I have discovered something new and exciting in education.

East Point Academy in West Columbia has a global focus. It teaches students Mandarin Chinese through language immersion.

Research shows that children in immersion programs perform at a higher level than students who don’t learn a second language.

I’m familiar with immersion, as both of my grandkids were in a Spanish immersion program in elementary school.

East Point offers a rigorous academic atmosphere in all core subjects, giving students a leg up when it comes to being prepared for high school and beyond. The school also hosts a wide variety of extracurricular activities ranging from arts to athletics and academic enrichment.

I met Mark Bounds, the East Point Academy Head of School, at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. I was fascinated by what he told me about the school and had to know more. We met at the school for a tour.

He explained that the idea for a Chinese immersion charter school came from a group of community members, USC professors and parents who believed Midlands students could really benefit from a different learning experience in order to compete globally.

The business world is getting smaller and more competitive every year. Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language on the planet. South Carolina does billions of dollars in trade with China every year.

East Point Academy is preparing students for success in the global marketplace.

East Point has 2 campuses. A brand new elementary campus serves students in 4K-5th grades. A fully renovated middle campus has been tailored to the needs of students in 6th-8th grades.

Most East Point students come from the Midlands, but some come from Orange-burg, Newberry and Sumter.

Attendance is free of charge and open to all SC students, regardless of zoned district.

The school is catching the eye of people on both the local and national level.Niche.com gave East Point an “A” rating and ranked them in the top 7% of schools nationwide.

They were voted Best Private or Charter School by the readers of the Free Times and named The State’s Best Charter School. They are living up to their motto: “Merging cultures. Inspiring minds. Expanding horizons.”

Something else that impressed me as much as the curriculum was their Panda Core Values which is a code of conduct for everyone in the school. I see it as a blend of the “Golden Rule” and the military code of conduct I learned in the Navy.

The Panda Core Values Code promotes things like honesty, serving others, giving your best effort and being respectful. The Panda Core Values can be boiled down to a short, four word phrase, “Be nice. Work hard.”

East Point Academy sets that expectation from the beginning. When students leave the school after 8th grade, they are ready for continued academic and personal success.