SUMMIT CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION, INC. Winter 2013

SUMMITR E A C H H IG H E R

“20-20” VISION FOR SUMMIT’S FUTURE

Even before opening its doors in 1997, Summit has had several key tenants in place. Chief among them are academic rigor, educating the whole child and a shared sense of community. From the modular classrooms at the Village Green, to the building of our red schoolhouse facilities here on Mitten Lane, to recognition as a NC Honor School of Excellence, Summit has kept a keen eye on its core values and vision for the future.

The clarity of Summit’s vision could not be possible without a roadmap – a strategic plan. I am excited to report that Summit has achieved the majority of the current plan’s strategic initiatives in just three years. As we look to follow Summit’s motto to “reach higher”, we know that it is time to assess our current position and chart a path for further growth and success. With this in mind, we have initiated a new strategic planning process, one that will determine and define our priorities for the next 3 years and set the course for the next 10-15 years.

So just what does the future look like for Summit Charter School? We are rapidly advancing in an age of technology, where chalkboards are now interactive computer screens and textbooks are stored electronically on iPads. The radius of our applicant pool is growing wider and wider, as families from

Sylva, Scaly Mountain, Rosman, and beyond are active participants in the Summit program. The NC General Assembly has alleviated charter school growth restrictions, which would allow funding for additional grades at the school. And finally, the Summit campus grounds have expanded with the acquisition of an additional 11.5 acres, opening the possibility of future facility expansions. These factors

will, for certain, shape the future of the school, as we align our new strategies to the strengths of the Summit experience we so treasure.

The 21st Century scholar is faced with an exciting canvas of magnificent opportunities here at Summit. Through the focus groups and surveys, we hope that you will join us in our strategic development of the “20-20” vision. We value the input and guidance from all entities of our school family, and together we will achieve excellence for our children.

Dr. Jack TalmadgeDirector

Tammy BrysonOwner of

Subway, Cashiers

“Summit Charter School is more than just a place to teach our children. It provides our community with the opportunity to attract professionals and families who are looking for a secure and slower paced lifestyle to raise their children. We certainly would not have been able to continue to live in Cashiers and establish our business without its support to our community.Throughout my 10+ years as a parent, it has been a pleasure to witness and assist the school in its growth. From the move to a new state of the art facility, to the achievement and maintaining the title of NC Honor School of Excellence, Summit continues to provide excellence to our community. We are truly blessed.”

That Sunday, Hopkins joined nearly 30 local chefs, clubs, and restaurants to create a spectacular food and wine showcase in the school quad. Over 300 people attended the event, which included a lively auction and sensational performance by the Atlanta Beat Band. Like the Patron Party, Sunday’s festivities were truly remarkable.

The school is so grateful to the generous benefactors, participating clubs and restaurants, and numerous volunteers who contributed their time and talents. Wendy Carlton, a Summit parent, deserves special recognition and thanks for chairing the event for the past two years. The proceeds were put to immediate use. The funding provided the implementation of new technology, added resource staffing, and additional field excursions that support experiential learning programs at Summit.

SAVE THE DATE ....

Next year, the Patron Party is scheduled for June 26 and the Taste of the Plateau is scheduled for June 29, 2014. Mark your calendars because the event will be bigger and better than ever!!!

Building on the success of 2012, Taste of the Plateau 2013 went to the next level.

First time Patron and event sponsor, Linda Quick, described the Thursday night event at Stillwater Farm as “the most beautiful party we had ever attended in Cashiers, Houston or in Paris. There was a magical quality about the atmosphere that night. We will never forget that evening.”

Chef Linton Hopkins, a 2012 James Beard Award Winner for Best Chef in the Southeast and proprietor of several restaurants

in Atlanta, including Restaurant Eugene, delighted the 100 guests to customized culinary creations paired with special drinks.

