FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2021
Contact: Maggie Meyers at maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com or 206-702-5790
Spokane, Wash. – The inaugural students from Spokane’s charter public high schools are graduating in in-person ceremonies this month.
After making history as the first charter public high school students in Spokane, graduating seniors will again make history as they celebrate their accomplishments and receive their high school diplomas at in-persons ceremonies. These seniors demonstrated remarkably successful transitions to remote and hybrid learning and have overcome those obstacles to graduate this spring.
PRIDE Schools launched Pride Prep Middle School in 2015, and Innovation High School in 2017. Innovation HS celebrated its first cohort of 81 graduates with an in-person ceremony on June 5. Lumen High School launched in Fall 2020 and will also host a celebration for its first cohort of nine graduates on June 12 (see media opportunities below).
“Our founding students helped us build a school community that’s innovative, supportive and challenges the status quo,” said founder and PRIDE Superintendent Brenda McDonald. “They have shown resilience in the face of a global pandemic and accomplished their goals and set themselves on a pathway for successful futures. I can’t wait to see what they do next and the Innovation High School community is here to support them as they begin the next chapter in their lives.”
The inaugural graduating class at Innovation High School have been accepted to many colleges and universities, including Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga, Washington State University, Howard University, Boston University, New York University, University of Southern California, Spokane Falls Community College and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
Lumen High School is a brand-new high school in Washington state. Its innovative model is set up specifically to support the tenacity and courage of teens who are also parents. The first graduating class includes nine students who will graduate ready to raise healthy children, contribute to their community, and advance into their future including higher education and careers.
Shauna Edwards, Lumen Founder and Executive Director, remarked, “Our students have persevered through the challenges of parenting and a remote start to the year due to COVID-19. This first cohort of nine students exemplifies the promise of Lumen – parenting and success through and beyond high school do not need to be at odds with each other.” All nine Lumen graduates have been accepted into a college or technical program and have aspirations that range from serving in the national park system, to early learning, to real estate, to forensics.
“This cohort of seniors has overcome many challenges, including nearly two years of high school being impacted by the pandemic,” said WA Charters President Patrick D’Amelio. “With the unrelenting support of talented and committed teachers and flexible, responsive school models, these new graduates are leaving high school prepared to achieve great things in whichever postsecondary pathway they choose.”
Along with these Spokane area charter high schools, graduates from Summit Atlas and Summit Sierra in Seattle and Summit Olympus in Tacoma will also celebrate this important milestone. Charter public schools are tuition-free, public schools that are open to all students. Washington’s oldest charter schools are completing their sixth year of operation. In 2020-21, 3,600 students attended 12 charter public schools statewide.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS AND STAFF
PRIDE Schools Innovation High School and Lumen High School graduates, teachers, and leaders available for interviews upon request. Contact Maggie Meyers at maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com or 206-702-5790.
IN-PERSON GRADUATION CEREMONY (Lumen High School)
When: Saturday, June 12, 10 a.m.
Where: Riverside Park Pavilion
What: Graduation ceremony with visuals including students receiving their diplomas, and students celebrating and mingling with their children, families, and Lumen staff.
RSVP to Maggie Meyers at maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com or 206-702-5790
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