Fresno's Golden Charter Academy
Golden Charter Academy has earned a reputation for empowering students through community-based projects and student-centered approaches.
Students spend hours each day at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, getting hands-on lessons about animal and plant life.
- On a recent school outing, transitional kindergarten students fed giraffes after reading the book "If I Were a Giraffe".
- They mimicked how the animals ate their lettuce, taking cues from the book and the giraffes.
Believed to be the nation's first TK-8 environmental stewardship zoo school, blending academics and nature-based learning.
Golden Charter was founded in 2021 by former NFL player Robert Golden, who grew up in the same West Fresno neighborhood where many of the school's students live.
The school's hands-on learning and focus on environmental stewardship have attracted a diverse student population from across the city.
Author's summary: Fresno's Golden Charter Academy combines academics with nature-based learning.