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Chattahoochee Hills Charter School.
We invite you to tour the Chatt Hills Barn Quilt Trail and learn more about the rich rural heritage of beautiful Chattahoochee Hills. Visitors are welcome to take photos from the public road, and are invited to shop in the local businesses.
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Hooting for Hootie (#42)
9670 Rivertown Rd 
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Learning is in Our Nature
In 2008, residents of Chattahoochee Hills had a dream to create educational opportunities for all children that would reflect the community’s values of sustainable agriculture, environmental awareness, and art appreciation.
Through their hard work, determination, and collaboration with partners and funders, their dream was realized in 2012 when the Fulton County School Board approved the Chattahoochee Hills Charter School (CHCS). When selecting a barn quilt for their campus, CHCS looked for a pattern that would honor their school mascot, Hootie the Owl. They customized a pattern called "Owl's Well that Ends Well," and named it "Hooting for Hootie." |
Experiential approach makes learning fun and even messy!
CHCS students spend time outdoors where learning is integrated with Nature.
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CHCS education and support staff believe it takes a village to educate children.
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CHCS mascot "Hootie the Owl" inspires team spirit.
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In a typical day at CHCS, a student can explore the school’s bird sanctuary to gather data and be inspired to show that data as a piece of art. While caring for farm animals, a child can be guided to a connection that might help him or her better understand a concept in math. An observation made in a notebook on the first day of school may inspire meaningful writings a student can develop throughout the year. CHCS students have voice in the direction lessons may go, as their curiosity also inspires the teachers. This type of curricular culture develops a sense of community and fellowship that is the bedrock of meaningful learning.
If it sounds more like a vacation than a school, you might be right in that the experiential learning model has a way of making learning fun. But integrated into that learning model is a curriculum that meets the standards for learning as identified by the state of Georgia, national curriculum standards, and local system objectives.
Now in its 10th school year, CHCS has proven results as stated in is mission and goal:
If it sounds more like a vacation than a school, you might be right in that the experiential learning model has a way of making learning fun. But integrated into that learning model is a curriculum that meets the standards for learning as identified by the state of Georgia, national curriculum standards, and local system objectives.
Now in its 10th school year, CHCS has proven results as stated in is mission and goal:
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Our mission is to inspire all of our children to the highest levels of academic achievement through a rigorous curriculum that integrates the wonders of the natural world.
Our goal is for our students to cultivate the capacity to achieve a meaningful, healthy, flourishing life that embodies responsibility, stewardship and experimental engagement with the arts, agriculture and environment in informed, imaginative and rigorous ways. |
Heritage story . . . A School Nurtured by Nature and the Community
The following history of Chattahoochee Hills Charter School's start-up was chronicled in the Chatt About Newsletter in August 2016.
Early Vision
The idea for the school began more than eight years ago with residents in the community wanting improvements in education for all children. Inspired by the 2005 best-selling book by Richard Louv, “Last Child in the Woods,” which argued exposure to nature was essential to childhood development, residents formed a project team to explore alternatives to traditional education.
They found research that showed students who engage in environmental-based investigations in their own community, often experience better performance on standardized tests, reduced discipline and classroom management problems, and increased enthusiasm for learning.
The idea for the school began more than eight years ago with residents in the community wanting improvements in education for all children. Inspired by the 2005 best-selling book by Richard Louv, “Last Child in the Woods,” which argued exposure to nature was essential to childhood development, residents formed a project team to explore alternatives to traditional education.
They found research that showed students who engage in environmental-based investigations in their own community, often experience better performance on standardized tests, reduced discipline and classroom management problems, and increased enthusiasm for learning.
Phase 1 – Application (2010-2012)
During this time the project team, committees, and many volunteers worked out the required details to submit a charter school application. The application included details of the school’s targeted enrollment area in Fulton County, curriculum, policies, and operational areas such as governance, facilities, and funding.
The application was submitted to the Fulton County school board on February 24, 2010, but it was denied. The project team revised the application, increasing the attendance zone from one county to five, and submitted it to the Georgia State Charter Commission. It was approved on December 2010, but nullified on May 16, 2011, when the Georgia State Supreme Court ruled the Georgia State Charter School Commission unconstitutional. The project team revised its initial application for a Fulton County charter school and resubmitted it. On June 12, 2012, the Fulton County school board approved the application of the new Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, scheduled to open in 2013 with a projected enrollment of 270 students in grades K-5, and plans to expand at a rate of one grade per year through grade 8.
