Since January, Jen Zachery’s teenaged daughter has made a 35-minute drive from the family’s Fayette County home to a train that drops her off in Buckhead close enough to walk to her school. The commute to Fusion Academy was meant to be a temporary academic reset after COVID, but now both mom and daughter are committed to the school that has provided a life-changing experience for both.
“She was diagnosed with ADHD and was experiencing anxiety and missing a lot of school,” said Zachery. “I worried because her grades were starting to suffer. But at Fusion, that anxiety went away in the one-on-one environment where teachers are also mentors who can talk to students about what’s going on in their lives. The experience has given her confidence.”
Zachery’s success story is just one from Fusion, which opened in 2019 but four months ago settled into its permanent Monarch Plaza location. It’s part of a nationwide educational network based in Michigan with more than 50 locations, including its latest in Alpharetta.
In Buckhead, the school’s second-floor space features state-of-the-art music and art studios, a yoga room, a cafe, a gaming area and a dedicated homework zone.
“We’re finding options to help kids catch up, so our model of instruction was very beneficial for kids who had learning lost during the pandemic,” said Head of School Robert Stewart. “We offer one-to-one instruction and don’t move on until the kids are ready. Classes are broken up with time to internalize, study and do homework. And every kid gets an individualized education plan.”
The approach works well not just for kids who may have fallen behind but for those who have major commitments outside of school.
“Some students are fencers, are on a traveling baseball team or are dancers, and they can do those things because we have a flexible schedule,” said Stewart. “Most of our students are full-time, but some may start at 10:30 or end at 1:30. Classes in person, but some kids have a hybrid mix. Even when they’re online, it’s still one-to-one, not the Brady Bunch screen.”
With more than 250 courses, students have a wealth of offerings they can select from including coding, Japanese, American Sign Language and social justice, to name a few.
“We also have many courses kids can try to see if they’re passionate about it,” said Stewart. “They also have a semester of wellness and a year of life skills – how to budget money, look for a job, look for a college and other independent skills they’ll need after leaving high school.”
Stewart, who opened Fusion after teaching for more than 15 years in the Atlanta Public Schools, started with just three teens. Now, with enrollment in grades six through 12 capped at 100, word-of-mouth has grown the student body to almost 70 led by a staff of about 20.
“We’re growing fast because our model is unique and progressive,” said Stewart.
That model has helped move her daughter’s grades from just passing to now being eligible for the HOPE scholarship, said Zachery.
“She wasn’t even sure she’d succeed in college, but now she’s excited about it,” she said. “She has had to put in a lot more effort, but she hasn’t missed a day. It’s been a huge life changer.”
Information about Fusion Academy is online at fusionacademy.com.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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