The new school

Work is coming along quickly now that the weather is cooperating. The concrete has been poured on the NCCS side and the inside stud walls are going up. The electricians arrive soon and then the sheet-rockers. To be present when the workers are going about their business gives one the sense of progress being made, as there is a constant flutter of activity and noise. The rooms look like they will be a nice size and the windows in the classrooms, albeit small, will be a nice addition. It seems as if there are many decisions to be made, and now that they are working quickly, these quite often need to be made before another worker arrives. It is truly an exciting time for NCCS as we anticipate this move.

Senior Projects

We had our first round of senior presentations on Tuesday evening. There was great variety as seen in presentations on theatre, small business building, animal rights, dairy farming, rock bands and more. This is truly the essence of our project based curriculum where students have the opportunity to explore in depth something which has grabbed and captivated them in their school career. There was also evidence of significant preparation among all of the presenters. This is another tribute to the students who took this charge seriously and came ready with a capstone project. This is the first full year of implementation of senior projects, and the faculty has been taking copious notes in order to implement changes that will make these even stronger in years to come.

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

New Century Charter School held its fourth National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Thursday, 24 April. Previous inductees took responsibility for the ceremony. Talia Peipmeier was inducted into this national organization which as as its core service, leadership, scholarship and character. All students must meet an initial requirement of a 3.25 overall GPA. All who meet that requirement are invited to apply. At this time they must present evidence of having demonstrated high moral character, providing service to others and providing leadership within and outside of the school. Congratulations to Talia.

Exracurricular Agreement with 423 agreed to for another year

At the April board meeting, the New Century board of directors agreed to enter into the same agreement with district 423 to provide extracurricular activities for NCCS students for the 08-09 school year. It was difficult decision with much conflicting testimony during the month or so of gathering information. The end result recognizes a sense that these types of activities are good for students and have been a part of NCCS since the beginning, and therefore should continue at least for the upcoming year. There was also a consensus that a year from now there should be in place a program that develop an extracurricular program that is unique to NCCS.

annual meeting

NCCS had its annual meeting on Thursday, 17 April. There were many people in attendance as it came at the end of our rescheduled open house. There were many student displays on projects that gave visitors and families a good sense of what NCCS is all about. Jim Bobier and Chris Kraft were elected to the board and we look forward to their positive contributions on behalf of students at NCCS.

Old Man Winter Wins Again

We had a delightful evening planned - displays, entertainment, tours, refreshments - all the makings of a perfect Open House - and Old Man Winter intercepted and threw us a curve. Anyway - we have rescheduled our New Century Open House for next week - Thursday, April 17th from 5 PM - 7 PM. All of the same activities will be anticipated.

To all the families that did come out in the storm - thank you! I hope we gave you a taste of what our school is all about, but please come again- this time there will be more students, staff, and goodies. Let us show you the whole deal.

Terry Kempfert
Student & Family Services

Student of the Month-February

Brittany Schultz has been chosen as the February Elks Student of the Month at New Century Charter School. Brittany is a senior and has just arrived at New Century this year. She has rapidly gained notoriety as a student who knows how to explore her interests and create quality projects. She walks the hallways with a smile on her face and greets all students and staff alike with her infectiously positive attitude. Brittany is performing her service learning at the Southwest Minnesota Initiative offices. We have received rave reviews on her work there. Congratulations Brittany for serving as such a positive role model and for embodying the concept of project based learning at New Century Charter School.