“Chef Linton’s attention to detail, from his precision in shaving the ham in front of us, to the pairing of the wines was extraordinary. The food was over the top! But what really stood out was his understanding of the importance of Summit’s mission for community outreach. He was able to communicate that to our Patrons as he visited with each and every one of them. We are truly appreciative!” said Summit Director, Jack Talmadge.

TASTE OF THE PLATEAU

Thank You So Much

*Altitudes at Skyline Lodge

*Biltmore *Buck’s Coffee Shop

*Bunny Bites Carrot Cake *Burlingame Country Club

*Canyon Kitchen *Cedar Creek Racquet Club

*Country Club of Sapphire Valley

*Chocolate Heaven *Cornucopia

*Dark Cove Cheese *Fressers Eatery

*Kilwin’s Chocolates & Ice Cream

*Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club

*Old Edwards Club at Highlands Cove

*Old Edwards Inn and Spa *On the Side BBQ @

Cashiers Farmers Market *The Orchard

*Restaurant Eugene *Chef Linton Hopkins

*Ruka’s Table *Mountain Fresh Grocery

*Sweet Grass Dairy *The Cork & Barrel *The Ugly Dog and

Dog House *Trillium Links &

Lake Club

Giving

1st Annual Mountain Invitational

“It was a great day for the Summit family. As a participant, the golf was a blast!

Thank you Mountaintop! As a Summit parent, it was pleasing to see such a strong

show of community support for the school.”

-Dr. Christopher Dyer

Summit was very fortunate to have Mountaintop Golf and Lake Club host the 1st Annual Mountain Invitational on October 14th. The club’s tremendous course and facilities, coupled with the staff’s unsurpassed hospitality, created a magnificent experience for the thirty foursomes and additional guests.

After a brief warm-up on the range, some breakfast treats, and a massage and stretching station, the Kindergarten and 1st grade students serenaded the golfers as they headed out to the course for the shotgun start.

On the course, the made-to-order food stations garnered a great deal of buzz throughout the round. Following an exciting three team shootout that determined the overall winner, players and guests had the opportunity to win some incredible prizes during the post-round cocktail reception.

Topping the evening, guests enjoyed a fantastic Mexican feast followed by an inspired performance by the band Hurricane Creek. Guests bid on incredible items available in a silent auction and played the odds to win a trip to this season’s Super Bowl.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

TOURNAMENT SPONSORS•Wells Fargo Advisors •Cruise Planners•A Healthy Home•Biltmore

HOLE SPONSORS•Vivace•Audio Visual Associates•Drake’s Diamond Gallery•Chinquapin

•Southern Wine & Spirits•Sanderson Farms•Acadia NorthStar, LLC- Accountants and Consultants

•Community Bible Church•Gracewear•Evans Hair Graphics•Nova Associates, Ltd.•FR Fuels, LLC•WNC Roofing LLC

•Holley Heating & Air Conditioning•Mountain Party Tents & Events•Landmark Realty Group•R. T. Ward Inc. Builders

A special thank you to Mike & Amy Corcell for chairing this year’s event!

Summit will greatly benefit from the tremendous generosity shown by Mountaintop, our sponsors, golfers, and volunteers. Proceeds raised will help close the $1,500 gap between the per pupil allotment given by the state and county and what it costs to educate each student at Summit.

Respect

RGNS Cirque

“Follow all of your interests and let go of all your inhibitions. Don’t be afraid of looking silly, have fun,

and learn about everything.” Jessica Bryant – Summit Class of 2007

Perseverance & Responsibility

Expressing Perseverance on the World Stage

Jessica Bryant – Summit Class of 2007

As the core of Summit’s mission in character education, the seven virtues pledged each and every day help guide our students along a lifelong path well beyond our campus boundaries, and in some cases, around the world. We had the pleasure of catching up with Jessica Bryant (Summit Class of 2007), who is currently studying theater at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. As a component of the Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree at Coastal Carolina University, the concentrated study abroad has given Jessica the opportunity to apply her talents, and as she puts it, “persevere” in a foreign culture far from home.

