COROLLA, N.C. — The Pledge of Allegiance and ringing of the school bell at Water's Edge Village School, or "WEVS," signaled the start of a new week of school Monday morning. On Tuesday, staff and students welcomed guests from fellow public charter schools across North Carolina.
The story of the school goes back more than a decade and started inside a little schoolhouse near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. WEVS was founded to give families in Corolla another option for local schooling. Since Corolla is part of Currituck County, many families had to drive hours to and from the mainland for education.
In 2025, the school's brand-new, nearly 4,000-square-foot building opened its doors. On Tuesday, founders Meghan Agresto and Sylvia Wolff welcomed fellow charter school educators for a look at how they've gotten to where they are today.
"The most endearing part is the excitement that I see when the educators walk into our classrooms," said Wolff.
Tom Miller is the CEO of "Leaders Building Leaders" and says WEVS has turned the traditional public charter school model on its head.
"WEVS has been financially stable for over 10 years now, and they have defied the odds in terms, because they started with only 16 students. Most experts will say you have to have 220 or more kids to even be viable, but this school has proven year after year that no, you just have to make good financial decisions and utilize the resources that you have," said Miller.
Miller said being able to show these successes to fellow charter school educators helps them take these ideas back and be more successful in their own communities as well.
"When they go and see these schools that are able to be successful in a small environment, it really helps them build their own plans and strategies to be more successful in their own community," said Miller.
We see the success every day inside the classrooms at WEVS. Outside the school, there is a strong community support system. That support was also a huge part of the school's brand-new building becoming a reality last year.
"You can build a partnership with your local businesses and the nonprofits and the for profits and really help your school expand because it's all about learning for the students and that's what this school really does really well," said Miller.
Wolff reinforced the message that community support is vital.
"We are incredibly proud and lucky to have the support from the community that we have, this is truly a community school. The support of the families and the businesses, is really the only way that we could be as successful and effective as we are," said Wolff.
Wolff said they never really thought this far ahead or envisioned being seen as an example of charter school success in North Carolina.
"To be here is super exciting because it means that we have that amount of path behind us to be able to share. But also, we've gotten to a point where we can present all of the things that we've learned and all of the direction that we hope to head," said Wolff.
At the end of the day, Wolff is always happy to support the public charter school system and the educators who provide this resource to families everywhere.
"We're all on this journey together in just figuring out the best way to meet kids where they are," said Wolff.
On behalf of "Leaders Building Leaders," Miller also presented a $500 donation to WEVS to aid in their future whale articulation project.
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