50 signatures reached
To: Great Hearts School Board and Leadership
Open a Great Hearts Academy in Flagstaff
The children and parents of Flagstaff, AZ are highly underserved in terms of school choice. I created this petition to help facilitate the building of a new Great Hearts School, which would greatly benefit the children of Flagstaff and the surrounding areas. Great Hearts Academies are a network of non-profit k-12 charter schools offering a classical education equivalent to that of a private school, open to any child who wishes to attend. Building a Great Hearts Academy in Flagstaff would bring more educational options for parents and students, and would provide better academic outcomes to those students who participate.
Why is this important?
I first began speaking with Erik Twist, President of the Arizona Chapter of Great Hearts Academies, because my family will be moving to Flagstaff next year. My daughter currently attends Great Hearts Arete in Gilbert, AZ and the thought of sending her to any other school broke my heart. What started as a mission to have a Great Hearts Flagstaff Academy built so my daughter could continue her education at an excellent school, turned into a quest to offer a better educational choice to ALL parents and students in the Flagstaff area.
Great Hearts students consistently out-perform other district, charter, and even private schools. The SAT scores of students from Great Hearts Academies are 175 points higher than the national average (1243 compared to the national average of 1068). Additionally, the average weighted GPA at Great Hearts is 4.12, considerably higher than the average at almost all other schools in Arizona. Great Hearts will provide the children of Flagstaff with an amazing opportunity to receive a classical liberal arts education for free to anyone who wants to receive it.
In addition to the extremely positive educational aspects of the Great Hearts curriculum, they've also handled the pandemic very well by prioritizing students and getting them back into classes as soon as possible. All Great Hearts Academies have been open for over a month, full time. There is an option to continue online schooling for those who choose to do so, but most families have chosen to return to school on campus. Furthermore, the vast majority of teachers voted to return to in-person school, recognizing that not only was it better for the students, but it's better for the teachers as well. Students get masks breaks throughout the day, and they aren't required to wear masks during lunch or their 3-4 recesses.
The teachers and administrators truly care about their pupils, and live up to their mission "To cultivate the minds and hearts of students through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty."
Please consider signing this petition, so we can provide an exceptional education to the students of Flagstaff, AZ.
More about Great Heart's academic achievement:
https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/great-hearts-life/results/
Great Hearts Academies again surpass national graduation rate:
https://www.yourvalley.net/estrella-independent/stories/great-hearts-graduation-rates-again-surpass-national-averages,76838
Current ratings for public schools in Flagstaff, AZ:
https://www.greatschools.org/arizona/flagstaff/schools/?st%5B%5D=public
Current ratings for Great Heart Schools in the Phoenix, Metro Area:
https://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?q=Great%20Hearts%20Academies
Great Hearts students consistently out-perform other district, charter, and even private schools. The SAT scores of students from Great Hearts Academies are 175 points higher than the national average (1243 compared to the national average of 1068). Additionally, the average weighted GPA at Great Hearts is 4.12, considerably higher than the average at almost all other schools in Arizona. Great Hearts will provide the children of Flagstaff with an amazing opportunity to receive a classical liberal arts education for free to anyone who wants to receive it.
In addition to the extremely positive educational aspects of the Great Hearts curriculum, they've also handled the pandemic very well by prioritizing students and getting them back into classes as soon as possible. All Great Hearts Academies have been open for over a month, full time. There is an option to continue online schooling for those who choose to do so, but most families have chosen to return to school on campus. Furthermore, the vast majority of teachers voted to return to in-person school, recognizing that not only was it better for the students, but it's better for the teachers as well. Students get masks breaks throughout the day, and they aren't required to wear masks during lunch or their 3-4 recesses.
The teachers and administrators truly care about their pupils, and live up to their mission "To cultivate the minds and hearts of students through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty."
Please consider signing this petition, so we can provide an exceptional education to the students of Flagstaff, AZ.
More about Great Heart's academic achievement:
https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/great-hearts-life/results/
Great Hearts Academies again surpass national graduation rate:
https://www.yourvalley.net/estrella-independent/stories/great-hearts-graduation-rates-again-surpass-national-averages,76838
Current ratings for public schools in Flagstaff, AZ:
https://www.greatschools.org/arizona/flagstaff/schools/?st%5B%5D=public
Current ratings for Great Heart Schools in the Phoenix, Metro Area:
https://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?q=Great%20Hearts%20Academies
How it will be delivered
This petition, along with physical petitions signed in person by Flagstaff residents, will be delivered directly to Erik Twist and the Board of Directors for the Great Hearts Academy Network of Institutions. Mr. Twist has been very receptive to the proposal of building a Great Hearts Academy in Flagstaff, and the Board looks forward to receiving this petition so they can move forward.