During a mid-year ceremony, students from three Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) community schools received their high school diplomas today.
Held at the Sierra Health Foundation on Garden Highway, the ceremony acknowledged the academic achievements of 15 graduating students from Eleanor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School, Gerber Jr./Sr. High School, and North Area Community School.
“Graduation is a launching point, taking you wherever your futures are meant to take you,” David W. Gordon, County Superintendent of Schools, told the graduates. “Life is all about growing and changing. Being in one of the SCOE programs gave each of you new opportunities to continue growing and to learn new skills that you will carry with you for the rest of your lives.”
Principal Lisa Alcalá and Program Specialist Craig Bradford presented diplomas, along with Sacramento County Board of Education Trustees Joanne Ahola, O. Alfred Brown, Sr., Heather Davis, Bina Lefkovitz, and Jacquelyn Levy.
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.
Following the diploma ceremony, family members, friends, mentors, school faculty, and staff celebrated at a reception hosted by SCOE.