By Tom Markland, The Journal
INWOOD, W.Va. —For years, Inwood residents have speculated about what would fill the massive space where Food Lion used to be before it moved to its new location on Duella Drive. As of last week, that speculation came to an end since it was announced Berkeley County’s first public charter school will move in.
The MECCA Business Learning Institute (MLBI), a public charter school that has worked for over 10 years as a nonprofit providing career enrichment activities for students outside of school, is making their first foray into formalized education with the move, aiming to open in Fall of 2025. They had previously operated as a nonprofit at locations in Gaithersburg, Maryland and Morgantown.
According to the school’s founder, president and chief executive officer, LaChaundra Graham, the school teaches classes focused on business and entrepreneurship skills that she says will be useful when they enter the workforce.
“We feel that it is important to share the basic tenets because those apply to any career choice, whether you actually go into business or not,” Graham said. “There’s project management in any field, there are directors, there are leaders, CEOs, all of those people show up in all the industries where people may find themselves working.”
