The Northern Lights Community School is a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

in Warba,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The Northern Lights Community School (NLCS), 6−12, uses project-based learning. The school also focuses on

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

, by communicating with members and organizations of the community and by requiring 40 hours of community service each year.

Academia

The Northern Lights Community School requires one session of

math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

each day, along with one

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

session and two seminars which changes each quarter. Seminars include intensive academics in the areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, art, music, and elective courses. Students take the Hope Study Survey Test at the beginning and end of the year to monitor progress in the subject areas of

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

belongingness Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, a religion, or something else, some people tend to have an 'inherent' desire to belong and be an important part of somethi ...

goal orientation Goal orientation, or achievement orientation, is an "individual disposition towards developing or validating one's ability in achievement settings". In general, an individual can be said to be ''mastery'' or ''performance'' oriented, based on whe ...

, engagement, and

hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

.Newell. 2008. The test was created by EdVisions Schools to assess "emotional and psychological growth" in students.

Student population

The Northern Lights Community School currently is educating 85 students. There are four advisory sections, each with approximately twenty students, one advisor, and one project manager.

Grants and affiliations

The Northern Lights Community School (NLCS) is a member of the Green Charter School Network and has received a $1,000 grant from the Network. NLCS is an EdVisions School, an organization supported by the Gates Foundation. NLCS received a Federal Charter School start-up grant that helped them design the school and purchase furniture, supplies, sports equipment, and enough computers to have one computer per every two students. NLCS also has recently received a $500,000 grant for remodeling from the Minnesota Department of Education.

References

Northern Lights Community School Homepage
Northern Lights Community School. Retrieved on 2008.4.7. * Newell, Ronald J. and Mark J. Van Ryzin
EdVisions Schools
Retrieved on 2008.4.7.

External links

Green Charter School Network
{{authority control Charter schools in Minnesota Schools in Itasca County, Minnesota Public high schools in Minnesota Public middle schools in Minnesota