Charter School of Wilmington
Encyclopedia
The Charter School of Wilmington is a high school in Wilmington, Delaware
, one of the first public/private (self governed, state funded) charter school
s in the United States
, opening in 1996. It occupies the third floor and a wing of the second floor of the former Wilmington High School building. There were 960 students enrolled in the fall for the 2008-2009 school year.
, Verizon
, Delmarva Power, DuPont
, Hercules Incorporated
, and Christiana Care Health System.
The Charter School of Wilmington was chartered by the Red Clay Consolidated School District
, and was directly descended from the 'Academy of Mathematics and Science', an earlier (now defunct) math and science magnet school
run by the district. The school is a college preparatory
academy that focuses on mathematics and science. Also occupying building that formerly housed Wilmington High School are the Cab Calloway School of the Arts
and the James H. Groves Adult High School.
The Charter School of Wilmington is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
.
The Charter School of Wilmington placed 127th in 2006, 75th in 2007, and 100th in 2008 in Newsweek's Top High Schools. Furthermore, Charter placed 41st in 2007 and 42nd in 2008 as well as 2009 in U.S. News' America's Best High Schools, earning the Gold Medal.
or a simple rotating schedule, Charter students take part in a rotating schedule with classes of different lengths. However, effective August 30, 2010, Charter began to use a modified block system
, which combined the previous rotating schedule with block. With three rotating classes of 70 minutes and two fixed classes of 45 minutes(a mandatory study hall included) along with an "Activity Period" slot, the schedule allowed elongated class periods and eliminated the need for many lengthy, after-school extracurricular club meetings.
classes, or any other Charter classes during these periods. Cab Calloway classes are still limited in the fact that time time slots must match the two schools' schedules and thus certain courses can only be taken during certain class periods.
style and to teach research for Liberal Arts
fields. During the senior year, students may participate in a senior research project, involving either performing or investigating an empirical
experiment, through creating an invention or shadowing a scientist. The project teaches the APA style
and ends with a final presentation in front of faculty members.
(AB & BC), statistics
, biology
, chemistry
, physics
(C), environmental science
, computer science
(A), English literature, English language, Latin (Vergil)
, Latin literature
, Spanish language
, French language
, U.S. history, U.S. government and politics
, psychology
, and economics
. Many students choose to independently study for other AP exams or elect to take AP courses through the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. Sometimes, academically motivated students prefer to self-study the material covered in an advanced placement class instead of attending the class. For students who choose APs as a part of their formal curriculum, taking the end-of-year national AP examination is required in order to pass the course.
Members of Charter's faculty were Delaware's English Teacher of the Year in 1997, Conservation Teacher of the Year in 1999, recipients of the Science/Math Excellence in Teaching Award from the Science Alliance in 1999, and Delaware's History Day Teacher of the Year in 2002.
http://www.delawarepressassociation.org/student/winners.htm
.
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, one of the first public/private (self governed, state funded) charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, opening in 1996. It occupies the third floor and a wing of the second floor of the former Wilmington High School building. There were 960 students enrolled in the fall for the 2008-2009 school year.
History
Charter schools in Delaware were authorized by Delaware Code, Title 14, Chapter five, enacted in 1995. The school is operated by a consortium of six companies: AstraZenecaAstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...
, Verizon
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
, Delmarva Power, DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, Hercules Incorporated
Hercules Inc.
Hercules, Inc., was a chemical and munitions manufacturing company based in Wilmington, Delaware, which was formed in 1912 as the Hercules Powder Company. Hercules was spun-off from the DuPont Corporation as a result of U.S. federal government actions in the field of antitrusts...
, and Christiana Care Health System.
The Charter School of Wilmington was chartered by the Red Clay Consolidated School District
Red Clay Consolidated School District
Red Clay Consolidated School District is a public school district in northern New Castle County, Delaware. Founded in 1981, Red Clay serves a portion of the city of Wilmington, its northern suburbs, and the Brandywine Creek and Pike Creek Valley areas.-High schools:*Alexis I...
, and was directly descended from the 'Academy of Mathematics and Science', an earlier (now defunct) math and science magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
run by the district. The school is a college preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
academy that focuses on mathematics and science. Also occupying building that formerly housed Wilmington High School are the Cab Calloway School of the Arts
Cab Calloway School of the Arts
The Cab Calloway School of the Arts is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, that focuses on a strong academic curriculum along with an education in the arts. It is a public school, but children are required to audition within...
and the James H. Groves Adult High School.
