“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” — The Olympic Creed

 More than 1,000 young people from charter schools and communities throughout the Bay Area sought to fulfill the Olympic Creed as they participated in the Bullis Charter School Invitational Junior Olympics June 8. The daylong event was held at Stanford University’s Cobb Track and Angell Field.

?????The eight charter schools that participated included: Bullis Charter School (Los Altos, K­6), Charter School of Morgan Hill (K­8), Escuela Popular Accelerated Family Learning (San Jose, K­4), KIPP Heartwood Academy (San Jose, 5­8), Livermore Valley Charter School (K­8), Making Waves Academy (Richmond, 5), Rocketship Education (San Jose, K­3) and Voices­ College Bound Language Academy (San Jose, K­1).

Local Olympians and athletes, including Susan Jones Roy, a swimmer in the 1968 Olympic Games; Nancy Lippe, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic field hockey team; Kerry McCoy, a wrestler in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games; Sara Lowe, a synchronized swimmer in the 2004 Olympic Games; Matt Gentry, a Canadian wrestler in the 2008 Olympic Games; Vic Moreno, a wrestler and 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier; Michael Mitchell, a wrestler and coach at Stanford University; and Courtenay Stewart, a synchronized swimmer for Stanford University, encouraged the young participants and awarded medals to the winners.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to partner with our fellow charter schools in an event that will reach beyond our individual school classrooms and communities to give our students a new athletic and character­ building experience,” said Wanny Hersey, principal and superintendent of Bullis Charter School (BCS) of her decision to spearhead this event.

 Hersey noted that BCS reached out to charter schools located within reasonable proximity to one another in order to facilitate coordination.

 Seeking to echo the traditions of the International Olympic Games, the students participated in an opening ceremony.

 The program featured individual track events and relays, standard field events and contests geared toward the youngest children.

The charter schools weaved information about the Olympic tradition into their curricula while offering athletic training in preparation for the field day.

 At BCS, for example, some third­ to sixth­ grade students participated in an elective class that researched the history of the Olympics. At KIPP Heartwood Academy, students prepared for the individual athletic events, and studied the history of the Olympics and of Ancient Greece, said Mr. David Walton, physical education coach.

In keeping with the Olympic spirit of fellowship, the BCS Invitational Jr. Olympics awarded medals not only to individuals in all of the track and field events but also presented a medal to the school that demonstrated the best sportsmanship. The coaches of the participating schools selected Bullis Charter School for its work initiating the event.

Hersey and the other charter school principals said they hope the BCS Olympics is the beginning of a tradition for years to come. As for the work involved in coordinating the daylong program with the participation of eight charter schools that had not collaborated in this manner previously, Hersey was undaunted.

“We are all part of a local charter school community and we share a common experience of forming schools from the ground up,” she said. “There is a bond that comes from such shared experience and also a fearlessness about breaking new ground and trying new things. It has been wonderful to see how our different schools are integrating the experience of the Olympics into their individual programs and empowering the students to take on leadership roles.”

State Superintendent of Education Jack O’Connell visited Bullis Charter School in Los Altos this month to recognize the school as a California Distinguished School.

“I was honored to be able to join in the excitement as these dedicated educators learned their schools earned this coveted title,” O’Connell said. “From their stories, it became clear that they share a schoolwide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance.”
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The California Distinguished Schools program recognizes exemplary and inspiring schools in the state.

“This award is a testament to the incredible talents, dedication and sheer hard work of the entire BCS community,” said Wanny Hersey, BCS principal and superintendent. “Four years ago we set out to implement our vision and are thrilled to be recognized as a California Distinguished School.”

 Students heard the news at a special school assembly April 9.

“I think our school is the best school there could be,” said Neel Gupta, a second ­grade class representative.

Parents who attended applauded the administration, staff members and students for their achievement.

 “This is such a great way to honor our entire community,” said parent Nadja Jackson. “BCS delivers a top ­notch educational program while creating an atmosphere of leadership, positive school spirit and pride.”

A visitation team from the California Department of Education spent a day at BCS evaluating its mission, implementation and award­ winning academic programs to determine its selection.

The review committee singled out the project­-based learning using curriculum that emphasizes problem solving, inquiry­-based instruction and cooperative learning as an important contribution to the school’s success.

“Most importantly, the signature practice of the school – individual learning plans for each student – sets the foundation upon which the instructional program is developed,” the review documents reported.

In addition to the California Distinguished School Award, BCS has received WASC accreditation and been named one of the leading charter schools in the state. Its API scores place BCS in the top 1 percent of California elementary schools.

The school’s open ­enrollment period recently ended with a record number of enrollment requests.

California Charter Schools Association, which supports the charter school movement statewide, selected Bullis Charter School as one of approximately 50 charter schools across the state to participate in the My School! program.

Selected schools agree to incorporate the program into curriculum projects and community activities, and create dialogue among educators and parents about what their school means to them. Bullis Charter School announced its support for the My School! public awareness campaign Nov. 13.

“Bullis Charter School has become well ­known for its outstanding academic and extracurricular programs. The My School! campaign is an opportunity for the students to have fun while highlighting these areas of education,” said Darin Conway, parent of two Bullis Charter School students.

Bullis Charter School is the highest­ scoring California charter school and ranks among the top 1 percent of all schools in the state.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a leader among charter schools,” said Wanny Hersey, principal and superintendent of Bullis Charter School. “We have an outstanding community which has allowed us to put together a unique program.”
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The California Charter Schools Association kicked off the campaign with the introduction of an interactive Web site, www.myschool.org. The site supports the charter school movement and provides an online resource for parents across the state searching for a public charter school in their community.

After a lengthy self­ study and full ­day accreditation team visit, the Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) awarded full accreditation to Bullis Charter School.

The criteria to receive accreditation are based on guidelines of systemic school improvement that address WASC’s central tenet: A school operates with a clear understanding of its purpose.

“Bullis Charter School is extremely proud to have achieved such high distinction in such a short period of time,” said Ken Moore, Bullis Charter School board chairman. “We see the WASC accreditation as confirmation that our programs maximize student learning.”

The accreditation process provides an opportunity for the school to review current best practices, establish short­ and long­ term goals and validate the integrity of a school’s program. Most schools receive a request for further self­ study or a limited term approval. Bullis Charter School, in its second year of operation, was awarded full accreditation.

“I’m very proud of being such a new school and having the WASC team come in and validate the work we are doing,” said Principal Wanny Hersey. “We work on what we feel is important in education to make the school unique.”

The Schools Commission noted the charter school’s unique electives program, its strong parent community and its skilled teaching staff as some of its outstanding features.

“Everything about the school challenges those involved: leaders, teachers, parents, schools and community. This is a high­ achieving school. There is a school community value system that creates an environment so students can glow academically based on their abilities,” the Schools Commission reported on Bullis Charter School.

Hersey said the report recognized that one of the major tenets of the charter school is that it looks at students on an individual basis.

“Our kids model character pillars because our value system is thoroughly integrated,” Hersey said.

Bullis Charter School’s enrollment is up by 30 students this year, for a total of 260 students on campus. Hersey said BCS has welcomed five new staff, including instructional aides, to work on campus this year.

“We have some new, amazing staff joining us, staff that is multi­-talented and qualified,” Hersey said. “I think between all of us, there are 11 languages and a large range of expertise and passion.”

Hersey said the school is working on building its community­ service and environmental science programs. Members of the charter school staff trained at Hopkins Marin Institute last week to prepare for the science programs this year. The charter school is also working with Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills to enhance its environmental science learning.