children, the maturity they show in discussing historical topics, their leadership skills, their ability to work as a team on projects with their peers, and most importantly the confidence I now see in them, is priceless. These capture the essence of a good education, forming children who have the ability to think and act on their own and make informed decisions with enough confidence to stand their ground on their individual beliefs and having fun while they are doing this! Yes, The Founder's Academy is a public school, but not just another public school. They are different. They see your child. They want to teach your child. It is worth every effort you put forth to get your child to this school on a daily basis. Your child will be happy here, they will learn and they will love going to school every day, just like mine!
Cindy Lacasse"