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HOPE ACADEMY COMMUNITY SCHOOL OPENS IN CANTON
Community-based charter public school will accommodate up to 410 students in kindergarten through eighth grade
AKRON, Ohio — August 21, 2002 — White Hat Management’s HOPE Academy today announced the opening of a new community-based charter public school in Canton.
The HOPE Academy Canton school is located at 1379 Garfield in the southwest section of Canton. It will accommodate up to 410 students in full-day kindergarten through eighth grade. Classes begin August 29. HOPE Academy Canton is the first HOPE Academy in Canton, and there are now 10 HOPE Academies statewide, serving more than 3,000 students.
“Every time we open a new school, it fills a specific need – meeting the demands of parents for a high-quality, urban school of choice in their community,” said Mark Thimmig, CEO and president of White Hat Ventures LLC, parent company of Akron-based White Hat Management. “Many of our schools have waiting lists because community leaders, parents and students recognize the value of what HOPE Academies have to offer, and we appreciate the opportunity to continue to expand our reach and student population.”
Like the other HOPE Academies, the Canton school is a tuition-free public school that offers a high-quality alternative to traditional public schools. The environment and curriculum are specifically designed to help students, and their parents, overcome obstacles so that the students can reach their academic potential. HOPE Academies provide a safe, clean, positive, caring environment built on mutual respect and responsibility. The curriculum focuses on helping each child master the fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics, as well as covering science, social studies, citizenship, health, music, art and physical education.
“At HOPE Academies, there is hope for every child,” Thimmig said. “We have a terrific record of helping children in urban settings reach their true academic potential. The educational program focuses on two critical areas reading and mathematics. Student success during the school years and later in life is largely determined by mastery of these two subjects.”
A new HOPE Academy is also opening in Cleveland. In addition to these two new schools, there are five other HOPE Academies in Cleveland, two in Akron, and one in Cincinnati.
The HOPE Academies feature computers in every classroom, a computer lab and a full-time technology instructor. School uniforms are part of the mandatory dress code. Each school is staffed with an administrator, other administrative staff, master teachers, teachers’ assistants, a full-time nurse, and a full-time family advocate. Extracurricular activities include basketball, cheerleading, choir and a drill team.
Charter schools such as the HOPE Academies are independent public schools made possible by a 1997 Ohio law. Like all other schools in Ohio, charter schools are required to administer Ohio Proficiency tests, and adhere to local and state health and safety codes.
Charter schools are becoming increasingly popular nationwide because education professionals, parents, and community or business leaders have flexibility in shaping the school, its curriculum, instruction, staffing, budget and internal organization. A defining aspect of charter schools is that they are attended by students whose families choose them and staffed by educators who choose to work in them specifically. They are typically separate and distinct from the local city boards of education.
About the Academies
HOPE Academies are charter schools that serve school children in kindergarten
through eighth grade.
HOPE Academies are committed to helping parents and children overcome obstacles so the students can reach their academic potential. HOPE Academies approach this goal by providing a high-quality school of choice with curriculum specifically designed for their student population.
HOPE Academies are alternative community schools. When children come to a HOPE Academy, they find a safe, clean, positive, caring environment built on respect. No matter where a child begins, HOPE Academies do everything possible to raise his or her level of academic proficiency, by helping each child master the fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics. At HOPE Academies, there is hope for every child.
About White Hat Management
White Hat Management, founded in 1998 by Akron industrialist and education
activist David Brennan, is among the premier full-service education management
organizations in the United States. The Company is the largest charter
school operator in Ohio. White Hat operates three types of schools: HOPE
Academies; Life Skills Centers, which are alternative high schools; and
OHDELA Academy, which provides educational resources and support to parents
who educate their children at home. White Hat currently employs more than
600 people, including more than 500 teachers, staff and administrators
in the schools it operates. For more information, visit www.whitehatmgmt.com.