The Charter School of Wilmington is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology is an alliance of specialized high schools in the United States whose focus is advanced preparatory studies in mathematics, science and technology....
.
The Charter School of Wilmington placed 127th in 2006, 75th in 2007, and 100th in 2008 in Newsweek's Top High Schools. Furthermore, Charter placed 41st in 2007 and 42nd in 2008 as well as 2009 in U.S. News' America's Best High Schools, earning the Gold Medal.
Rotating schedule
Charter has taken a research-based approach to class schedules. Rather than block systemBlock scheduling
Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which each student has fewer classes per day but each class is scheduled for a longer period of time . A student might be taking 7 different classes, but only 4 per day, and the specific daily classes would rotate through a changing daily cycle...
or a simple rotating schedule, Charter students take part in a rotating schedule with classes of different lengths. However, effective August 30, 2010, Charter began to use a modified block system
Block scheduling
Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which each student has fewer classes per day but each class is scheduled for a longer period of time . A student might be taking 7 different classes, but only 4 per day, and the specific daily classes would rotate through a changing daily cycle...
, which combined the previous rotating schedule with block. With three rotating classes of 70 minutes and two fixed classes of 45 minutes(a mandatory study hall included) along with an "Activity Period" slot, the schedule allowed elongated class periods and eliminated the need for many lengthy, after-school extracurricular club meetings.
Shared classes with Cab Calloway
Students may elect to take Cab classes focused on visual arts, drama, and the musical arts, UDUniversity of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
classes, or any other Charter classes during these periods. Cab Calloway classes are still limited in the fact that time time slots must match the two schools' schedules and thus certain courses can only be taken during certain class periods.
Research projects
Students participate in two to three mandatory research projects over the course of their four year education at Charter. During the sophomore year, all students complete a Science Fair project as a necessary requirement of their Biology class. During the junior year, students complete a Research project for their English classes. These research projects are used to reinforce (not introduce) the MLAModern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
style and to teach research for Liberal Arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
fields. During the senior year, students may participate in a senior research project, involving either performing or investigating an empirical
Empirical
The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experimentation. Empirical data are data produced by an experiment or observation....
experiment, through creating an invention or shadowing a scientist. The project teaches the APA style
APA style
American Psychological Association Style is a set of rules that authors use when submitting papers for publications in APA journals. The APA states that they were developed to assist reading comprehension in the social and behavioral sciences, for clarity of communication, and to "move the idea...
and ends with a final presentation in front of faculty members.
General graduation requirements
Delaware state standards mandate semester-long health education and a full year of physical education, split into semester-long sophomore and junior gym classes. The Technology Utilization or Java classes satisfies the Delaware state standard for computer literacy, and three years of history and four years of math, science and English meet the state requirements for the respective subjects. A total of 24 credits are needed to graduate.Advanced Placement
The school offers many advanced placement classes which allow students to earn college credit while still attending high school. Advanced placement courses include calculusAP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
(AB & BC), statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, physics
AP Physics C
Part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program, consisting of two separate courses:*AP Physics C: Mechanics*AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism...
(C), environmental science
AP Environmental Science
Advanced Placement Environmental Science is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences...
, computer science
AP Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
(A), English literature, English language, Latin (Vergil)
AP Latin: Vergil
Advanced Placement Latin: Vergil is an examination offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. The current exam focuses on selections from the Aeneid, written by Augustan author Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Vergil or Virgil...
, Latin literature
AP Latin Literature
Advanced Placement Latin Literature was one of two examinations offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program for high school students to earn college credit for a college-level course in Latin literature.Due to low numbers of students taking AP Latin Literature, it was discontinued...
, Spanish language
AP Spanish Language
Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
, French language
AP French Language
Advanced Placement French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course...
, U.S. history, U.S. government and politics
AP United States Government and Politics
Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, also known as AP US Gov & Pol, AP US Gov, AP Go Po or AP Gov, is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program...
, psychology
AP Psychology
The Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
, and economics
AP Economics
Advanced Placement Economics consists of two, separate examinations that are offered as part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program.*AP Macroeconomics*AP Microeconomics...
