Article and Photo courtesy of Daily Dispatch

Members of the Pride of 2019 react to elements of “Frindle” by Andrew Clements while the group has a book discussion during Henderson Collegiate’s first Parents Pride Night at Vance-Granville Community College’s Civic Center Thursday night. (Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE)

Henderson Collegiate Charter School students put on a show with pride on Thursday night.

The first Parent Pride Night was held at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center at 6 p.m.

The show featured performances by the fourth grade class, the only grade at the school as of now, who creatively told the crowd of parents what they were learning in school.

“Parent Pride Night allowed our students to show off a lot of the things they have learned, such as math, nonfiction, reading and writing,” Principal and school co-founder Eric Sanchez said.

“It shows how unique and diverse our students are,” Sanchez said.

The students wrote and performed pieces showing off all they have learned and how much they love their school.

Henderson Collegiate was established in the fall of 2010 with only a fourth grade class.

“This is the only year that only one class will be featured,” Sanchez said. “We call them the trailblazers.”

Every year a grade will be added all the way through high school.

Henderson Collegiate is open to all students, regardless of income, race or prior academic success.

“Our parents are wonderful,” Sanchez said. “They make sure the students do everything they need to. They create a great environment for their kids.”

Parents looked on with pride as they got a firsthand experience of how far their children have progressed.

“It is such a wonderful experience,” parent Tracy Hargrove said. “The school is so structured and its easy to tell how much they care.”

The parents of the students at Henderson Collegiate stay very involved, signing off on their children’s homework every night.

“I’m very impressed with everything,” parent Jinella Meadows said. “The methods they use are outstanding.”

According to Sanchez, the school owes the praise it receives to its teachers.

“The goal of being extraordinary is not obtainable without extraordinary teachers,” Sanchez said. “They work around the clock and really strive to build relationships with each student.”

“The registration process is ongoing,” Sanchez said. “We have 120 open spots and if more than that register we do a school lottery.”

The school opened with 104 students and will add a fifth grade in the fall. Classes meet in modular buildings on Health Care Center Road.

Contact the writer at jhuff@hendersondispatch.com.