Vertus Featured in Democrat & Chronicle
Vertus Charter School, along with three other public charter schools, was featured in Democrat & Chronicle on February 17th. In an interview, our Co-Founder Dr. Leigh McGuigan says:
“Most kids don’t want to fail; most kids don’t want to act out,” McGuigan said. “Kids respond to the message of low expectations. If the message is we don’t think you’re smart, we don’t think you can do it, then they don’t care that much. … Finding out ways to reach them and form a relationship and find out what motivates them is the key.”
Other mentions of Vertus Charter School include:
… Vertus Charter School, a high school for boys that is accepting ninth-graders in the fall. Its founders, Perry White and Leigh McGuigan, have experience running successful charter schools in Cleveland and New York City.
The key concept at Vertus will be 12-person learning teams, headed by adult “preceptors” who will be responsible for every aspect of their boys’ performance at school — “someone who can teach our boys how to be men,” McGuigan said.
Academics will be organized into two long lab periods where students do online coursework at their own level and also participate in group work and activities. The afternoons will be dedicated largely to career and technical training and internships.
School days are long and so is the school year, part of an emphasis on strong support and high expectations.