. Many students choose to independently study for other AP exams or elect to take AP courses through the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. Sometimes, academically motivated students prefer to self-study the material covered in an advanced placement class instead of attending the class. For students who choose APs as a part of their formal curriculum, taking the end-of-year national AP examination is required in order to pass the course.
Other Coursework
While not unique to Charter, there are some course offerings that are not seen at a majority of American high schools:- Software Engineering
- Data Structures
- Differential Equations
- Digital Electronics Design
- RoboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
(introductory and advanced) - ForensicsForensicsForensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
- Myths and Legends
- Advertising and Marketing
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Critical and Creative Thinking
Special tests
A challenge test administered to incoming freshmen allows prospective students to bypass mathematics classes up to AP Calculus AB, the Introductory Science courses, or the introductory foreign language courses. (Additional courses can be bypassed through other exams, such as the AP examinations or a French II final). These tests are not used to determine the phasing of students in each subject (Math, Science, English, History, and Foreign Language), which are determined by the admissions test. Phases range from 3-6, with non-academic classes (i.e. Driver Education and Gym) at phase 4, phase 5 being considered as honors, and AP and UD classes designated as phase 6.Students
The student body is made up of 960 students as of 2007-2008, including 68% of students coming from area public school districts, and 32% of the students coming from Catholic and other private schools. 99% of students attend college upon graduation. Individual students have won many state and national awards in mathematics, general science, biology, physics, journalism, French, Spanish, Latin and forensics competitions. In addition, students have also gained recognition in sports and other extracurricular activities.Faculty
The student to teacher ratio is 18:1, with an average class size of 24 students.Members of Charter's faculty were Delaware's English Teacher of the Year in 1997, Conservation Teacher of the Year in 1999, recipients of the Science/Math Excellence in Teaching Award from the Science Alliance in 1999, and Delaware's History Day Teacher of the Year in 2002.
Extra-curricular activities
Clubs
The clubs at Charter include:- A Capella club
- Association for Computing MachineryAssociation for Computing MachineryThe Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
- High school chapter - Art Club
- Academic Bowl- National winner.
- ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Club - Drama Club
- Dungeons and Dragonshttp://www.charterschool.org/teacher/mkiersznowski/gamersguild.htm
- TEAMS Engineering Competition- Three time state champion and two time national champion for Division 4 Varsity
- EnvirothonEnvirothonEnvirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition held by the United States and Canada on a regional, state, and national level. It is sponsored by Canon, conservation districts, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of Conservation Districts...
- Perennial state champion, most recently 2008 champion of the North American Canon Envirothon competition, from among 45 states and nine Canadian provinces - Humanitarian League of DelawareHumanitarian League of DelawareThe Humanitarian League of Delaware is a student-run, nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Austin Osborne and Jaewoong Yoo at the Charter School of Wilmington. The group participates in many humanitarian activities in the Delaware community and internationally. In April 2011, the group...
- Service Club - Key ClubKey ClubKey Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
http://www.fadedsky.net/CSWKeyClub/index.htm - Literary MagazineLiterary magazineA literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
- Tangents - Math LeagueMath LeagueMath League is a mathematics competition for elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States. The Math League was founded in 1977 by two high school mathematics teachers, Steven R. Conrad and Daniel Flegler. Math Leagues, Inc...
- Perennial state champion since 1999 (except in 2010, where they only captured 2nd and 3rd places), national champion of Math League Press in 2005, 2008 - Mock TrialMock trialA Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
- 3rd Place National Mock Trial 2008, 26th Place National Mock Trial 2009, 17th Place National Mock Trial 2010 - State Champions 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 17th in Nationals - Newspaper - The Blue Streak
- Physics Olympiad - Twenty-four semifinalists, nine finalists, and three traveling team members representing the USA at the International Physics OlympiadInternational Physics OlympiadThe International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
since the school's inception - USA Biology OlympiadUSA Biology OlympiadThe USA Biology Olympiad is a national competition sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education. Each year, twenty National Finalists gather at a nationally recognized institution for a two-week training camp. From the program's inception through 2009, the camp was held at George Mason...
- Two finalists and one traveling team member since the school's inception. - Science OlympiadScience OlympiadScience Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
- State Champion since school's inception - SkiSkiA ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
Club - Support our Soldiers - Raises funds and goods to be given to soldiers.
