As the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School’s ninth graduating class prepares for commencement tomorrow, this small community will celebrate the achievements of its largest group ever — nine students, fittingly.

“There are seminal moments of a year in the life of a school, and [graduation] is one of them,” said charter school director Bob Moore. “It gives everyone the opportunity to step back a little bit and reflect on the group of kids and the work we do, what it means to everyone in the community. That’s what this school is about ... moving young people forward. And we have been blessed with a wonderful group.”

The charter school was established in 1996 as an alternative public school option for Island families. The school takes a project-based approach to learning. Yearly portfolio projects and mentoring programs encourage the high school students to reach outside the classroom for a more comprehensive education.

“The school is in many senses very traditional, if you go back to the tradition of the one-room schoolhouse,” said high school history teacher Jonah Maidoff. “In the sense that responsibility for learning is in part the student’s.”

In fact, these students don’t seem much different from other high school students. They have fulfilled all the same state-issued curriculum requirements. They are planning to pursue a diversity of post-graduation endeavors, including college, travel and work.

“They bring spirit, they bring energy, and they bring challenges as well,” said Mr. Moore.

But it is their complete integration into the community that sets these students apart from their peers elsewhere. This class in particular embodies a philosophy of service and a sense of individual power that reflect the values upon which the institution was built.

“The founders really wanted the school to be very interrelated to the community,” said Mr. Moore. “This year ... in many ways [the class] reflects the community as brilliantly as the founders of our school wanted it to.

“[These are] people who come together and care about one another, who made changes in people’s lives,” he added.

Their community outreach ventures have extended well beyond the students’ immediate surroundings. The class of 2009 has traveled far and wide to participate in different service projects. A group of graduating seniors traveled to Mexico to help out a struggling orphanage. Another group traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in a cleanup project for the Anacostia River. Closer-to-home projects include assisting the Vineyard elderly and collecting food donations for local food pantries.

“We have a group of people graduating who have done magnanimous things,” said Mr. Moore. “[They] have shown other people that they care, and they are willing and wanting to learn about what is going on in this world. To make their own selves and their own community stronger and more caring.”

When the students are not making their mark as community volunteers, they are able to turn their attention to their portfolio projects, which require several hours of independent study per week. By the time students are seniors, the portfolios reflect an incredible depth of understanding and level of commitment to a subject.

“It’s students following what they are interested in and delving deep into that topic. It’s a year-long project,” said charter school assistant director and co-founder Claudia Ewing. This year’s list included a project focused on astrology, one about the Japanese martial art aikido, and another focusing on the 10 most influential people on one student’s life.

“Our kids are multi-talented. We try to help them find their passion...they have a lot more independence which means they have a lot more responsibility,” said Mr. Maidoff.

Senior Zoe Benjamin’s project has shaped her plans for life after high school. Her subject was fair trade practices, which involved a study of the people who benefit from the ethically-based trade policies. “I’m going to expand it. I’m going to travel all over the world. I’m going to Costa Rica next year, and then India the year after that,” said Ms. Benjamin.

Her goal is to investigate different sweatshops and see where fair trade could and should be implemented. “I’m going to bring back a lot of research, and make it into a huge portfolio in a couple years,” she said.

Another senior, Ryan Antolick, has chosen to attend St. Anselm College in New Hampshire in the fall. Unlike Ms. Benjamin, his plan veers somewhat away from his course of study senior year.

To fulfill his school mentorship requirement, a program which plays out like an internship, Mr. Antolick worked at the Woods Hole Science Aquarium. At college, he plans to pursue a degree in business. But he still feels his mentorship was beneficial to his future.

“We worked with different people to try to expand our knowledge about job opportunities,” explained Mr. Antolick. In an uncertain economy, this early experience in the workforce can be indispensable.

Mr. Moore does worry about the status of the job market and how it will affect his graduating seniors. But he is confident that they have the tools necessary to meet the challenges they will almost certainly face.

His concern likely stems from the special connection he feels with this class in particular.

“I had a unique opportunity to teach this class last year in U.S. History. That was another level of understanding and getting to know them . . . to spend time with them and to exchange ideas and thoughts and dream and explore. I think this group has a special place in my heart because of that opportunity,” he said.

The bonds formed between the students of the 2009 class will likely be lasting as well.

“There’s a lot of caring, and pushing each other along ... there’s a lot of support that they give each other. They get along great,” said Mrs. Ewing.

“It feels sometimes like the people in our class are like a little family, like we are looking out for each other,” said Ms. Benjamin.

As they embark on their different journeys, will the students forget their fellow charter graduates?

“There are so [few] of us that we will really remember each other distinctly. People won’t fade away,” she said.

The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School graduation ceremony is Saturday, June 6, at 1:30 p.m. on the grounds of the school on State Road in West Tisbury. All are welcome.