Beacon+Charter+High+School+Description


 * Beacon Charter High School for the Arts**

Beacon Charter is a high school for the arts that caters to those in grades 9-12, headed by Principal Michael Skeldon. Their mission is to "[develop] artistic thinkers by nurturing self-expression while preparing our graduates with the academic skills necessary for sustained post-secondary success." They have won mulitiple awards since its beginning in 2003, including the US News and World Report Bronze medal in 2008. The school hopes to keep improving, hiring innovative and enthusiastic faculty, renovate the facility with grant funding and fundraising. They are also looking to explore some options for expansion of their innovative program so that they may admit more students.
 * District:Woonsocket**
 * Author: Kelley Carpenter**
 * Introduction **

In order to go to Beacon Charter, the student must reside in a Rhode Island community and apply to the school. Admission for students who qualify is determined, per the law in Rhode Island, by lottery. Generally there are 60 seats in the freshman class, with anywhere from no seats to ten seats in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Those who do not make it in through the lottery are placed on a waiting list.
 * //Admission At Beacon //**

**Funding **
Beacon Charter’s status as a charter school allows students who gain admission to the school to not pay tuition like they would in a private school. The school is paid for partially by the state, by their district, by local funds, and also partially on a federal level. The school’s budget is based on the funds provided by these sources.

Beacon Charter's arts program includes Culinary, Visual, and Theatrical arts. In order to graduate, students must take and pass 32 courses (eight Culinary/Visual/Theatrical arts courses, four English courses, four Math courses, two Computer or Business courses, three Humanities or Social Studies classes, four Science classes, two or three Foreign Language courses, two Physical Education/Health courses, and two Capstone/Senior Seminar/Film as Literature classes). The difference between Beacon and other RI public schools may be most obviously their art programs. There are three separate tracks: The Culinary program is supplemented by Beacon's own commercial kitchen, which is used as a "culinary laboratory". By graduation, Beacon students have learned safety and sanitation skills, kitchen polices, advanced their professional cooking and baking skills, learned how to plan menus, manage restaurants, and more. This prepares them to successfully enter culinary colleges such as Johnson and Wales or other out of state schools, and also prepares them for an entry level job as a chef. For their Theatre Arts program, students experience the many parts of theatre: acting, directing, playwriting, stage management, improvisation, design: set, lighting, makeup, sound, and more. The school produces and directs two mainstage shows a year in addition to student projects. The goal of Beacon is to have students of this program to emerge from the program to continue at college in a theatre major or begin a career in theatre. For their Visual Arts, students experiment and explore painting in both oils and watercolors, drawing in charcoal and ink, sculpting in a variety of materials, and generally explore their artistic talent through a variety of materials. Students have the opportunity to exhibit their work at an off-site gallery, compete in competitions, and build a portfolio of their art.
 * //Beacon's Academic Program //**
 * Culinary Arts Program **
 * Theatre Program **
 * Visual Arts Program **

Compared to the nearby Woonsocket High school, Beacon did a great deal better when looking at the NECAPS test scores. In 11th grade, Beacon Charter students had a 58% proficiency rate in math (compared to Woonsocket's 16% rate), 91% in reading (compared to 64% for Woonsocket High), 75% in Writing (29% for Woonsocket High), and 28% for science (9% for WHS). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">When a student is absent at Beacon, they must bring in a parent note the first day they return to school in order to be excused from class. More than five consecutive days of absence requires a doctor’s note, and excuses written in parents notes such as "missed the bus" or "overslept" are not accepted. Students that arrive after 10:30 on a school day are considered exempt, and early releases must be preceded by a note from home. More than five unexcused absences total in a quarter is met with disciplinary action, as is excessive tardiness. Students who are absent or arrive late the day of a school event are not permitted to attend or participate. Perhaps as a result, their attendance rate is 97%.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">How Beacon Charter School Stacks Up //**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">Test Scores **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">Policies **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Demographics And Poverty Info **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Beacon Charter’s student population is 1% American Indian, 2% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 8% black, and 78% white. Thirty-seven percent of their students (more than the RI Average of 34%) of their students are eligible for free lunch and a additional 11% are eligible for reduced price lunch. The school is comprised of 41% male and 59% female students. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">According to parent testimonial on the site, Beacon Charter's teachers are highly dedicated to students and involved highly in promoting and advising extracurricular activities. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">“The teachers at this school go far beyond what other teachers will do with students to insure that the students work to their full potential. They help students with work, projects and there are many extra-curricular activities that the students can participate. I believe it is the teacher involvement that helps the Beacon student attain their goals in the school. This is by far the best school I have seen, where the student actually comes first!”--Beacon Parent <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The staff at Beacon Charter supports recognition for an artist of the month and artist of the year at Beacon. Extracurricular activities were generally mentioned by student comments, but eh site had no specific mention of them.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">The Parent’s View **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">Extra-curricular Activities and Programs **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">With their recent purchase of the school building, the blue and silver Beacon Knights hope to keep renovating their school and teachers hope to help their students continue to excel in their chosen fields and in college or careers after Beacon High. Though the curriculum may be different, Beacon Charter High School has similar goals to those of the nearby public schools--to educate their students and prepare them for a life of learning and hopefully success.
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18px;">Conclusion //**

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Sources: = Public School Review. (2003). //Beacon charter school//. Retrieved from [] Beacon Charter High School For the Arts. (2012). //Beacon: 10 years//. Retrieved from http://www.beaconart.org/