It's November, and we're already just about halfway through the school year. And if you're in eighth grade or the parent of an eighth-grader, it's time to start thinking about the right high school for next year. How did that happen so fast? It probably seems like just yesterday that you were buying glue sticks and backpacks to get ready for kindergarten. And now it's textbooks and bigger backpacks...and about time to think about what you and your family want in a high school--to get ready for success after graduation.

Ednovate - USC Hybrid High College Prep’s third graduating class is stronger than ever. All 118 seniors are college-bound, with $3.2 million in confirmed grants and scholarships.

When I was driving up on Friday morning, I couldn’t believe that my summer had already come to an end; summer had literally flown by. For me, move-in day began at 6am with my mom, two younger sisters, and a family friend who we had to pay to drive us. It would be a four hour drive up to Ithaca, New York: the trip that marked the first time my mom and sisters would see my new home.

Graduation is always a special time for me as a school leader. At Ednovate, our mission is to educate high school students who will use their college degrees and careers to enact Positive Multigenerational Change in their communities, nation and world.

It was day that took our students farther down the road to a great future, with an Ednovate school working as a team to create opportunities for our students.

“You have been accepted…”

Those four life-changing words have been showing up in the inboxes and mailboxes of high school seniors all across the city over the past several weeks. It’s both the payoff of the past four years of hard work in school and the ticket to a bright future.

Read an interview with an Ednovate senior.

When I first found out about personalized learning, I was intimidated. After all, I’m a teacher, not a techie. Personalized learning relies heavily on technology; students use a Chromebook that is assigned to them for the majority of their coursework. This was not my forte! However, once I saw it in action, I knew this was the type of teacher I wanted to become. 

Three years in, and I continue to be a believer in the power of personalizing the learning experience. After 10+ years working in traditional environments, I would never go back. However, not all things are sticking; in fact, some things aren’t, but that is for another blog post.