2024 Eagle Awards: Plymouth Scholars Earns Founder’s Award
NHA Communications TeamNHA Communications Team
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2024 Eagle Awards: Plymouth Scholars Earns Founder’s Award
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National Heritage Academies (NHA) celebrated its schools during the annual Eagle Awards as a part of the 2024 Leadership Summit, recognizing schools for their hard work.
The top honor of the night, the Founder’s Award, was awarded to Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy. The Founder’s Award is given annually to the school that creates a culture which embodies Moral Focus by embedding each virtue in what they say and do in their interactions with parents, students, and staff.
J.C. Huizenga (middle) poses for a photo with Founder’s Award-winning Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy leadership (from left to right: Dean of Grades Y5-2 and Intervention Deana Murray, Principal Sabrina Terenzi, Dean of Grades 3-4, Special Education, and EL Jamie Steeb, and Dean of Middle School and Specials Marcella Rogers).
Plymouth Scholars made strides in Moral Focus, implementing a peer mentoring program as well as a buddy classroom program. The school’s goal was to engage scholars and have them interact with peers they might not otherwise see throughout their typical day.
Sabrina Terenzi, principal at Plymouth Scholars, said Moral Focus virtues and lessons are infused throughout the school.
“My mission is to push our kids to do better and grow, and one of our focuses this year was on Moral Focus,” Terenzi said. “Ultimately, we needed something more in the Moral Focus area. Our kindergarteners and our eighth graders never see each other, and sometimes it feels like there are different schools. So I wanted to start a peer mentoring program based on Moral Focus. Our staff bought in and then we added buddy classrooms.
“Our school community is so great. Everyone is willing to help out.”
Pathway School of Discovery and Fortis Academy were also finalists for the Founder’s Award.
Aside from the Founder’s Award, schools earned recognition for their hard work in several other areas: Employee Engagement, Parent Satisfaction, State Accountability, Student Attendance, School Safety, and Student Enrollment.
You can find a list of all award winners below.
Congratulations to Plymouth Scholars and thank you to everyone for celebrating!
Brooklyn Scholars Charter School leaders (from left to right: Dean of Lower Elementary Ligoria Berkeley-Cummins, Dean of Upper Elementary Peta Kelly, Principal Roxanne Thomas, Dean of Special Education and Intervention Shakera Bennett, Dean of Middle School Clodette Jean-Louis) pose for a photo after receiving a Taking Flight Eagle Award for Student Attendance.
Leaders from Westfield Preparatory High School (from left to right: Principal Kurtis Dollison, Dean Samantha Lynch, and Dean Keyheatia Walker) pose for a selfie with Executive Director of School Quality Shawn Leonard (second from left) after receiving an Eagle Award.
Landmark Academy at Reunion Principal Jenna Reeves (left) and Dean of Upper Elementary Tamara Leavitt pose for a photo with their Eagle Awards after the ceremony.
NHA President and Chief Learning Officer Nick Sheltrown (left) congratulates Canton Charter Academy Principal Jennifer Conley during the Eagle Awards at the 2024 Leadership Summit.
2023-24 EAGLE AWARDS CRITERIA AND WINNERS
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Awarded to schools with a Glint Employee Engagement Index at or above 85 on the spring 2024 employee engagement survey.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Laurus Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Quest Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Taylor Exemplar Academy
- Warrendale Charter Academy
PARENT SATISFACTION: Awarded to schools with at least 90% of parents satisfied (top two boxes) and at least a 40% response rate on the spring 2024 parent survey.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Fortis Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Pathway School of Discovery
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
STATE ACCOUNTABILITY: Awarded to schools achieving AQM at or above the 90th percentile based on 2022-23 state test results.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Alliance Academy of Cincinnati
- Aspire Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Detroit Enterprise Charter Academy
- Eagle Crest Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Pinnacle Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Research Triangle Charter Academy
- Ridge Park Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Stambaugh Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Walker Charter Academy
- Windemere Park Charter Academy
STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Awarded to the top 10% of schools with the lowest percentage of students chronically absent. Criteria are measured by school type.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Gate City Charter Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Peak Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- Research Triangle Charter Academy
- Ridge Park Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- Winterville Charter Academy
SCHOOL SAFETY: Awarded to schools that were compliant with the NHA safety program, completed the required emergency drills on time, participated in Safe Schools Week, earned an overall score of 90+ on the spring 2024 employee engagement survey safety question.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- East Arbor Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Holly Park Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Laurus Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Mountain View Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Peak Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Quest Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Taylor Exemplar Academy
- Warrendale Charter Academy
- Winterville Charter Academy
STUDENT ENROLLMENT: Awarded to schools with 1) count day enrollment at 100% of their enrollment goal, with an enrollment goal at or above expected capacity and 2) ADM at 99% of the lesser of fall enrollment or offered capacity.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Foundations Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Landmark Academy at Reunion
- Laurus Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Matthews Charter Academy
- Oakside Prep Academy
- Pathway School of Discovery
- Peak Charter Academy
- Phoenix Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Vanguard Charter Academy
- Walton Charter Academy
TAKING FLIGHT AWARD CRITERIA AND WINNERS
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement on the Glint Employee Engagement Index from the fall to spring employee survey.
