Like a butterfly that finally emerges from the confines of its chrysalis, Chrysalis Charter School students will have a new place to learn.
Yesterday Chrysalis signed a lease to rent one wing of the former St. Francis Middle School, part of the Bishop Quinn High School campus in Palo Cedro.
The Diocese of Sacramento recently announced its decision to close Bishop Quinn, a private Catholic school. It followed the 2007 closure of St. Francis Middle School, next to Bishop Quinn.
Virginia Siemans, Chrysalis manager for 11 years, said staff, parents and children are excited about the move that will happen in the fall.
She said the lease will allow Shasta County’s oldest charter school to operate all its classes in one space.
“We’re renting nine large classrooms and a science lab,” she said about the new facility during a Tuesday afternoon telephone call.
“This will be more space than we’ve ever had.”
Chrysalis was founded 13 years ago inside a Turtle Bay portable building. Most recently, the hands-on math-and-science-focused school was a divided campus. The younger students assemble in a church on Cedars Road in south Redding, and the older students assemble in a building off Commerce Street near Hilltop Drive in Redding.
Siemans said Chrysalis has about 100 students, but will accept about another 30 more. For applications, parents can call Siemans at 225-0318 or go to the Chrysalis Web site .
“We have a well-established school,” she said. “Students do well here, families are happy, and it’s a safe and respectful place.”
