Chester Community Charter School Graduated 176 Eighth-Grade Students

Sujeylee Alverez, valedictorian, Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), addressed her classmates and more than 800 others at the school’s recent sixth annual 8^th Grade Graduation Ceremony. Alverez described her time at CCCS and how the education she received at the school opened doors for more than 30 high schools that recruited her for their 9^th grade classes.

When the new school year begins in September 2012, 52.3% of this year’s graduating eighth graders from Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, will be attending a private or charter high school, or a public high school outside of the Chester Upland School District.

When the school held its graduation ceremony for 176 students, recently, more than 800 parents, guardians and friends of the school were in attendance. This year’s graduating class was CCCS’ largest to date, as the school has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment, as compared to its first middle school graduation, in 2006, which included just 48 students.

In commenting about the students’ success in being recruited by prestigious high school programs, Dr. David Clark, CEO, Chester Community Charter School, said, “I am proud of the academic growth, maturity and educational achievements of every graduating class, but this one in particular, was exceptional. It’s been an especially challenging year to be a student in Chester, Pennsylvania, but when questions about our school’s operation or about our children’s ability to learn are raised, I point nay-sayers to our results, because they speak for themselves.” He continued, “Our graduates are overwhelmingly going on to academically competitive secondary and post-secondary institutions and succeeding on their own terms; and for that I couldn’t be prouder. A huge congratulations to the graduating class of 2012!”