Credo High School to Celebrate Inauguration on August 22

Credo High School, a new GoLocal member and public charter school of the Cotati Rohnert Park Unified School District, will celebrate its opening with an inaugural ceremony at 9:15 AM on August 22, 2011 on the school campus, 1290 Southwest Boulevard. The public is welcome.

Founded specifically to complete the K-8 education of the growing number of North Bay Waldorf eighth grade graduates, Credo also welcomes other students interested in a rigorous college prep curriculum that is experiential and rich in the arts and music. All Credo graduates will have met admission requirements for the Univeristy of California system, as opposed to only 31% of public high school graduates county wide.

Opening this month with a freshman class, Credo will add a grade each year until the school reaches full enrollment. This year’s freshmen will be the first graduating class. All Credo ninth graders study Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Number Theory, Algebra, English and Theater, History through Art, World Revolutions, History through Economics, Financial Literacy, Eastern History, Spanish or Mandarin, Drawing, Printmaking, Blacksmithing, Media Arts, Practical Skills, Farming and Food Literacy, Social Sustainability, Personal Sustainability, CPR, First Aid, PE, Sports Intensives and a choice of Music classes, including Orchestra, American Music or Choir.  Remarking on the breadth of the Credo curriculum, Credo Director and Lead Developer Chip Romer said, “Students today must be college and career ready, which is why we created Credo’s graduation standards to exceed U.C. admission requirements. To be truly ready for the future they must also have environmental awareness, social skills, financial savvy, and practical skills and certifications, like CPR.  We must prepare our young people for the disparate challenges that will surely face them by teaching them to think critically, to care for one another and all life, and to have the determination and confidence to turn their thoughts into deeds.”

Credo plans partnerships with local businesses and non profits, and is an active member of GoLocal Cooperative. After an initial five years at what was once Richard Crane Elementary School, Credo plans to build a new campus in Rohnert Park’s Sonoma Mountain Village development. “We are very happy with our Southwest Boulevard site, but look forward to educating youth within the village of the future, where the most sustainable choice will always be the expectation. The school of the future will be within the village of the future,” Romer added. “Amidst the increasingly challenging world circumstances, founding Credo is the most optimistic thing we can do.”

The public is invited to attend the inaugural ceremony and a reception to follow.