At first glance an athletic club may not seem an ideal place for children to go to school, but parents like Ivy Hall Academy's program so much they asked school officials to open the school to more than just two grades.
Because they were "bombarded" with requests to enlarge what was previously just a middle school, officials decided to add a pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and elementary school, said Suzanne Taylor, Ivy Hall Academy's director.Located within the walls of the Ridge Athletic Club, 4303 N. Foothill Drive in Provo, the private school attracts students from as far away as Sandy in search of what owner Jim Lindahl calls a "safe environment" for a child's education.
Lindahl started what was formerly known as Sherwood Hills Middle School four years ago when he decided he didn't want to subject his children to the sometimes unfriendly world of junior high.
The school operates in a very relaxed fashion, said Taylor. "We focus heavily on academics, but we want to provide enrichment activities as well. Last year Jim had a six-week skiing unit where the students and their families went to Sundance on Friday afternoons."
Students are also introduced to different cultures and get to learn about the world they live in. Taylor said students have been paid visits by an authentic American Indian medicine man as well as Secret Service agent and guests from Russia and Iran.
In addition when a child enrolls in Ivy Hall Academy, the entire family gets a membership to the Ridge Athletic Club and is able to use all of its facilities.
Taylor said one man told her, "Now I can come over here, work out and eat lunch with my kids."
Lindahl said the school's doors are always open, not only to parents but for others who can benefit from the way the school operates. "We want it to be a place of observation for the parents and for BYU students majoring in education to come observe," he said.
Lindahl thinks the school's relaxed atmosphere enhances, rather than hinders, the students' education.
"We provide a safe environment for learning. Self-esteem is our main goal and we're trying to reach out to the kids who really need something."
Taylor agrees with Lindahl. The approximately 25 staff members are trying to reach out to those students who may be very bright but may have "slipped through the cracks" and didn't learn as much as they could have in a public school.
"We're trying to be more personalized," she said.
Based on upcoming enrollment, it seems Lindahl and Taylor's approach to education is exactly what a lot of parents and children in the valley have been searching for. When the school started four years ago, it had seven students. When school begins this August it will have almost 200.
As with most private schools, Ivy Hall Academy isn't cheap. But Taylor said it's "not just a rich-kid school."
She said the school's student body represents a wide variety of economic backgrounds.
"This is really more than a job," Taylor said of her work with Ivy Hall. "It's my life's goal to help these kids. We really do care about them and we really want to help them. We want this to be an experience to remember."