Most students across New Hampshire return to school this week, including students at Mountain Village Charter School in Plymouth. The school is one of the state’s four new charter schools opening this fall.
The actual building for Mountain Village Charter School is still under construction. So for the first week, the school’s 38 elementary students will be outside.
Teachers lead the students through a Swahili song and have them bark like dogs - mostly as a way to start the school year on a fun note.
Charter schools often start in temporary settings like strip malls. Mountain Village headmaster Thea Dodds says being outdoors works for the school’s nature-based Montessori curriculum.
"Well we thought maybe we’d start every year this way," Dodds says. "Maybe this will become a tradition."
Dodds says the school’s building will be ready for students next week.
New charter schools are also opening in Merrimack, Manchester and Derry, bringing the total number of charter schools in New Hampshire to 22.