- Atlanta Heights Charter School
- Canton Charter Academy
- Holly Park Charter Academy
- PreEminent Charter School
- Westfield Preparatory High School
PARENT SATISFACTION: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement in the percent of parents highly satisfied from the fall to spring parent survey and at least a 25% response rate on both surveys.
- Apex Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Mill Creek Academy
- Mountain View Academy
- Sky Ranch Charter School
STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest year-over-year improvement in the percent of students chronically absent.
- Arbor Preparatory High School
- Brooklyn Dreams Charter School
- Brooklyn Scholars Charter School
- Summit Creek Charter Academy
- Westfield Preparatory High School
STUDENT ENROLLMENT: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement in year-over-year count day enrollment, based on same-grade configurations.
- Johnston Charter Academy
- Milwaukee Scholars Charter Academy
- Rolesville Charter Academy
- Wake Forest Charter Academy
- Westfield Charter Academy
SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE
Awarded to schools with superior performance in academics and enrollment for the 2022-23 school year.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Detroit Enterprise Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Triumph Academy
- Vanguard Charter Academy
- Walton Charter Academy
- Westfield Charter Academy
About National Heritage Academies
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
The top honor of the night, the Founder’s Award, was awarded to Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy. The Founder’s Award is given annually to the school that creates a culture which embodies Moral Focus by embedding each virtue in what they say and do in their interactions with parents, students, and staff.
J.C. Huizenga (middle) poses for a photo with Founder’s Award-winning Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy leadership (from left to right: Dean of Grades Y5-2 and Intervention Deana Murray, Principal Sabrina Terenzi, Dean of Grades 3-4, Special Education, and EL Jamie Steeb, and Dean of Middle School and Specials Marcella Rogers).
Plymouth Scholars made strides in Moral Focus, implementing a peer mentoring program as well as a buddy classroom program. The school’s goal was to engage scholars and have them interact with peers they might not otherwise see throughout their typical day.
Sabrina Terenzi, principal at Plymouth Scholars, said Moral Focus virtues and lessons are infused throughout the school.
“My mission is to push our kids to do better and grow, and one of our focuses this year was on Moral Focus,” Terenzi said. “Ultimately, we needed something more in the Moral Focus area. Our kindergarteners and our eighth graders never see each other, and sometimes it feels like there are different schools. So I wanted to start a peer mentoring program based on Moral Focus. Our staff bought in and then we added buddy classrooms.
“Our school community is so great. Everyone is willing to help out.”
Pathway School of Discovery and Fortis Academy were also finalists for the Founder’s Award.
Aside from the Founder’s Award, schools earned recognition for their hard work in several other areas: Employee Engagement, Parent Satisfaction, State Accountability, Student Attendance, School Safety, and Student Enrollment.
You can find a list of all award winners below.
Congratulations to Plymouth Scholars and thank you to everyone for celebrating!
Brooklyn Scholars Charter School leaders (from left to right: Dean of Lower Elementary Ligoria Berkeley-Cummins, Dean of Upper Elementary Peta Kelly, Principal Roxanne Thomas, Dean of Special Education and Intervention Shakera Bennett, Dean of Middle School Clodette Jean-Louis) pose for a photo after receiving a Taking Flight Eagle Award for Student Attendance.
Leaders from Westfield Preparatory High School (from left to right: Principal Kurtis Dollison, Dean Samantha Lynch, and Dean Keyheatia Walker) pose for a selfie with Executive Director of School Quality Shawn Leonard (second from left) after receiving an Eagle Award.
