Our Legacy

The first public charter school in Middle Tennessee. In 2002, at the age of 76, Sister Sandra Smithson became a lead advocate for passing public charter school legislation in Tennessee. The law passed with broad bipartisan support, allowing nonprofit organizations to contract with school districts to expand public school options. A year later, Sister Sandra and her biological sister, Mary Craighead, opened Smithson Craighead Academy – the first public charter school in Middle Tennessee. The school was an extension of Project Reflect, the nonprofit organization the sisters co-founded in 1992 to provide free afterschool tutoring with a focus on literacy instruction. In recognition of Sister Sandra’s advocacy, the State of Tennessee designated March 3 as Sister Sandra Smithson Day. More than 20 years later, Smithson Craighead Academy continues to carry our founders’ conviction forward: that every scholar, regardless of their background, deserves an excellent education.