8-17-2010 “Charter School Network Excellence Awards” Announced by Volunteers of America-Minnesota
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:
August 17, 2010
CONTACT:
Katie Piehl
Director, Charter School Authorizing Program
Volunteers of America-Minnesota
Office 612-201-0292, Email kpiehl@voamn.org
“Charter School Network Excellence Awards” Announced by Volunteers of America-Minnesota
(Minneapolis, August 17)—Volunteers of America-Minnesota is pleased to announce Global Academy, Birch Grove Community School, and TrekNorth Junior and Senior High as recipients of the “Volunteers of America Charter School Network Excellence Awards.” The awards honor Volunteers of America authorized charter schools that have demonstrated strength in the areas of educational programming, financial management and oversight, and school board governance.
Global Academy, which opened its doors in Columbia Heights in fall 2008, is the winner of the “Excellence in Educational Learning Program Award” for the second year in a row. The school’s innovative approach includes offering Arabic language courses, employing a positive behavior program, and utilizing the acclaimed International Baccalaureate curriculum in its classrooms. The school successfully met or exceeded all of its academic goals established in the school’s Accountability Plan. Additionally, for a second year its MCA-II exam scores placed it among the top ten public schools serving high-need populations.
Birch Grove Community School, located in Tofte, is the winner of the “Excellence in Financial Management and Oversight Award.” Birch Grove’s board and staff are dedicated to ensuring the school remains financially viable through a challenging economic climate. The school consistently wins the Minnesota Department of Education’s School Finance award, has a board that thoroughly oversees the school’s financial management systems, and has no findings on its annual audit. Birch Grove is a K-5, multi-grade classroom school with a focus on educating lifelong learners to be responsible citizens within their communities.
TrekNorth Junior and Senior High School, located in Bemidji, is the winner of the “Excellence in School Board Governance Award.” This school’s board has systems in place to practice quality oversight through policy development and implementation. With a dedicated membership, the board has successfully kept the school focused on its mission of providing a college-preparatory education and developing leadership skills through a wilderness experience.
The Volunteers of America–Minnesota Charter School Authorizing Program works with schools of the highest quality whose mission and purposes are aligned with those of our organization. Through our Charter School Network we maintain a community of schools, committed to excellence, that develop meaningful professional relationships with each other through common experiences and collaboration. For more information, visit www.voamn.org.
ABOUT VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA-MINNESOTA
Volunteers of America - Minnesota is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 which offers a wide variety of services to more than 28,000 children, adolescents and their families, students, older adults, persons with disabilities and special needs, and ex-offenders each year. It is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in the state and has more than 60 programs, 900 employees and 8,000 volunteers. Volunteers of America has a rich history of developing innovative, quality programs to meet emerging social issues and prides itself on sponsoring programs which are able to articulate explicitly the outcomes achieved in its program participants' lives. For more information about Volunteers of America of Minnesota, visit www.voamn.org, or call (952) 945-4000.
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