Following her graduation from Summit, Jessica attended Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a private boarding school in North Georgia, where she was introduced to Cirque, an artistic and theatrical study of storytelling through acrobatics and expressive movement. Demanding extreme dedication, strong academics, and the challenge to reach new levels of creativity, the Cirque program inspired Jessica to continue her studies at Coastal Carolina

University’s competitive program in theatrical arts.

One of my highlights at CCU would have to be our production of Servant of Two Masters, a high-energy show with audience participation and acrobatic elements. As students, we were granted the opportunity to self-direct a portion of the production, adding our own original material to an already brilliant script.

Now in her junior year at the University’s international partnership institution in Italy, Jessica is conducting a concentrated study in Commedia dell’Arte and expressive movement.When we asked Jessica to comment on how her experience at Summit has made a difference in her collegiate studies, she enthusiastically noted the importance of the school’s community environment that inspires meaningful and supportive relationships.

Summit always felt like a safe place where I could feel free to learn and express myself. I made friends for life in my classmates, and mentors for life in my teachers. When I think about the seven virtues, I can identify most with “perseverance”. It has not always been easy to chase after my dreams. I’ve come to understand that in order to achieve our greatest goals, we have to work through things that may not seem relevant or worth it at the time, but will indeed pay off later.

Following the completion of her degree at Coastal Carolina University, Jessica hopes to return to Europe and further explore its theatrical culture, this time in the UK. A certification in personal training is also in the works for her, as well as an ambition to create new performances of her own in the field of expressive movement. The sky is the limit with an attitude for perseverance, and we believe a big stage and possibly a physical theater company of her own are in the near future for Jessica.

Accademia dell’Arte movement class

CCU Servant of Two Masters

Athletics, both team and individual competitions, are important components to a child’s fine-tuned development of mind, body and soul. Golf is no exception, and in fact may be more in line with Summit’s seven virtues than many other sports offerings.

Summit was thrilled when the Tri-State Athletic Conference put golf in the middle school lineup, as the opportunity would certainly reinforce the honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion, self-discipline, perseverance, and giving we promote at the school on a daily basis.

The Summit Bears teed off the spring 2013 season with nine young players, led by Summit’s Coach Ingrid Weatherby and Mountaintop Pro, Micah Hicks. Through the generosity of High Hampton Inn & Country Club, the team practiced and competed on the resort’s course, and each afternoon the young student-athletes learned the etiquette, rules, and countless skills needed to master the game. Only a handful of the players had seen golf experience prior to this season, and through diligence, practice, and perseverance, the team came home victorious as the 2013 Tri State Conference Champions.

SUMMIT GOLF: VICTORIOUS AND VIRTUOUS

Honesty & Self-discipline

2013 Tri State Conference Champions

Compassion: A Variable for Success

There are some days we wonder if scholastic success could be achieved under a unique, scientifically formulated approach to education. While there may be a few times that would be welcome, thankfully the world is not standardized and we are fortunately blessed with a healthy diversity of learning styles, personalities and individual talents. Variables, including high expectations, parental involvement and disciplined study habits will certainly factor into any approach, but the Summit virtue of Compassion can make all of the difference in a child’s level of academic confidence.

Summit’s Exceptional Child division for meeting students’ individualized needs is thrilled to welcome Ms. Hannah Moody as its newest addition to the team. Recognizing compassion as a key element to bringing out the best in a child, Ms. Moody has rapidly developed a strong rapport with her students this fall.

Ms. Moody began her teaching career as a middle school science teacher, and has worked with East McDowell Junior High School and H.J. MacDonald Middle school. She holds a B.S. in psychology, an M.A. in teaching science, and is currently working on her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Gardner-Webb University.

“Learning responses from children can fluctuate by the hour during a school day. Building an understanding relationship with them, though, allows me to better

make that connection for their success.”

-Ms. Hannah Moody

Compassion

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Summit Charter School is a NC Honor School of Excellence, providing families of western North Carolina with a tuition-free, top quality choice of education.