Charter School Celebrates Second Largest Graduating Class

The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School graduates 15 seniors this year, the second largest class in school history. They are a close-knit group — like a family, or a “loud pack of cousins,” said senior Winter Muric.

Graduation takes place Saturday, June 6 on the school grounds, and last week the students gathered at Owen Park for the annual senior lunch.

With interests spanning across many different fields, the graduating seniors have excelled in academics and trades, mentored younger classes and brought an infectious energy to the school’s day-to-day activities.

“We all really display the values of what the charter school hopes to instill in people, and in ways that are fundamentally unique to each of us,” said Bangii-Kai Bellecourt. “Everyone here wants to go into different fields and has really open minds about everything.”

Members of the class of 2026 are: Amanda Silva, Angel Walker, Aubriel Tomkins, Bangii-Kai Bellecourt, Gabriela Lino, Ian Patricio, Jack Baer, Kali Spain, Nicola Capece, Landen Elderkin, Phoebe Nichols, Reid Kerns, Rose Smilie, Winter Muric and Wyatt McCarthy.

This year’s seniors are an “exceptional group,” said school director Pete Steedman, who is also in his last year at the charter school this year. Mr. Steedman arrived at the school in 2018, and is leaving to teach theatre at Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis.

Christopher (Chris) Nace was chosen in March as the school’s next director, beginning work in July.

Mr. Steedman praised the class for taking on the challenge of the International Baccalaureate (IB), a rigorous academic program the school adopted five years ago. And the achievements didn’t stop at academics.

“We have artists in there, culinary specialists, we’ve got bakers and playwrights, we’ve got such a vast and wide range of experiences in this class,” said Mr. Steedman.

Aubriel Tomkins took advantage of the IB program’s work-study opportunity, working at Conroy’s Apothecary across the street from the school. Next year she will head to University of Rhode Island to start a six-year PharmD program.

“If you know what you want to do in life, it’s a great way to jumpstart that and get a head start on your knowledge,” she said.

Phoebe Nichols got that jumpstart in an independent study this year with the second grade class at the charter school. Ms. Nichols will attend Westfield State University next year to study psychology with the hopes of becoming a mental health therapist for young children.

“I want to be a voice, I want to be an advocate for them,” she said.

Rose Smilie is also attending Westfield State University, to study social work. She reflected on what her time in high school taught her, which she feels is especially unique at the charter school.

“I’ve learned a lot about how to be a good community member,” she said.

Other graduating students will attend colleges across the east coast and in Pennsylvania, pursuing fields in the humanities, arts and sciences.

Landen Elderkin, who moved to the Island last year, worked at Red Cat Kitchen while finishing his studies. Next year, he will attend the Culinary Institute of America for Culinary Arts.

Mr. Elderkin said he will miss the community at the charter school, especially this close-knit group of seniors.

When the seniors took their IB exams in the month of May, the school was “really quiet,” said Ms. Muric. It’s a testament to the way the senior class has led the school in the past few years, including younger classes in school government, working with the youngest students and organizing all-school events.

Ms. Muric started the now-annual Mayday celebration, including the iconic Maypole dance, four years ago.

Last year, Nicola Capece led a school-wide project inspired by The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, creating her own “giant storybook” called The Receiving Tree and using it to talk about giving back to nature.

“I think that’s something we really worked for — bridging the gap between freshmen and seniors, and even eighth graders, having the sense that everyone in the whole school is one community and one pod,” said Ms. Capece, who has been attending the charter school since kindergarten.

Ms. Muric and Ms. Capece both plan to study comparative literature. Ms. Muric will attend Haverford College, while Ms. Capece is headed to Swarthmore College.

The class has a strong international perspective, said Mr. Steedman. That comes in part from the IB program, but also from the class trips the students have taken together. They stayed with host families in Costa Rica as sophomores, and many of them went to Italy as eighth graders.

The trips was transformative for the class, he said, in their cultural perspectives and language abilities.

Ms. Capece agreed. But, she added, the trips were also transformative for the students as a unit.

“We were alone in a country that speaks another language, but it brought us together,” said Ms. Capece. “There’s a big family vibe.”

The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School graduation takes place Saturday, June 6 at 1:30 p.m. on the school grounds.

This article appears in June 5, 2026.