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Providing students with rigorous education and the foundations of virtue and character, Twin Peaks Charter Academy strives to build cultural literacy through a content-rich curriculum in an encouraging environment. Students are given the opportunity to perform their best both academically and in character. Through relationships with staff and peers, each student is surrounded with an encouraging environment, the starting point for success.
Hence forth, it's become the focus of the Twin Peaks Charter Academy to build character both in the students and in the curriculum, enhancing the education given and received through its Character Center: "It's benefiting me because I can get my work done and I can get it done with complete silence because everyone in it are mature seniors and students," says Catherine Louwers.
Character Center
The Character Center is located on the high school side of Twin Peaks Charter Academy. Prioritizing the media center as the Character Center, high school students have a wide variety of choices from couches, tables, and small booths. With these options, the students are given the opportunity to choose which environment suits them best. Now while in the Character Center, the students are expected to be working on homework, studying, or using their time to talk with teachers.
In addition to the preceding options, the media center represents a comfortable environment for the students and a workplace that is within reach of fellow peers. No high school student is too far from the help they may need with their homework. Every individual in the Character Center and any available teachers are there to support and help students.
In essence, the Character Center benefits every high school student in every aspect. A large room dedicated to give high school students the opportunity to work on homework, study, or anything school related in a comfortable and quiet environment. Altogether, this opportunity is one like no other! Students are not there just for the fun of doing homework, they are also there for the company of other great characters and academically outstanding students. Not to mention, a seat for every student to sit back in and relax.
Values
The Character Center is revolved around the idea of character building. This concept includes both the building of character in students and in the curriculum. With a better high school student body and a better curriculum, it's expected that great things will become of it. The staff works hard to achieve their goal of making an environment that makes each student feel comfortable and safe. With every student showing great character, that habit will spread throughout the student body.
Twin Peaks Charter Academy believes character to be one of the biggest factors in someone's education. Whereas, it's about Character First and the development of a traditional academically rigorous school. Thus, prior to character building, Twin Peaks Charter Academy has a goal in developing productive citizens in an ever changing world. In essence, the Character Center was formed. An opportunity to high school students that demonstrate great performance both academically and in character within their student body.
Character Building
Expectations within the Character Center follow very basic guidelines. In essence, each guideline is brought up and eventually brought to each high school student's attention, for example, eating food in the Character Center. For this guideline, a rule will be implemented and depending on each of the student's performance within the Character Center, the rule will be removed or revised to better fit each student's opinion. These implementations set guidelines to better the students and the environment they will be working in.
Although, how are these guidelines implemented?
Each senior is responsible for their own and fellow peers' actions. No staff or teacher is present during the students occupation in the media center. This alternatively "provides incentive for people to have good character and gives people an opportunity to have a practical application to their character," states Kate Coleman.
It is entirely up to the students to determine what needs to be worked on. Each senior is responsible for checking up on the new students and implementing or reminding the students of the guidelines.
Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School's Character Center develops the idea of, "the true measure of your character is what you do when nobody's watching," says Charles Caleb Colton.
There is no great curriculum without the implementation of great character.
Students
All high school students at Twin Peaks Charter Academy are granted the opportunity to be admitted to the Character Center. The senior class is granted this opportunity from the start, as the senior class is expected to represent the high school's character and lead the high school student body. For the remaining high school students, not already granted the opportunity, the demonstration of great character and the essence of good grades highly influences admittance into the program.
But what if a student has bad grades? What is classified as good grades?
Even a struggling high school student has the opportunity to use the Character Center. They can access the help they need in a positive and encouraging environment provided by peers in the Character Center. Through this, the struggling student is given the opportunity to improve his/her grade in an encouraging environment.
The promotion of a greater education and the character building keeps students on track with their education and provides them with support by their peers.
Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School,
No Student Left Behind!
With Great Character, a Great Curriculum
This is an opinion piece that was submitted to the Longmont Observer. It does not, necessarily, represent the views of the Longmont Observer. Have an opinion piece you would like us to publish? Send it to [email protected]
