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The first
time I met
Lisa Lavoie
was in
Concord. She had just signed on with the
North Country
Alternative
Charter
School as its start-up director. With an extensive background in
school-to-work and career education programs, Lisa thought the job
description matched perfectly with her background and professional
goals. she was a good fit for this position. Little did she know that
starting one of New Hampshire’s first charter schools would be a 24/7
challenge for the summer of 2004.
“I’ve
dedicated myself to the project and it has really consumed the summer.
My children and family saw my determination and (hard) work ethic. They
were so excited and were asking me questions about the new school. My
husband has been so supportive, as well. The superintendents and
community at large have really been supportive. And we really need more
educational opportunities and alternatives up here in the northern part
of this state.”
SH:
Tell us about this charter school program.
LL: The
charter school is going to target students who have already dropped out
of school and those who are currently at risk of dropping out of school.
The goal is for students to earn one of three types of diplomas—a
diploma from their sending school districts, a diploma from the charter
academy itself, or a diploma from the Ombudsman program that is the core
of our charter school.
There are
two campuses located off site from any high school in separate
facilities—one in
Littleton and one in
Lancaster. We have a wonderful mix of students from over 9 different
school districts. The program requires a half day of intense academic
study followed by a half day of vocational or work study.
SH:
Was it difficult to fill the spaces this first year?
LL: No. I
received over 80 referrals, receiving direct calls from parents and
students. We had more than enough applications to fill our spaces at
each location.
SH:
Any response from students?
LL: I see
a whole rejuvenation of these students. They couldn’t wait for the first
day of school. They were excited about education again and this gave me
energy, as well. The students were so motivated by being accepted, it
gave them the impetus to find cooperative employment. 100% of our
students are employed or enrolled in a specific vocational program and
much of this initiative was from the students themselves.
SH:
Have you felt any animosity in the community about the chartered public
school? I’m asking because there was so much fear that if unique schools
of choice actually came to be, that there would be no school district or
community support.
LL:
Absolutely not. People have been wonderful. Everyone seems so
enthusiastic that we finally have this option for our students. So many
local people and businesses have offered support. We’ve had a van
basically donated to help the school by
Littleton Chevrolet owner, Ronney Lyster. A relationship has begun
with the
Littleton Rotary who have stepped in and offered support around jobs
and job placement. The district school personnel have been so helpful
transferring school records and helping parents and students. The
superintendents have been supportive. And the public schools really
offered whatever they could…for example, Groveton brought over their
policies for us to reference. We’ve had calls of support from Senators.
We even had an anonymous sponsor for our opening celebration. It’s been
a team effort—a statewide supportive effort. And every person involved
has made a difference—everyone has really wanted our school to work.
It’s been a whole rejuvenation about high school options.
SH:
You are using a special program, Ombudsman. Can you explain the program
and how it worked in terms of staff…locating teachers?
LL:
Ombudsman helped with recruitment. All our teachers are local teachers,
certified teachers. Our program is computer driven and we teach
different courses but this includes computer skills. The Ombudsman
program is based on competencies in 7 different skill areas, such as
science, life management, health/recreation, career/college preparation,
basic skills, citizenship/social studies, and aesthetics/ethics. There
is heavy emphasis on essential skills such as reading, language arts,
and math. Our chartered school has helped bring business into the
community, actually. It’s working well.
SH:
What were your greatest challenges getting the school from charter
application and vision to ready and open?
LL: The
greatest challenges were with facilities and the logistics of
transportation. But the entire project was quite a challenge because you
start with a complex charter document that is just paper, and you have
to figure out all of the many parts from policies for the Board, to
procedures for billing for tuitions, to marketing the program, making
contracts, hiring staff, completing the tax exempt process. Getting a
bus driver properly licensed was very detailed. It’s really been a
complete challenge, but everyone pulled together and we’re open at
last!!
Lisa Lavoie can be reached at 444.1535. |
