WILLIAM STURGIS FRIENDS OF EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC
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Mission Statement
Sturgis Charter Public School is dedicated to an "International Baccalaureate (IB) for All" philosophy, preparing high school students for higher education in a supportive learning environment. Sturgis provides each student a rigorous world-class educational program, encouraging academic achievement, intellectual confidence, and personal growth. Sturgis is a tuition-free public high school and accepts students through public lottery regardless of past academic records, individual challenges, or personal circumstances. All students are eligible to enroll and have equal chances of being accepted by lottery. Sturgis serves students across Cape Cod & SE Massachusetts at two campuses in Hyannis. Sturgis was the first high school in North America to offer an “IB for ALL” curriculum. US News and World Report ranked Sturgis #1 in MA and #32 in U.S. in Best High Schools Ranking. (May 2015) Enrollment: 805 students; 2016 Wait List: 600 students
About This Cause
Sturgis Charter Public School was founded in 1998 as a public high school offering Cape Cod students an intellectually rigorous education in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, a course of study aimed at developing independence of thought and generosity of spirit. Sturgis is a tuition-free public high school and accepts students through public lottery regardless of past academic records, individual challenges, or personal circumstances. All students are eligible to enroll and have equal chances of being accepted by lottery. One of the objectives stated in the original charter of Sturgis is to foster international awareness and understanding and to ensure world-class standards of academic achievement. The founders of Sturgis researched various high school curricula and chose to apply to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme because it is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities. The IB was founded in 1968 as a non-profit educational foundation that offers challenging programmes for primary, middle and high school students aged 3 to 19. IB programmes are designed to help students develop intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Currently, over 1,184,000 students from 4,335 schools in 147 countries are enrolled in IB programmes. IB Mission Statement: The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. After a three year approval process, Sturgis received its authorization to offer the IB Diploma Program in 2004. The Diploma Program (DP) is a comprehensive and balanced 11th and 12th grade curriculum and assessment system that requires students to study courses across all disciplines. Within this structured framework, the IB Diploma Program provides a great deal of flexibility, accommodating student’s varied interests and abilities. IB students learn more than a collection of facts. The DP prepares students for university by encouraging them to: ask challenging questions, learn how to learn, develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture, and develop the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures. DP students study six subjects selected from the subject groups. Normally three subjects are studied at higher level and the remaining three subjects are studied at standard level. In addition, students must engage in three core activities that are central to the philosophy of the Diploma Programme: Extended essay: A research investigation of a topic of individual interest. The extended essay acquaints students with independent research and writing skills expected at university. The essay is graded externally and has a prescribed limit of 4,000 words. Theory of Knowledge (ToK): A philosophical and practical exploration of the difficulties of attaining certainty about the things we know. The course examines how knowledge is gained and what obstacles lay in the way of that knowledge in each of the subject areas that form the IB curriculum. ToK aims to develop self-awareness and a sense of identity by providing opportunities for students to think about their own values and actions, to understand their place in the world, and to shape their identity. Course assessment includes writing three to four ToK essays, making two oral presentations and keeping a journal of critical reflections regarding topics addressed in class. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): Participation in the CAS programme encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work, thus fostering students’ awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena. The three components of CAS are defined as follows: Creativity: arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking. Activity: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Programme. Service: an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected. At the end of the two-year programme, DP students are assessed both internally and externally in ways that measure individual performance against stated objectives for each activity. In most schools, the IB program is very selective and offered only to students who are high academic performers. Sturgis is one of the first schools to challenge conventional wisdom by introducing an inclusive "IB for All" philosophy that promotes the belief that students selected through a public lottery can succeed in a challenging curriculum regardless of past academic records or individual challenges. At Sturgis, all courses for grades 11-12 are IB with no non-IB alternative courses. All courses in grades 9-10 are IB prep. Ensuring college readiness is our ultimate goal; students take a minimum of six IB courses in grade 11 and in grade 12. Sturgis encourages faculty to enhance their expertise in the IB and has sixteen current and former IB Assistant Examiners on staff. The school has hosted more than eighty school visits in the past four years and made many presentations about "IB for All" at local, state, national, and international conferences. The future of Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts will be shaped by the young people we educate and equip with leadership capacity, judgment, and a global perspective. Sturgis is recognized as a leader in Massachusetts and across the Americas in preparing all students for not only admission to, but more importantly, success in university. US News and World Report ranked Sturgis #1 in MA and #32 in U.S. in Best High Schools Ranking. (May 2015) Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results are among the highest in MA. Mission: Sturgis Charter Public School is dedicated to an "International Baccalaureate (IB) for All" philosophy, preparing high school students for higher education in a supportive learning environment. Sturgis provides each student a rigorous world-class educational program, encouraging academic achievement, intellectual confidence, and personal growth. Services: Sturgis Charter Public School is a model of rigorous secondary education for all students. In this regard, we strive to improve foundation-level knowledge and skills through peer tutoring, study groups, and support from teachers and administrators both during and beyond regular school hours. Sturgis also supports students academically and socially through an advisory program that involves each teacher in the school working semi-weekly with a small group of students. The IB Program affords students opportunities for academic achievement, increased intellectual confidence, and personal growth. With its small class size, advisory, community service involvement and focus on supportive relationships, Sturgis provides both a physically and intellectually safe environment. This structure encourages each student to take risks, reach their potential, and maximize future opportunities. News about "IB for All" and what we are accomplishing at Sturgis is spreading. An enormous number of schools have visited Sturgis to see if they can possibly create an “IB for All” culture in their schools. In addition to visitors from local schools, we have hosted visitors from the American School of Rio de Janeiro, China, Sino-American Bridge for Education and Health, Harvard University School of Education, National Alliance of Charter Schools, Metropolitan Learning Center for Global and International Studies in CT, Leyman School in NY, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, University of Chicago and eleven school leaders from the Chicago Public Schools. Sturgis faculty have been invited to present numerous workshops at IB conferences such as: "Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Access for All Students in the IB Diploma Program Although the “IB for All” program is described briefly in the general description of Sturgis (above), it is especially pertinent to explain how “IB for All” is a driving force that shapes the philosophy of Sturgis Special Education services. In most schools, the IB program is offered only to high academic performers. Students with average abilities and especially those with learning disabilities are rarely invited to participate in IB programs at other schools. Sturgis students who are supported on IEPs are proving that the IB is possible for All. The Sturgis staff is comprised of caring, committed individuals who strive to make “IB for All” work for every student. They believe that if students are willing to be challenged and want to be a part of the "IB for All" success story, they are capable of doing the work required by this very rigorous and demanding program. The Special Education Department at Sturgis grows and adapts with the needs of our students. Our program includes both in-classroom support as well as pull-out services to study skill rooms. There are scheduled opportunities for working with the classroom teachers outside of class time, and extensive use of technology to support learning and the development of appropriate graphic organizers for students. The Special Education Team, along with administration, support staff, and teachers provide self-reflections on a regular basis about how we can make the program better. Over the years, we have worked with Special Ed students who never believed they would be able to graduate from high school and never thought they would go to college. Sturgis students who learn differently are now performing well on IB exams, graduating from Sturgis and going into post-secondary settings with the strong sense of: "I can do it and I can do it on my own."