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.

21st Century Charter School will be recognized at the National Awards Ceremony on Monday, July 12th at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City. To continue the school’s improvement, 21st Century’s Charter School @ Gary school leaders will participate in the National Principals Leadership Institute while in New York. “Next year, we will continue to improve. 21st Century Charter School will again move up to the next level of excellence,” says Principal Angela D.West.

21st Century Charter School @ Gary is a free public charter school for students in grades K-12, located at 556 Washington St. in Gary. 21st Century Charter School gives students the skills they need to not only receive a high school diploma, but also to excel at the collegiate level. The school’s curriculum and teaching methods are designed to let children excel as fast as their ability allows. 21st Century Charter School also offers a Middle College program, which allows qualifying high school students to take college courses for college credit, free of charge to students and their families beginning their sophomore year in high school.


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