NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — A new private high school in Norfolk could enroll its first ninth-grade class in the fall of 2019, pending city approval.
Leaders of 'The Hague School' bought the former Unitarian Church of Norfolk at 739 Yarmouth Street across from the Chrysler Museum of Art to start the college preparatory school.
School provost Paul Warren said the project is a dream come true and the school will differentiate itself from others by focusing on the conference method of learning.
"We want our students to rely on each other for their interaction and learning," Warren said. "Studies show that the conference method increases retention tenfold over a lecture or video."
The classrooms upstairs in the former church look like conference rooms, with teachers and students seated around boardroom-like tables. Classes will max out at 12 students, according to Warren.
Jennifer Warrens said this style of learning improves engagement and retention.
"They'll get some of these skills that a lot of people complain are lacking in this generation," she said.
Warren plans to enroll just one grade, ninth grade, next fall, and then expand the school year after year. He said applications will be available in December, and the school will know the class makeup by February or March.
Warren said he's so confident in the conference method that the private school will be free next year for the founding class of ninth graders. He projected tuition will cost about $18,000 in future years, although emphasized there will be scholarships available.
"Money will never be an object at this school," Paul Warren said. "We've qualified for state tax credits and we've had some generous donors who will make sure that this is a place any talented kid can come."
Warren said students need to be at or above grade level to be accepted. Warren said he wants students who show a desire to learn a certain craft or subject, and he'd like to help tailor a curriculum to their needs.
Before the school opens, Warren needs approval from the City of Norfolk. The Norfolk City Planning Commission will discuss The Hague School's application at a meeting Thursday night.
Previously, neighbors expressed concern about the former church turning into a brewery. However,
Ghent Neighborhood League President Michael Spencer supported the use of the property as a small high school in an email posted in application documents.
Warren, an Old Dominion University adjunct professor, said the school will have no more than about 120 students at full capacity.
"Engagement around conference room tables, that's what we as adults do," he said. "That's what the most successful students in the United States do and that's what we're going to do here."
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