- VEX Robotics - Top 10 nationally in 2006
- Yearbook - Expectations, A potential candidate for the National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Award and Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Award.
- Young RepublicansYoung RepublicansThe Young Republicans is an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization and chapters in individual states....
- Young Democrats
- Model United NationsModel United NationsModel United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
- Helping the Underprivileged Globally (HUG) Club
- URM (Under represented Minority) Cultural Awareness Club
Music
- Show ChoirShow choirA show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
- Concert BandConcert bandA concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
and a more selective audition only Wind Ensemble at Cab Calloway School of the ArtsCab Calloway School of the ArtsThe Cab Calloway School of the Arts is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, that focuses on a strong academic curriculum along with an education in the arts. It is a public school, but children are required to audition within... - Jazz BandJazz bandA jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
at Cab Calloway School of the ArtsCab Calloway School of the ArtsThe Cab Calloway School of the Arts is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, that focuses on a strong academic curriculum along with an education in the arts. It is a public school, but children are required to audition within... - Jazz ChordsJazz chordsJazz chords are chords and chord symbols which are commonly found in Jazz music and harmony.-Intervals:Each chord is described as a series of intervallic relationships to the root of the chord...
at Cab Calloway School of the ArtsCab Calloway School of the ArtsThe Cab Calloway School of the Arts is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, that focuses on a strong academic curriculum along with an education in the arts. It is a public school, but children are required to audition within... - Marching BandMarching bandMarching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
at Cab Calloway School of the ArtsCab Calloway School of the ArtsThe Cab Calloway School of the Arts is an arts-oriented magnet school in Wilmington, Delaware, operated by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, that focuses on a strong academic curriculum along with an education in the arts. It is a public school, but children are required to audition within... - Kymera Indoor Colorguard right after marching band, through Cab
- Red Clay Secondary & Select OrchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
- Red Clay String QuartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
Sports
Boys
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country 2008 State Runner-up
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer- held a national ranking of 12th in the 2010 season.
- Swimming 2007, 2008, 2011 State Runner-up
- Tennis
- Track- Indoor & Outdoor 2010 State Runner-up
- Volleyball 2005, 2008 State Champions
- Wrestling
- Skateboarding
Girls
- Basketball
- Cheerleading-2006 State Champions; Runner-up, 2007 State Championships (Small Varsity)
- Cross Country-2009 State Champions; 2009 County Champions, 2010 State Champions
- Field Hockey
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer- 2005 State Champion
- Softball
- Swimming 2006-2007 State Runner-up, 2007–2008, 2008–2009, 2009–2010, and 2010-2011 State Champions
- Tennis
- Track- Indoor & Outdoor
- Volleyball
Newspaper
The school newspaper, The Blue Streak, was originally a small newsletter, written by students and printed on 8.5x11 inch paper. In 2002, Journalism was offered as a class and the paper received more funding. Now standard newspaper size, The Blue Streak has dozens of reporters and editors, and is published approximately eight times annually. The paper won 20 awards in the 2008 The First State High School Press Contest including 2 first place awards.http://www.delawarepressassociation.org/student/winners.htm
Standardized exam achievement
All freshmen, sophomores and juniors at Charter take the Delaware Student Testing Program exams. Test scores at The Charter School of Wilmington are consistently the highest in the state with 100%, 99%, and 100% of Charter students in 11th grade scoring at or above expectations in reading, writing, and mathematics, respectively.- Top-scoring Delaware high school in Math Assessments (1998–2010)
- Top-scoring Delaware high school in Reading Assessments (1998–2010)
- Top-scoring Delaware high school in Writing Assessments (1999–2010)
- Top-scoring Delaware high school in Science Assessments (2000–2010)
- Top-scoring Delaware high school in Social Studies Assessments (2000–2010)
- Highest average sat scores in the state (among all public high schools) (2000–2010)
Media Appearances
The Charter School of Wilmington has been featured on TruTV's The Principal's OfficeThe Principal's Office
The Principal's Office is a reality TV program on truTV that began airing on August 21, 2008. It is set in American high schools and features dramatic and humorous encounters between students and principals. Some events that lead to such encounters are students being late to class, truancy, food...
.
External links
- The Blue Streak
- Satellite Image (Google Maps)
- Mr. Russo's Interview On WDEL