Amana Academy Charter School Opens New Smyrna Campus

SMYRNA — Amana Academy West has relocated its west Atlanta campus from Mableton to Smyrna.

After two years of operation at Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta’s Camp Timber Ridge Campus in Mableton, the charter school has officially moved into its new facility on 2200 Lake Park Drive. The school's other campus is in Alpharetta.

On Thursday, the school hosted an open house for parents to tour the new campus, see their children’s classrooms and meet teachers.

The STEM-focused charter school serves kindergarten through fifth grade, with plans to expand to sixth grade next year. The Smyrna campus serves 212 students.

Missy Rahman, the academy’s director of operations, said the move to a permanent facility will allow the school to grow and serve more families across metro Atlanta.

Rahman added the school plans to add one grade level per year, up to eighth grade, to eventually serve a total of 618 students.

While she said the past two years at Camp Timber Ridge had been wonderful, the space greatly limited the school’s growth.

“Our waiting lists were very, very long and we weren’t able to grow so it started getting challenging in terms of facility,” Rahman said.

Earlier this year, the school came before the Smyrna City Council to request a rezoning of a roughly 30,000-square-foot former office building on Lake Park Drive for a new campus. In June, the school closed on the purchase of the permanent facility and opened its doors on Sept. 4, per Rahman.

In addition to the main building, there will be three modular buildings, currently under construction, that will hold 12 classrooms. Once set up, students and staff will move into those classrooms while the main building is renovated. The school plans to start using both spaces by fall 2025.

The new campus, located on a 7-acre, heavily wooded property with a stream running through it, will also feature nature trails and outdoor pavilions to foster outdoor learning opportunities.

“What we loved about Camp Timber Ridge was being in nature all the time … We’re trying to retain that in this space,” Rahman said.

While it is a more traditional building compared to the camp facilities, Rahman said that connection to nature is still maintained.

“The building is surrounded by trees and there’s windows everywhere, so all you see is trees,” Rahman said. “Everywhere you look, you actually feel like you’re in nature.”

The school emphasizes environmental stewardship and outdoor learning, which Rahman believes is the best type of education for young minds.

“(Outdoor learning) really enhances creativity. It shows you that there’s no limits,” she said. “I think when you’re in a classroom it sometimes stifles creativity, so we try to merge both.”

Rahman believes walking outside can impact behaviors as well, calming down a student who can’t sit still in the classroom or is just having a bad day.

Parent Charlene Gayle has been part of the Amana Academy community since its west Atlanta campus was founded. Gayle is a member of the governing board and has a second grader and a fourth grader at the school.

Prior to Amana, she had enrolled her daughter in Cobb County Schools but was not satisfied with the experience.

“We have a lot of schools around here. We have public options, we have private options, and, of course, we have this charter school,” Gayle said. “What sets this school apart from all of the others is the engagement that parents have with the people here.”

Like Gayle, Amana parent Amber Stiles said she felt there was a true partnership between teachers, students and parents.

The school’s academic program is rooted in the Harvard-based Expeditionary Learning Education model, which is what drew Stiles to the school.

Thursday was Stiles’ first time getting a tour of the new campus. She has three kids at the school, in a first, second and fourth grade.

“We loved Camp Timber Ridge, it was such a unique experience, but at the end of the day, it’s the staff, it’s Principal (Helené) Brown, and it’s the executive director (Ehab) Jaleel,” Stiles said. “If the school moves, we’re moving with them.”

While the move has been an adjustment for all involved, Stiles said her kids love the new facility.

Rahman said the new space is also an exciting opportunity for staff, who were previously spread out in different buildings across the nearly 270-acre camp property.

Third grade teacher Sarah Dunn said the transition has been a way to teach the kids to adapt and persevere through challenges.

"It's extra work, but when you're passionate about what you do, you're excited to do it," Dunn said.

Gayle hopes the school continues to grow and remain a space for kids to play, grow and flourish.

“I’m hoping they go all the way up to high school,” Gayle said.

For more information, visit amanaacademy.org .