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Dear Families,

For over 20 years, we have served East Columbus communities with a well-rounded, K-12, college prep education emphasizing art, media arts & technology. Our students benefit from content-rich instruction, hands-on learning & a large variety of enrichment opportunities including career tech, sports, music & more.

Our mission is to surpass the global standards of academic excellence by investing in partnerships with our students, community, and home environments, in order to encourage the development of creativity and self-direction. Through the cooperative efforts of the school community, students will develop the knowledge, responsibility, and positive self-concept needed to become effective citizens in our ever-changing and multicultural world.

The following is a list of additional offerings at CATA:
• Full-day Kindergarten
• Approximately one hour more of instruction per day
• Twenty additional school days per year
• Cross-curricular education
• Strong student accountability measures through the implementation of Personalized Student Achievement Plans
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The CATA staff is committed to giving our students the educational tools necessary to succeed in life. We work hard to provide support to our families and to our local community. Our staff subscribes to the belief that every child deserves an excellent education. We thank all of our families for making CATA their school of choice!

Sincerely,
The CATA Leadership Team

Mackenzie Eikenberry, Principal

Mrs. Eikenberry comes to us as a prior Regional Director of Academics for ACCEL Schools and is thrilled to be joining the Trailblazer family as your Principal. She has a passion for teaching and learning while overseeing systems and operations that support the safety and security of all students and staff. The ’24-‘25 school year will mark her 13th year in education. Mrs. Eikenberry attended The Ohio State University where she received a master’s degree in early childhood education and Florida Atlantic University where she received her second masters degree in Educational Leadership K-12. Since graduating, Mrs. Eikenberry has served several communities in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Cleveland, OH and Columbus, OH. Throughout her career she has worked in public education as a teacher, leader, and director. Mrs. Eikenberry is excited to reignite excellence at CATA and looks forward to benefiting the CATA community with your support and partnership towards student achievement.

Robert Burgett, Assistant Principal

Mr. Burgett joined the CATA Family in 2015. He shepherded the development of CATA’s high school program and was a proud teacher of CATA’s first graduating class in 2018. He remained a leader of the high school team until transitioning out of the classroom in 2021 when he took on the role of Special Education Coordinator. He is excited to shift into the role of Assistant Principal for the 2023-2024 school year.

With more than twenty years of classroom experience, Mr. Burgett is known for creating positive connections with students, families, and staff. He is CATA’s unofficial IT and Google guru, and he is often the person to ask when you don’t know who to ask for help. Mr. Burgett is the creator of CATA’s annual End of Year Cookout for rising CATA High students as well as the Guys’ Night Event that takes place at the beginning of the year.

Dr. Adrean Winfrey

Dr. Adrean Winfrey, Director of Operations

Dr. Adrean Winfrey joined ACCEL schools in 2022 with over 6 years of teaching experience and 14 years of K-12 school leadership experience. Dr. Winfrey is a licensed Ohio School Superintendent. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Henderson State University, a M. Ed. in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Ashland University.

Dr. Natalee M. Long, Superintendent

Dr. Natalee Long joined ACCEL Schools in 2015 with over 15 years of classroom teaching and K-12 school leadership experience. As Senior Vice President of Operations at ACCEL Schools, Dr. Long leads a team of Regional Vice Presidents that oversees leadership development, instructional programming, operations, and strategic planning for over 45 public charter schools. Dr. Long is a licensed Ohio School Superintendent. She earned a M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Lee University, a M. Ed. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University and a Doctorate in Education in 2020 from The Ohio State University.

Staff Directory

Community School

CATA is a public, community school. We are our own school district sponsored by the Ohio Council of Community Schools (OCCS) which provides oversight and enforces academic, fiscal, and legal accountability. We are managed by ACCEL Schools, a high-performing network of over 50 charter schools located throughout the United States.

Community Schools (Charter Schools) offer families an alternative to the local public school. Community schools are tuition-free, open to all students in the county, and focused on meeting student needs for success. Community schools are among the top-performing schools in the nation. Read more about charter schools.

Founded in 2014, ACCEL Schools is a K-12 public charter school management organization (CMO) serving students across the United States in brick-and-mortar, virtual, and hybrid school settings. We focus on improving academic outcomes of students regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic factors. The leadership team at ACCEL Schools has a combined 1000+ years of experience as global school management operators with expertise in curriculum research and design, assessment, student support services, and education consulting. Our entire team fundamentally believes that all children deserve a great education and students should be supported as they pursue a wide variety of post-secondary options. Our robust technology increases engagement, access to resources, efficiencies, and academic results helping our students become productive global citizens.