COROLLA, N.C. — As many know, Corolla is part of the Outer Banks, but unlike the rest of the island, it is part of Currituck County, not Dare County. This means families have to travel at least three hours round trip to get to the public schools on the mainland.
"The Currituck County bus was coming at six o'clock in the morning to pick kids up and was getting them home at 5:30 in the afternoon. When we first started talking about a school, that was actually the basis for the need," said Sylvia Wolff, director of the Water's Edge Village School.
In 2012, Water's Edge Village School opened its doors as a public charter school in North Carolina, originally providing education for K-6 students but now serving grades K-8. Wolff and board president Meghan Agresto were instrumental in helping the school open its doors. Starting with 15 students, they now have 50.
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"The demand is there, which is why a couple of years ago we started actively pursuing an alternative," said Wolff.
That alternative led to the construction of a brand-new school that will have five times the space that the current schoolhouse can provide. The initial expectation was to raise $1.4 million, but that figure increased to $2.1 million over the years.
"We've got about $250,000 left to raise, which sounds like a lot. It is a lot, but compared to where we started, it is a huge accomplishment to have raised that much in two to three years," said Wolff.
A recent boost in their fundraising came from the Evans Family Fund at the Outer Banks Community Foundation, which provided $300,000, the largest grant in the foundation’s history.
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“My wife and I sat down and told ourselves the school has to get built, and we’ll do whatever we have to do to get it built. So that's what initiated us thinking about a large donation to get them over the top," said Wayne Evans, of the Evans Family Fund and a board member at the school.
This boost has school leaders envisioning how important this brand-new school will be for students.
“It's to the point where I have to remind myself not to get too excited every day," said Wolff.
The expectation is for the school to be finished in April and ready for the first day of the next school year.
