Muskegon Heights Celebrates Progress
On Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy Board of Directors unanimously renewed its agreement with Superintendent Rané Garcia to continue leading the Academy and hosted a graduation ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of its 35 seniors who make up the Class of 2018.
Board President Carmella Ealom expressed the Board’s excitement about the future of the Academy, saying “We love our community and are devoted to ensuring our students and their families get what they deserve – a school community that cares about their success and provides the academic rigor students need to be successful in college, work and life.”
Superintendent Rané Garcia said, “I’m so proud of our graduates. They work hard and make us proud. We always emphasize the value of being ‘ferocious scholars,’ which means we take learning seriously. We persevere…and we overcome obstacles to accomplish our goals. The Class of 2018 has lived this value and I know they are going to carry their Tiger Pride with them as they spread their wings and go on to do great things.”
Garcia also expressed her gratitude for the Board’s confidence in her leadership and is excited about leading the Academy forward. “We are a unified team,” Garcia says. “We are going to continue to be relentless about ensuring we provide a safe, nurturing, and rigorous learning environment that our community can be proud of.”
Prior to becoming Superintendent, Garcia served as the Assistant Superintendent and played a key role in working with local community members and educational experts to draft a detailed “Partnership Agreement” with the Michigan Department of Education. The Agreement outlines goals and measures that the Academy must reach according to an established timeline.
In fact, the Academy is actually ahead of schedule in the progress it is making and was recently highlighted by the Michigan Department of Education and invited to share its story with the State Board of Education earlier in May.
Kathy Moore, Vice President of the Academy Board said, “It was a great honor for Superintendent Garcia to be invited by the State to share the work of the Partnership Agreement. As a Board, we know there is more work to do. Just like our students, we are a work in progress. We believe in the transformative power of a great education and we want the community to know that we are growing and getting stronger every day.”
For example, the Academy has strengthened and aligned its reading and math curriculum across grades K-12, increased student voice and leadership opportunities through student council,National Honor Society, and a student-managed school store.
Garcia said, “We also piloted a senior year redesign to provide an incentive for hard work and opportunities to explore West Michigan. Students have toured colleges and universities, attended
a digital arts film and television conference, and enjoyed outdoor education and community service experiences.”
“We’re gaining momentum and have even bigger plans for the 2018-2019 school year,” said Garcia. We are enrolling students now and want everyone to know that the Muskegon Heights Tigers are ready to roll!”