Have you ever noticed that quaint little schoolhouse in Corolla Village? You probably snapped a picture and maybe even a selfie. Who wouldn’t? It might be the most idyllic little seaside schoolhouse anyone has ever seen.

That sweet two-room schoolhouse encircled by the quintessential white picket fence, adorned by a charming working school bell, isn’t just a historic building. It is home to WEVS, or Water’s Edge Village School, colloquially pronounced “WAVES.”

WEVS is home to 43 kindergarten to 8th-grade students. It is a charter school run by a board of directors all closely involved and invested in the health, well being, and education of this lucky group of youngsters.

the Corolla school had 46 pupils at its peak. Unfortunately, only five students remained a short time later, and the 1958-1959 school year was the last year for the salty little two-room schoolhouse.

That is until 2012 when the dream and hard work of two incredibly determined mothers came to fruition, and WEVS once again opened its doors that August to its very first 16 students. And now, the 2021-2022 school year has a student count of 43—a record number for WEVS.

In just over five decades of the school dormancy, the building had multiple functions, serving as a residence, an office, and a home to the Corolla Wild Horse Foundation.

The dream of WEVS is a continual labor of love born out of necessity. In 2007 Meghan Agresto was the Sitekeeper for the Currituck Light, having moved here for the opportunity with her then-toddler. By 2007 Meghan’s son was ready for kindergarten. After exhausting all avenues, she had settled on commuting to Dare County schools and paying for the privilege. Unfortunately, since she was a resident of Currituck County, this also came with a hefty annual price tag that she was required to pay to cover the difference between Currituck and Dare County per student allotment.

Her soon-to-be partner in crime, Sylvia Wolff, was head of Ocean Rescue. She was raising a stepdaughter currently in elementary school, but she needed a more sustainable school solution. Sylvia had graduated college with a degree in education and dreamed of starting a school focused on whole-child health and development. But, unfortunately, life just hadn’t taken her there yet.

They were told the county couldn’t help unless 70 or more students were enrolled. A new solution was in order. In 2011 the duo applied for a North Carolina Public School Charter. At the time, there was a limit of 100 for the state, and they were competing for the one slot available. They were turned down. But in a beautiful twist of fate, the school that had won the single available charter never opened. So the two applied again in 2012 and were awarded the spot in March!

The little white school by the sea would once again be opened. Almost as if destiny, it would serve the children of the lightkeeper and surfmen, or surf woman in Sylvia’s case.

As if its unmistakable aesthetic charm wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with the Water’s Edge Village School, it’s child-centered, environmentally conscious, and hands-on curriculum is sure to send you swooning. As a charter school, they adhere to the state curriculum standards; however, the students at WEVS gain exponentially more.

The school is broken into two sections, an upper and lower school. The upper school is grades 5 thru 8, and the lower school is K thru 4. Though separated, the year is spent in a project-based setting where the upper school students are assigned to work in groups with the children in the lower school on various assignments throughout the curriculum.

This teaching method gives these students a chance to build and hone their leadership skills in real-world applications. In their own words, their focus is to teach the future generations and empower them with a sense of social and environmental responsibility while nurturing both body
and mind.

The school boasts an incredibly unique curriculum, supported by its dedicated staff consisting of five teachers and one assistant, described by both Meghan and Sylvia as unparalleled. When asked if looking back at WEVS, was it all they’d imagined it would be? Sylvia responded cheerfully, “This question makes me laugh because while it looks beautiful and it looks so much like what we dreamed of, it has been a labor of love with an incredible, mind-numbing amount of time in labor. We have learned that running a school is SO. MUCH. WORK.”

Sylvia goes on to say, “All of the staff wear many hats, and the board of directors is way more interactive to get everything done that needs to be done. This project is as grassroots as you could get. We are all the cliches: find-a-way-or-make-one, don’t-take-no-for-an-answer, square-peg-round-hole, blind-leading-blind, it-takes-a-village. But mostly, we are TIME. This baby has taken so much time. So much effort from volunteers. But yes, we have kids who love school and don’t sit in their seats all day; we are outside, and we have committed, dedicated teachers.”

These kids have so much fun and enter their high school careers with maturity and leadership skills unseen in traditional public schools. Due to the nature of the school, these kids get to be kids for just a bit longer. They’ve been lucky enough to spend their recess and physical education time exploring nature and playing a myriad of childhood games at the Whalehead Club and on the sandy shores of Corolla. This past fall, the Corolla Surf Shop donated their time and equipment to teach the kids to surf for PE class. You can find upper school kids sprawled about the chapel grounds doing schoolwork on any given day. And the littles are often found at the picnic tables under the towering pines amid a science experiment.

Science and Math teacher Mr. Sean spent a portion of the first quarter teaching the upper school physics and engineering in a hands-on cardboard boat race project, modeled after MIT’s annual Cardboard Boat Regatta. Grouped into two teams, the upper school children built ten papery vessels. Then surrounded by volunteers from the Corolla Ocean Rescue (there for the students’ safety), the children launched their creations at Whalehead Club Dock for a timed race from one slip to the next. With extra credit being awarded to those brave enough to turn the boat around and head back to the starting line. Some of the cardboard boats made it. Some didn’t.

The school has taken impromptu field trips to the beach to see a sea turtle nest boil and to watch and participate in the necropsy of a beached whale.

Most days, you’ll find all the kids, large and small, circled around the Gaga Ball court.

The court consists of a wooden decagon hand-built by Mr. Sean. Gaga ball is an exciting game loosely patterned after dodge ball. The court is filled with players and surrounded by rousing spectators. The ball is thrown into the center when “NEW ROUND” is called out. At the call of the new round, the ball is smacked by hand at the feet of the players. If hit, you’re out! It’s dusty, dirty, exciting, and it is most definitely a sight to behold.

We couldn’t feel luckier…even in the shoulder season when my commute goes from 40 minutes to a harrowing hour of dodging lost tourists and roadside cyclists. I’m in the minority, though, and as the population in Corolla continues to explode, more and more families are vying for their chance to win a precious lottery spot each March.

I asked Sylvia and Meghan what the next ten years would hold for WEVS. Both agreed that an expansion was on the horizon. As Meghan puts it, “We are working with some very generous donors and eager Corolla residents who share a dream of seeing us grow. So I think ten years from now, we may double in size.”

public on school days. Be sure to also look out for their fundraisers as WEVS works toward securing a new location, one that is large enough to accommodate the expansion.