During a mid-year ceremony, students from three Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) community schools received their high school diplomas today.
Held in the Mather Room at the David P. Meaney Education Center, the ceremony acknowledged the academic achievements of 13 graduating students from North Area Community School, Gerber Jr./Sr. High School, and the Boys and Girls Club LINKS Academy.
"You all worked hard to get to this day, and your work did not go to waste. But graduation is not an end in itself; it is instead one part of the much larger journey," David W. Gordon, County Superintendent of Schools, told the graduates. "Graduation should serve as such a launching point, taking you wherever your futures are meant to take you, whether you find a career, take up a trade, or continue your education at college or technical school."
Principals Lisa Alcalá and Sharon Barnes presented diplomas, along with Sacramento County Board of Education President Eleanor Brown, Ed.D., and Trustees Jackie Levy and Greg Geeting.
Community schools provide an alternative education program for at-risk students from Sacramento County school districts who have been expelled or display behavioral problems. The schools provide core academics and interventions, which are aligned with education standards. Services are tailored to individual students based on their specific needs instead of traditional, scripted education.
Following the diploma ceremony, family members, friends, mentors, school faculty, and staff celebrated at a reception hosted by SCOE.