Landmark Academy at Reunion Principal Jenna Reeves (left) and Dean of Upper Elementary Tamara Leavitt pose for a photo with their Eagle Awards after the ceremony.
NHA President and Chief Learning Officer Nick Sheltrown (left) congratulates Canton Charter Academy Principal Jennifer Conley during the Eagle Awards at the 2024 Leadership Summit.
2023-24 EAGLE AWARDS CRITERIA AND WINNERS
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Awarded to schools with a Glint Employee Engagement Index at or above 85 on the spring 2024 employee engagement survey.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Laurus Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Quest Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Taylor Exemplar Academy
- Warrendale Charter Academy
PARENT SATISFACTION: Awarded to schools with at least 90% of parents satisfied (top two boxes) and at least a 40% response rate on the spring 2024 parent survey.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Fortis Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Pathway School of Discovery
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
STATE ACCOUNTABILITY: Awarded to schools achieving AQM at or above the 90th percentile based on 2022-23 state test results.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Alliance Academy of Cincinnati
- Aspire Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Detroit Enterprise Charter Academy
- Eagle Crest Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Pinnacle Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Research Triangle Charter Academy
- Ridge Park Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Stambaugh Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Walker Charter Academy
- Windemere Park Charter Academy
STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Awarded to the top 10% of schools with the lowest percentage of students chronically absent. Criteria are measured by school type.
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Gate City Charter Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Peak Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- Research Triangle Charter Academy
- Ridge Park Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- Winterville Charter Academy
SCHOOL SAFETY: Awarded to schools that were compliant with the NHA safety program, completed the required emergency drills on time, participated in Safe Schools Week, earned an overall score of 90+ on the spring 2024 employee engagement survey safety question.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- East Arbor Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Holly Park Academy
- Keystone Academy
- Laurus Academy
- Legacy Charter Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Mountain View Academy
- Paragon Charter Academy
- Peak Charter Academy
- Pembroke Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Quest Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Taylor Exemplar Academy
- Warrendale Charter Academy
- Winterville Charter Academy
STUDENT ENROLLMENT: Awarded to schools with 1) count day enrollment at 100% of their enrollment goal, with an enrollment goal at or above expected capacity and 2) ADM at 99% of the lesser of fall enrollment or offered capacity.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Foundations Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Landmark Academy at Reunion
- Laurus Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Matthews Charter Academy
- Oakside Prep Academy
- Pathway School of Discovery
- Peak Charter Academy
- Phoenix Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Queen's Grant Community School
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Vanguard Charter Academy
- Walton Charter Academy
TAKING FLIGHT AWARD CRITERIA AND WINNERS
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement on the Glint Employee Engagement Index from the fall to spring employee survey.
- Atlanta Heights Charter School
- Canton Charter Academy
- Holly Park Charter Academy
- PreEminent Charter School
- Westfield Preparatory High School
PARENT SATISFACTION: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement in the percent of parents highly satisfied from the fall to spring parent survey and at least a 25% response rate on both surveys.
- Apex Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Mill Creek Academy
- Mountain View Academy
- Sky Ranch Charter School
STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest year-over-year improvement in the percent of students chronically absent.
- Arbor Preparatory High School
- Brooklyn Dreams Charter School
- Brooklyn Scholars Charter School
- Summit Creek Charter Academy
- Westfield Preparatory High School
STUDENT ENROLLMENT: Awarded to the top 5% of schools with the greatest improvement in year-over-year count day enrollment, based on same-grade configurations.
- Johnston Charter Academy
- Milwaukee Scholars Charter Academy
- Rolesville Charter Academy
- Wake Forest Charter Academy
- Westfield Charter Academy
SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE
Awarded to schools with superior performance in academics and enrollment for the 2022-23 school year.
- Achieve Charter Academy
- Advantage Charter Academy
- Burton Glen Charter Academy
- Canton Charter Academy
- Chandler Woods Charter Academy
- Cross Creek Charter Academy
- Detroit Enterprise Charter Academy
- Excel Charter Academy
- Great Oaks Academy
- Greensboro Academy
- Hamtramck Academy
- Linden Charter Academy
- Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy
- Riverton Street Charter School
- South Arbor Charter Academy
- South Canton Scholars Charter Academy
- Summerfield Charter Academy
- Triumph Academy
- Vanguard Charter Academy
- Walton Charter Academy
- Westfield Charter Academy
About National Heritage Academies
National Heritage Academies (NHA) is a network of more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.