The principal of JRPLA, Nicole Fama, told the story that after they received funding for the class she said at the time, “The plan is, we will keep them for ninth grade, I’ll find them wonderful high schools to attend and then we will say our goodbyes next year.”
After the scholars’ ninth grade year, they continued to express their desires to remain at JRPLA. To emphasize their point, some even indicated they would drop out if they had to go to another school.
Ever responsive to the scholars, Ms. Fama brought the situation to Phalen Leadership Academies founder and CEO Earl Martin Phalen. With the same matter of fact disposition as the scholars, Mr. Phalen said, “Let’s open a high school.”
“I’ve never been so proud of a group of scholars,” said Ms. Fama. “We went down to the State House because I told them, if you want better, you have to fight for yourselves, and learn how to speak on your own behalf.”
Ms. Fama stated that she doesn’t think the Charter School Board cared about what she or Mr. Phalen had to present, but rather she believes it was the scholars’ voices that persuaded the Board to give the approval to open the high school.
During the graduation, Mr. Phalen shared that when the vision of opening an incredible high school on the Far Eastside was raised, a lot of people thought that the children didn’t deserve it, it couldn’t be created, the school wouldn’t be safe or nurturing, and the school wouldn’t inspire our scholars to dream big. The scholars proved them all wrong.