During this time the project team, committees, and many volunteers worked out the required details to submit a charter school application. The application included details of the school’s targeted enrollment area in Fulton County, curriculum, policies, and operational areas such as governance, facilities, and funding.
The application was submitted to the Fulton County school board on February 24, 2010, but it was denied. The project team revised the application, increasing the attendance zone from one county to five, and submitted it to the Georgia State Charter Commission. It was approved on December 2010, but nullified on May 16, 2011, when the Georgia State Supreme Court ruled the Georgia State Charter School Commission unconstitutional. The project team revised its initial application for a Fulton County charter school and resubmitted it. On June 12, 2012, the Fulton County school board approved the application of the new Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, scheduled to open in 2013 with a projected enrollment of 270 students in grades K-5, and plans to expand at a rate of one grade per year through grade 8.
Phase 2 – Pre- Start-Up (2012-2014)
“This phase was all about survival,” Principal Buttler said. “It’s a bold venture to start a charter school and build a brand-new facility at the same time.”
During this period, all preparations for the school’s start-up were finalized and implemented. This included raising capital, acquiring land, building the facility, hiring staff, developing lesson plans, promoting the school, and enrolling students. By mid 2014, CHCS was well on track for its August 26 opening with 286 students enrolled. But as the start date crept closer, construction of the new facility fell behind schedule, forcing the school to open in a temporary facility leased through Fulton County. Two months later the school’s new facilities were completed and CHCS moved to its permanent campus on Rivertown Road.
“This phase was all about survival,” Principal Buttler said. “It’s a bold venture to start a charter school and build a brand-new facility at the same time.”
During this period, all preparations for the school’s start-up were finalized and implemented. This included raising capital, acquiring land, building the facility, hiring staff, developing lesson plans, promoting the school, and enrolling students. By mid 2014, CHCS was well on track for its August 26 opening with 286 students enrolled. But as the start date crept closer, construction of the new facility fell behind schedule, forcing the school to open in a temporary facility leased through Fulton County. Two months later the school’s new facilities were completed and CHCS moved to its permanent campus on Rivertown Road.
Phase 3 – The first two school years (2014-2015)
“This phase was about wrapping our minds around being a nature school,” Principal Buttler said. “Some students came to the school with a preconceived notion about what nature was, and a few were even a little fearful of being in the woods.” He said that students weren’t used to the physical activity of being outdoors, walking in the woods, using all of their senses for learning, and getting a little dirty in the process. Neither were their parents. Some were surprised to see their kids dirty and dusty at the end of the day, and a few even decided this program wasn’t for them. But over time, and it didn’t take very long at all, the students began to flourish in their new environment.
During this time there was also a lot of professional development. Teachers learned from Wild Intelligence, a nature connection school based in Athens, Georgia, that offers programs for youth, teens, and adults. Community partnerships were also formed with Cochran Mill Nature Center, Community Brickworks, Many Fold Farm, and the Serenbe Institute to enhance the students’ learning experience. And parents had opportunities to learn and become involved as well, with offers to go on hikes and observe indoor and outdoor classroom activities.
“This phase was about wrapping our minds around being a nature school,” Principal Buttler said. “Some students came to the school with a preconceived notion about what nature was, and a few were even a little fearful of being in the woods.” He said that students weren’t used to the physical activity of being outdoors, walking in the woods, using all of their senses for learning, and getting a little dirty in the process. Neither were their parents. Some were surprised to see their kids dirty and dusty at the end of the day, and a few even decided this program wasn’t for them. But over time, and it didn’t take very long at all, the students began to flourish in their new environment.
During this time there was also a lot of professional development. Teachers learned from Wild Intelligence, a nature connection school based in Athens, Georgia, that offers programs for youth, teens, and adults. Community partnerships were also formed with Cochran Mill Nature Center, Community Brickworks, Many Fold Farm, and the Serenbe Institute to enhance the students’ learning experience. And parents had opportunities to learn and become involved as well, with offers to go on hikes and observe indoor and outdoor classroom activities.