By Angela Almeida                                                                                                                 Opinions Editor

A new addition has been added to the realm of Coppell education: Manara Academy. As the second charter school in Coppell, Manara’s opening on Aug. 24 marked a milestone in local education.

Manara, which opened in the former Christ Our Savior Lutheran church on Heartz Road, has open-enrollment for all students in elementary grade levels. However, the environment at Manara differs greatly from that of Coppell ISD schools, as its program focuses itself on Expeditionary Learning (ELS).

“We are the only school in Coppell that uses the Expedition method of teaching,” Manara French teacher Sophia Alami said. “Students learn hands-on by doing instead of listening to teachers stand in front of a room saying one plus one equals two.”

In addition to Manara’s interactive teaching philosophy, the school also offers an array of specialized language classes, such as those in both Arabic and French. Furthermore, as of later this year ,Manara will be offering gender separate classes as well.

As a charter school, Manara prides itself on having the independence of a private school with the responsibility of a public school. Seemingly, the school is funded by the State Board of Education, which chose Manara as one out of the 215 schools to grant an open-enrollment charter.

In turn, Manara is given greater liberty to expand beyond the school’s boundaries and further implement the ELS teaching style.

“We have about 12 field trips a year and work what we did on the field trips into the curriculum,” Alami said.

Many Coppell residents, however, initially aimed at the school’s Hertz Rd. location confronted the opening of Manara with traffic complaints. After agreeing to a re-zoning request, which includes a 10-foot “no-play buffer zone” and bus loop construction, Manara was approved to open as scheduled.

“Everything is running smoothly,” Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters said. “The school is even offering meetings, which is an excellent opportunity to interact with neighbors and deal with their concerns.”

Later this month, Manara is projected to schedule another meeting. Despite the apparent concerns, however, the school has brought diversity to Coppell.

“It (Manara) brings a different type of educational model, from the standpoint that not all the kids learn the same way,” Peters said.