With Self Development Charter School (SDCS) winning the 2010 Charter School of the Year Award from the Arizona Charter Schools Association, the school can proudly add yet another recognition to its comprehensive list of accomplishments.
“We are excited about this honor,” stated principal Anjum Majeed. This was the first time SDCS was nominated for this award
“Sometimes I teach, sometimes I observe the classroom, or I pull students out for coaching,” the principal described. “Teachers may ask me to teach a concept or co-teach a class. I try to have a conference with each one of my students.”
SDCS, winning No. 1 Highest Performing School in Arizona by the School Digger Web site in 2009, has continuously qualified as an excelling school by the Arizona Department of Education.
Founded in 2000, SDCS quickly grew from 37 students to 280 strong. After expanding into seventh and eighth grades, the publicly funded school has again reached capacity and is looking to add more classrooms.
This vote of confidence for SDCS comes from parents who observe their children blossom through the well-guided academic challenges. In the pursuit of creating lifelong learners, SDCS staff nurtures the students with compassion, courage, and collaboration to excel each through harnessing their particular strengths.
“We address every student’s individual needs so they can be successful,” Ms. Sherri Cote, founding staff and senior teacher, said. “The rigorous challenge brings all students up to level.”
“When I started with SDCS, I could see Ms. Majeed’s vision, even with the small class size we had,” the educator recalled. “Our staff works out the curriculum together by continuously inputting changes in response to the dynamics in the classroom.”
“We have high expectations of our students,” stated Ms. Lori Baeder, student coach and front desk staff for six years. “By developing a good bond, teachers can make students rise up to the expectations. Not only do students want to please, but they also feel proud of themselves through their accomplishments.”
“SDCS is more than the sum of its academic performance,” principal Majeed summarized. “We have a special atmosphere here. You can observe how much kids enjoy learning and critical thinking. We set expectations high and make learning fun.”
Self Development Charter School is located at 1709 N. Greenfield Road, near Walmart. To find out more about the school, or to make an appointment for a tour, call (480) 641-2640. For more information, go to www.selfdevelopmentcharterschool.com.