From the office of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard:
Mayor-sponsored charter high schools only public high schools in Marion County meeting Federal Academic Standards
Three Mayor-Sponsored charter high schools are the only public high schools in Indianapolis meeting federal academic standards according to data released yesterday by the Indiana Department of Education. The Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School, Herron High School and Fountain Square Academy were deemed to have made adequate yearly
progress (AYP) in student performance - a determination made after considering standardized performance indicators under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
"Students at Tindley, Herron, and Fountain Square are to be commended for their hard work in achieving these standards" said Mayor Greg Ballard. "We applaud the dedicated faculty at these schools for accepting nothing less than excellence." [READ MORE]
Fountain Square in the News
SOUTHSIDER: Charter school’s achievements lead to beaming administrators
Tucked away in the historic Fountain Square community is the Fountain Square Academy, a fourth-year charter school serving more than 200 students in Grades 5 through 12. The location at Barth Avenue and Palmer Street, previously a wallpaper factory building, was specifically chosen to help change the dynamics of the neighborhood.
Kevin Teasley, president and CEO of the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation, and Vic Bardonner,academy director of external affairs and student services, walk the halls, enthusiastically praising teachers and students. They beam with pride over the progress their students have achieved while being only one of three mayor-sponsored charter high
schools in Indianapolis. The academy is the city’s only public high school to meet federal academic standards and adequate yearly progress.
Teasley talked about the partnership the school has formed with nearby neighbor Garfield Park, which has created an opportunity for students to use park facilities. The academy doesn’t have a gym or art class facilities. When Garfield Park became aware of that situation, officials made their facilities available for use in a win-win situation.
Bardonner explained that students’ progress can be measured in various ways, such as showing respect for school property, which is sometimes an ongoing struggle.
[READ MORE]
Fountain Square in the News
URBAN TIMES: Fountain Square Academy works to raise horizons
Charter school’s students outperform those in city’s traditional high schools
The first thing any visitor might notice during a stroll through Fountain Square Academy is that there are hallway windows opening into the classrooms.
The second: That view reveals students who are, well, studious. Wasn’t always thus, Kevin D. Teasley volunteered as he led the one-reporter tour through the three-year-old charter school located just off Shelby Street and Pleasant Run Parkway.
Teasley, president of the Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation, said the school opened with good intentions, but also with chaos.
“We had poor leadership at the beginning,” he said, “and made poor decisions.”
Such an assessment makes all the more striking this other observation, that Fountain Square Academy now “outperforms every traditional high school in the city,” despite serving students who typically came to the charter school performing one to two grades below their levels. Many of the school’s students qualify for free breakfasts and lunches – which, by the way, the academy provides. [READ MORE]
Fountain Square in the News
INDIANAPOLIS STAR: Students use park facilities for arts, gym classes
A Fountain Square Academy fifth grade student takes an art lesson at Garfield Park. |
The 200 students enrolled at Fountain Square Academy charter school in grades five through 12 are broadening their education and enjoying school a bit more this semester, thanks to a unique partnership with Indy Parks.
In 2009 and beyond, Indy Parks is growing the number and variety of arts programs it offers. Through a special relationship with the GEO Foundation and the Fountain Square Academy charter school, 1615 S. Barth Ave., Indy Parks provides needed resources for the arts and recreational play, and in turn its facilities at Garfield Park are being used more efficiently. [READ MORE]
More Middle College Students than Ever!
Enrollment in Ivy Tech Classes Triples for the Spring Semester
Fountain Square Academy Middle College advisor Fumihiko Yuki reports that FSA’s enrollment of students in Ivy Tech classes has shot up from three students to ten for the spring semester.
“I’m very excited that we have ten students who will be taking 100-level – college-level – courses at Ivy Tech Community College next semester,” Yuki says. “We had only three students who were taking 100-level courses this semester and this is a big jump! I strongly believe that more and more students will follow them next year.”
Some of the classes our students will be taking include Intermediate College Algebra, Computer Information Systems, and English Composition. Each course is a college level course that results in three transferrable college credits. These classes are offered to Fountain Square Academy students free of charge, and transportation is provided to and from the Ivy Tech Community College campus on North Meridian Street. [READ MORE]
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