Monday, June, 20th 2005

NORTH COUNRY CHARTER SCHOOL HAS 1ST GRADUATION

“I’m so grateful to be able to speak here today because there was a time where I thought I might not graduate. I dropped out of high school this year, my senior year, and by early November I was unsure what my future would be,” said graduate Gaby Shepard. “The work <of the charter school staff> this year, has changed people’s lives and their futures for the better. What I didn’t anticipate was that I would like it so much.” To her fellow graduates she said: “I …hope you take this gift of education and use it to its highest ability.”

Several of the 21 students who received diplomas on June 2nd spoke with appreciation for community and school district support for North Country Charter School and the new opportunity they had for achieving academic success and a diploma.

“Last year I was a junior and I got into trouble at the end of the year,” one student read from his speech. “My actions made me ineligible to graduate with my class. My school guidance counselor told me about the North Country Charter Academy. There is no doubt in my mind that if I had not attended the North Country Charter Academy, I would have dropped out of high school. … I had made a promise to my mother on her death bed that I would graduate. Today, I am fulfilling my promise. I would like to thank all of the staff and people who helped put the school together.”

When Dan Shoemake, Executive Director of North Country Educational Services, Inc., was asked to identify needs of North Country school districts, he met with each high school principal in the 26 North Country districts. The greatest need, he found, was a high school alternative for students who did not find success in the traditional high schools. After looking at options, a plan evolved to create an alternative charter school under the state’s 2003 pilot project for 20 charter schools approved by the state board of education. The North Country Alternative Charter School serves students at risk or not thriving, grades 7 – 12. Students attend from 9 School Administrative Units covering a 4,000 square mile area. After one year, demand for the school required a lottery for admission next year; there’s already a waiting list.

One graduate told the 300 attendees that she dropped out of school in 2001. “Standing here tonight is a surprise to me,” she said. “I came to this school with the hope that I would graduate… I knew that I would have to change, so I set goals… North Country
Charter Academy is a school that lifts us up and celebrates our unique qualities. We have had a channel for our voices—voices that may have been drowned out in the other crowded schools which we came from. For helping us find our strengths and our voice, we have a great number of people to thank. First, we need to appreciate the value placed on alternative public education by the people of our communities and most especially by the leaders of these school districts. Second, we need to thank the entire staff of North Country Charter Academy for encouraging us, standing by us and strengthening our skills to get us to this point in our lives.”

According to Dr. Dan Shoemake and Director Lisa LaVoie, the north country communities are overwhelmingly supportive of this charter school—school districts, superintendents, businesses, and parents.

WEBSITE UPDATES

Complete Listing of Schools and Projects: Separate Links for Each School

How To Start An Approved Charter School

Legislation Page: Includes Membership of House & Senate Finance and Education Committees

Technical Assistance Page: Funding Charter Schools May 2005

Sample Charter School Finance Policies

The publication on financial management and policy has been divided into four sections for ease of downloading and printing.

For more information about NHCSR and school projects, please visit www.nhschoolreform.org.

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