Letter from a parent dated July 20, 2005,
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to you in regards to the North Country Charter Academy here in Littleton, N.H. My son is now a high school graduate thanks to that school and the staff at the Academy.
As a parent it was one of my dreams to watch my son graduate from high school. I often imagined how I would feel when he received his diploma, how proud I was of him. Unfortunately those dreams were shattered when he decided at the end of his junior year to drop out of high school for various reasons.
In the fall of that same year we decided to try home school correspondence courses in hopes of him still receiving his diploma. Although it worked better for him than being in a crowded classroom there were still issues to deal with. I worked full time and was not home to help him or encourage him to get his work done. In the evening when I was home there were always so many distractions or interruptions, like his friends would call or stop by when he was trying to complete his studies. Realizing how critical it was for his future that he graduate from high school, when the opportunity came for Corey to attend the North Country Charter Academy he jumped at the chance.
Reflecting on the last year I can honestly say it was probably the most exciting experience that we have ever had (or could of hoped for) in all the years that Corey attended school Not once did Corey ever come home complaining about school . He looked forward to going each and every day! I still can't believe all the positive changes that I saw in Corey after he started attending the Academy. In his old school his attendance was very poor and he was late for school more often than not. At the Academy he had nearly perfect attendance and was always on time. He seemed so much happier in general, always speaking very highly of everything and everyone at the Academy, but most of all the director, Lisa Lavoie and the Administrative Assistant Jennie Richardson. They believed in Corey and his self esteem soared! They motivated him in a way that no one else could, including myself and for that I will be forever grateful. You could not have picked a better staff to operate that school than Lisa Lavoie and Jennie Richardson. Those kids thrived under their guidance and leadership, as I know my son did. I have always believed that in order to succeed you have to be happy with where you are and what you are doing and I truly believe thanks to the encouragement, supportive staff and the environment at the Academy is what made it an enjoyable learning experience for all of the students.
I understand that the school is currently operating on a grant. I can only say that I hope that this school will be around for many years to come so that others will have the opportunity that we had to see their children graduate as well. Since the graduation so many people have approached my son, husband and me, commenting on "how great they thought the school was" and "how they wished there was a school like that when their children were in school".
In closing I want you to know how grateful I am to all involved who brought this school to our community and gave my son and all of the other students a chance to receive a quality education with a happy, supportive learning environment. I will continue to support (and I know many other will as well) the director, Lisa Lavoie, Jennie Richardson, the North Country Charter Academy and its students 100%. Thank you!