It’s not an easy thing to create a school from scratch. But that’s exactly what shooting range/salon owner Cheryle Rebholz and other supporters are doing in Saukville, Wisconsin, and it all stemmed from concerns about testing scores in the public school system. The idea for NorthShore Classical Academy was first sketched on a napkin.
Now, there’s a building, there’s a waiting list, the classrooms are under construction, and a fundraiser the other day drew so much support that $50,000 was raised in about a minute (and then some). Former DPI candidate Brittany Kinser, Attorney General candidate Eric Toney, and Moms for Liberty’s Scarlett Johnson were there, as the school held a well-attended “Renovation Celebration.” Volunteers and board members gave tours of the new school, which will open in fall 2026.
On November 13, President Donald Trump gave the school a shout-out in a letter, saying that the “launch of this renovation project marks an important step toward making a lasting difference in the Milwaukee area.” He described the school as being “founded on truth, character, and virtue.”
And so the dream is about to become reality.
NorthShore Classical Academy is a private, non-profit high school that follows the Hillsdale College curriculum (Charlie Kirk took classes at Hillsdale. The new school is welcoming a Turning Point student club, while other schools have turned such clubs away). At the core, the NorthShore Classical Academy school will focus on a classical education, following four pathways:
- College Preparation
- Career Technical Education
- Military Leadership
-
Entrepreneurship
Rebholz also owns a gun range in Ozaukee County called Bear Arms Indoor Boutique Gun Range and Faces II Esthetic Salon. She first tried to change the schools through the School Board, but that didn’t work, as Mequon-Thiensville takes on a bluer tint.
“Another disappointing piece of news is the Biden Department of Education notified the States that they were not going to issue nor approve charter school grants for the 2023 year. Without a grant for the planning year, it is nearly impossible to launch a new charter school unless there is either independent wealth with the ability to self-fund or there are personal connections to wealthy donors,” the NCA website explains.
Undeterred, Rebholz came up with the idea for NorthShore Classical Academy and originally wanted it to be a charter school. The Wisconsin Office of Educational Opportunity Advisory Council denied the application. But that didn’t deter Rebholz either; the school switched to a private school concept. It stands at 341 S. Dries St. in Saukville.
So, it’s been a long journey, but one that is coming to realization in a big way now. The community responded, and by 2024, the new school project had more than a half million dollars in revenue.
“Four years almost we’ve been at this,” says Inna Turner, board vice president, who gave Wisconsin Right Now a tour of the building. “…And now the coolest part is, I will show you our classrooms. They are all getting gutted. And all the finishes going into the school have been specifically designed to create a super-quiet environment with no cell phones, no distractions…All of the finishes truly are to make it welcome and quiet for the kids.”
Turner added, “Our whole focus is classical education. Going back to the classics, clearly through Hillsdale, and using their curriculum to bring back traditional classical education. That is our main goal. So the kids are productive members of society.”
She said students will be exposed to “all of the pathways. So when they graduate, they can decide what they want to do.”
“I am a lifelong Ozaukee County resident who is passionate about how we are educating our youth. As a mom and business owner, it is clear that student needs are not being met in the local public schools,” Rebholz explains.
“While I served on the Mequon Thiensville School Board, I experienced firsthand the need for a school where children enter as students, but graduate as educated citizens, understanding what opportunities await them, why those opportunities abound in America, and equipped with the knowledge and skill to pursue those opportunities.”
NorthShore Classical Academy “has grown from an idea sketched on a napkin three years ago to a reality projected to open to students in fall 2025. NCA will be the first private secondary school in Ozaukee County,” she added.
Signs at the Renovation Celebration proclaimed things like: “Old School Values, Real World Results,” making it clear how this school will be different. “We teach timeless virtues.”
Brett Galaszewski, who is Turning Point’s national enterprise director, spoke at the event, among others.
“Charlie would be really proud tonight to see this coming to full fruition,” he said.
“Wisconsin was really near and dear to Charlie’s heart.” Turning Point’s first campus chapter was at the University of Wisconsin, he said.
“This isn’t just another school. It’s a cornerstone of the community, and it’s something you should all take pride of,” Galaszewski said. He said Turning Point is in “lockstep” with the school.
“This school is saving the world.”
