The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School (MVPCS) is 20 years old. Most public schools exist out of necessity, in response to growth in population. The charter school was born because a group of parents took up the challenge from the state to create a different type of school as an option for Vineyard families.

This winter the charter school received the results of its five-year Charter Renewal Inspection Report from a state review committee who visited us this year. We passed with flying colors, our finest review to date. We were especially gratified that the committee praised us for “actively build[ing] a sense of community.” That sense of community strengthens everything we do.

This year the state administered the PARCC test, a new standardized assessment of academic progress. As the Vineyard Gazette put it, among Island schools, MVCPS “led the pack.”

That achievement was strengthened by community. On the day of standardized test-taking, the whole school supports the classes who are taking the test by creating an atmosphere of calm support to ensure focus and low anxiety. Students who know that the entire school community supports them will do their best work.

We build community not just on test days, but every day. Each morning students, faculty, parents/guardians and administration get together at Morning Meeting for general announcements and to share personal discoveries and achievements that range from a Kindergartner describing a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis to a senior being accepted to college.

We build community on the playground. Throughout the day kids are playing outside in informal mixed aged groupings, and we all know how much learning goes on in playgrounds. A high school may be helping a middle-schooler with his jump shot. A first grader’s day is made by kicking a soccer ball to a ninth grader. And both older kids begin to see themselves as people who have something to give.

We build community in the classroom. Our mixed-age classes include fifth graders in the same room as sixth graders which allows for a give and take of ideas, skills, and modeled behavior.

It’s all about community and community builds character.

The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School celebrates its 20th year envisioning what the school could look like in the future, based on a hard look at our past and retooling with an eye to what we could do next. One thing we are certain to hold on to is this core combination: helping Island students build character while they achieve academically, thanks to a strong, supportive community.

Robert Moore
Vineyard Haven

The writer is director of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School.