Beverly Taylor, Principal at Magnolia Bend Academy, spoke to the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, July 29. 

In the summer of 2023 when the Atlanta school was closed people in the community approached Sardis Baptist Church about maybe having a school. The members of Sardis agreed and Beverly Taylor agreed to be the principal. Magnolia Bend Academy has several different campuses and is an approved home-study program. 

They use Abeka which is Back to Basics reading, writing and arithmetic in a Christian setting. History and science are taught with a Biblical basis. Their goal is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible is taught daily and Mrs. Taylor teaches some of the Bible classes. 

They began at Sardis on September 5, 2023, with 40 students and 6 teachers. All of the teachers are retired with 30+ hours except for 2 who are ABEKA certified. This coming year they will start with 50 students. The teacher to student ratio in lower grades is 1:10 and the ratio in upper grades is 1:15. Some of the classes are combined. 

They go to school Tuesday – Thursday from 7:45 AM to 2 PM. They have clubs such as BETA and 4H. The graduates of Magnolia Bend Academy get a state approved diploma and are eligible for TOPS. They also have access to dual enrollment. There were 2 graduates in 2025. They have partnered with the Winn Parish Library, the fire department and sheriff’s office and other people who have skills to share such as Mitchell Miles. The students have awards day as well as many other fun activities.

Teachers at the school are Carolyn Lang, Leah Price, Sarita Horne, Susan Horne, Penny Horne, and Beverly Taylor. 

Members thanked Mrs. Taylor for a very interesting program about something that they knew very little about.