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Partners in Education | Summit Charter School
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2021/10 – October
Summit Charter School is delivering on the promises made 25 years ago of offering an educational experience that develops students to be academically prepared, strong in character, and engaged in their community.
When Summit Charter School was founded 25 years ago, its organizers envisioned a place where talented educators and engaged parents worked together to create an exceptional educational environment.
“Summit originated from a set of beliefs shared by families and community members that a school should be the cornerstone of a community – it should be a place that welcomes parents as partners in the education of their children; it should see, honor, and teach the whole-child,” says Head of School Kurt Pusch. “A school should be a place where strength of character and academic excellence are upheld as the standard for all students.”
In fact, since its inception every Summit student in every grade recites the following pledge at the start of every day: “Each day in my words and my deeds, I will do my best to live these seven virtues: Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, Self-Discipline, Perseverance, and Giving.”
“This pledge is the foundation for our decision-making model. It intertwines with our classroom management, discipline, professional development, and performance evaluations – it’s used for the overall metric of school wellness,” says Pusch. “Starting with 110 students in 1997, for 25 years our students have started each day with this ritual. In an ever-changing world, we continue to find strength and direction from the Pledge of Allegiance and the Summit Pledge that start our every day, and the sense of family that unifies us.”
As testament to the words of Pusch and the vision of the founders from 25 years ago, this academic year will see the graduation of Summit’s first high school seniors – 15 students who’ve absorbed those lessons and embraced those values.
“We owe our deepest gratitude and respect for the legacy of giving on which our school has been built, and that has been furthered by countless supporters who have continued to pour their heart into our school,” says Pusch. Their legacy inspired the spirit of giving that enabled Summit’s story to grow – from our start in trailers on the Village Green, to our beautiful campus today. Five years ago, that spirit continued to give, as community members and families rallied together to raise over $7 million to enable Summit’s expansion into a K-12 school with the opening of our new high school and the Summit Center.”
If you’d like to know more about Summit and the promises that it’s delivered to its students and its community, visit the campus at 370 Mitten Lane in Cashiers or visit online at summitschool.org.
