School is finalist in national awards competition

“Excellence Again in 2010” is the slogan Principal Angela D. West uses to describe the year her school has been having. Not only can 21st Century Charter School @ Gary boost of making AYP last year, enrolling 13 high school students in dual college classes at Ivy Tech, having over 90% of the 2010 graduating class obtain admittance into four year colleges/universities, but now they are finalist for the Eleventh Annual Panasonic National School Change Award. This award is sponsored by the Panasonic Corporation of North America to recognize schools that have moved from “underperforming to exemplary.” Of nearly 800 schools that have been nominated throughout the award’s history, only 24 were selected as finalists this year.

To complete the application process, the school wrote an essay and compiled a portfolio to document the dramatic academic changes that have occurred since the school’s inception in 2005. Major factors that influenced the school’s positive turnaround were teacher and student retention, a focus on data-driven instruction, clear expectations for academic and behavior performance, and the new leadership of Principal Angela D. West. [READ MORE]

All students pass math portion of GQE

All of 21st Century Charter School's 11th and 12th graders have passed Indiana's Graduation Qualifying Exam.

Passing the GQE is one of the steps that students must pass in order to earn their high school diploma.

"I want to give a GREAT, BIG, HUGE applause to Gloria Cho, Walter Ball, and Blake Heller for all of their efforts in the area of math," said Principal Angela West. "They worked extremely hard to have each and every student to the level where they could pass."

Additionally, only one student remains to pass the English portion of the test.

INDIANA MINORITY BUSINESS MAGAZINE:Helping Charters Deliver the Goods

There also have been no major business contributions to the 21st Century Charter School at Gary, Ind. Nevertheless, the K-12 school has flourished in the once booming steel town, which has produced such celebrities as the Jackson family entertainers, Karl Malden and Richard Hatcher. The public charter is affiliated with the Greater Educational Opportunities (GEO) Foundation, which provides most of its financing.

The Gary school’s parent organization does some private fundraising, and has had limited success in drawing charitable contributions and gifts from individuals and other foundations. When GEO opens a charter school, it also can apply for a $200,000 federal grant that can be used to support school operations for a couple of years. Other than that, the foundation is pretty much on its own.

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Students travel to Notre Dame for conference

A group of middle school girls traveled to Notre Dame last weekend for the Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics Career Conference. Through interactive workshops, the girls explored careers in science and math. They had ranked their workshop choices prior to attending the conference, and our 21st Century girls participated in sessions presented by a biologist, physical therapist, nurse, chef, meteorologist, naturalist, and college professor. [READ MORE]

NORTHWEST TIMES: Gary teen looking for guidance, just desserts

Robert is only 13, yet he already aspires to be a pastry chef.

Robert is a student at 21st Century Charter School of Gary, where he plays on the basketball and track and field teams. But he also will spend this year in the Rites of Passage program maintained by the Boys & Girls Club in Gary. His last name is being withheld at the request of Paul Washington Jr., the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana Rite of Passage program director.
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