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 auto ...

Warba Warba is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 181 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. U.S. Route 2 in Minnesota, U.S. Highway 2 serves as a main route in the community. Histo ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The Northern Lights Community School (NLCS), 6−12, uses

project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...

. 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 without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

, 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 an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

each day, along with one

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

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, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

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 something ...

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 whethe ...

, 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 life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

.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