Four Points Establishing Positive Culture, Community Connections

Four Points Preparatory Academy opened its doors to students on July 31 and started the year fast, establishing classroom routines, expectations, and school culture. It hasn’t been all business, though, with scholars having plenty of fun and connecting with community.

Principal Amanda Brown said one of her early goals is to establish the culture of Four Points. She summed up her aspirations in one theme that will resonate all year long: positive minds, positive vibes, positive school. Staff is embodying the motto every day and families are bringing the joy with them to school events.

One of the school’s first events was a Fun Run meant to raise funds for the school’s music and art programs. The turnout was more than Brown could have imagined with 175 parents in attendance to volunteer their time and efforts.


“I’ve never had a field day where 175 parents show up,” Brown said. “I was like ‘Where do we put all these people?’ The parent engagement is something we’re super proud of.”

All-in-all, the school raised nearly $20,000 and for some bonus fun, Brown, Board President Pam Estabrooke, and Braselton Mayor Kurt Ward were slimed in celebration.

Scholars have also been in their community to work on Moral Focus™ projects. Fifth-grade students visited a local nursing home for September’s wisdom project. They interviewed residents and asked about their life experiences. Kindergarteners and first-graders are using those words of wisdom to create placemats that will be delivered back to the nursing home.


These efforts have been a priority for Brown and her staff, especially given the school’s location. Four Points is at the intersection of four different county lines and Brown recognizes the importance of fostering strong relationships with community partners.

“At our ribbon cutting, we had officials from all four counties, and I think that was impactful,” Brown said. “Everybody is coming together. Even though we’re in four counties, this is a safe place for all of those folks. I think it was really important to see them all together.”

Local officials brought the same energy to the first day of school, where they were high-fiving students as they came into the building and met them with smiling faces, setting the tone with positivity.


Students and families are already seeing the benefits of this culture. At a recent parent event, families were eager to share how Four Points is already making a difference in their children’s lives. They were excited about their students’ demeanor and appreciated the engaging conversations they had at home.

“Parents told me about how their kids are coming home and talking about wisdom and how to make wise choices,” Brown said. “They told me their kids are happy to come to school. Someone said, ‘I’ve never seen him get out of the car so fast for drop off.’ We want to provide a space where kids are happy to come to school.”

Providing students that environment is one of Brown’s top goals, and she said the work they are doing is connecting back to National Heritage Academies’ (NHA^®) mission to transform lives.


“I remember having one teacher that transformed how I felt about school,” Brown said. “We’re now getting to create that here and transform lives, and I think that’s amazing. It’s been great to see the basics of building a community school and transforming this community.”

Keep up the great work, Four Points!
About Four Points Preparatory Academy
Fourth Points Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Braselton, Georgia, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA^®) network, which includes 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 68,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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