HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — An elementary school in Holly Springs is the first in North Carolina to earn an EL Education school certification.
EL Education is a national nonprofit that partners with schools across the country to provide a specialized curriculum that focuses on academic excellence and character development.
It’s a big accomplishment for Buckhorn Creek Elementary School and something Principal Daniel Simmons calls the Michelin star of the education world.
“It's overwhelming because just our students really, truly are the ones that deserve the honor,” Simmons said. “I wonder if they recognize how important it is for them.”
Simmons remembered back to seven years when the school opened.
“One thing we knew we had to do, looking at data, is that we had to do school differently,” Simmons said. “We could not leave the academics separate from the character. And so EL has really been a good support in how we blend those things together.”
EL Education, formerly known as expeditionary learning, is a way to provide a well-rounded education for every student who walks through the doors. Buckhorn Creek prioritizes academic excellence, social emotional learning, leadership skills, character building and student engagement.
The EL Education website says, “We believe curricula should elevate student collaboration, voice, thinking, and reflection; should reflect a commitment to developing character; and should empower students to contribute to a more just and equitable world.”
A study by research company Mathematica showed after three years, EL Education students were 10 months ahead in math and seven months ahead in reading.
Students at Buckhorn Creek Elementary partnered with Asheville Middle School to help them clean up their riverbanks and rebuild pollinator gardens after Helene. It was part of Better World Week, a week focused on engaging their communities with learning projects and acts of service.
“We're not just going to send out random materials, we're going to ask them what they need and when they need it, how they need it, why they need it,” Estelle Talarico said. “And then they asked us what we need so they can help us. So I just think it's better because we did connect with them more and figured out what they're actually going through.”
Talarico is a student who says they spent a lot of time collecting items to donate to the western North Carolina communities and to create a pollinator garden of their own.
“It feels great because when you think about it, it's very sad thinking that their home got destroyed, then they couldn't control it and they could only go so far away to prevent that,” Talarico said. “So helping them feels really good and really touches our hearts, because it feels nice that we're helping them, and that they're helping us as well.”
Simmons said he’s seen the difference that EL Education makes for students.
“What keeps me moving personally is just knowing that we are not a factory,” Simmons said. “At the end of the day there is no end production, right? Or end quota to meet. Because you can never have enough knowledge in your mind, and you can never grow enough.”
The EL Education curriculum reaches 1.3 million students in 46 states. More than 52 schools across the country have received or are on their way to receiving an EL Education credential. School districts can also partner with the organization to use their curriculum. The Wake County Public School System, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Asheville City Schools are a few of the partner districts in our state.