* Information is based on original charter application.

Grades served in year 1: 9-12

Grades served at capacity: 9-12

Enrollment in year 1: 24

Enrollment at capacity: 120

Proposed Location: 8102 Clearvista Parkway

Mission, Need, and Demand for the School

·         Hope Academy will be a high school serving students who are recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction.  The school has been developed by Fairbanks Hospital, a nonprofit organization focused on helping individuals recover from alcohol and other drug problems.

·         The mission of the school "is to provide a safe, sober, restorative and challenging school experience for high school students recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction who have made a commitment to personal recovery, have a desire to learn, and want to attain a high school diploma and are willing to be an active part of a school community of like-minded students and faculty."

·         The school's will better serve students who are in recovery by giving them an opportunity to transition back into the community without having to return to their old high schools immediately – where the pressure to drink or do drugs could have originated.  Many recovering students relapse when they return to their prior schools.

·         The Indiana Department of Education states that there are no recovery high schools or alternative educational programs focused on recovery in Indiana.

·         Based on data from the Indiana Prevention Research Center in 2004, 27% of high school seniors binge drink, 5.6% use alcohol on a daily basis, and 6.7% report smoking marijuana daily.  The statistics clearly demonstrate the need for a high school recovery program.

·         Fairbanks Hospital currently treats adolescents for alcoholism and drug addiction; however, the relapse rates for the students are high – ranging from 35% to 85%.  Studies show that continued care after initial treatment is the most important predictor of positive outcomes over time.

·         Several students who have been treated at Fairbanks Hospital and parents of students testified in support of the school at the public hearing held during the charter application process.  In their public testimony, they expressed the need for a Recovery High School.

·         Students and families that have been treated by Fairbanks Hospital in the past participated in the Recovery High School Planning Committee and have expressed support for the school.

·         The school has received letters of support from the superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township for the establishment of the charter school, Ivy Tech State College, University of Indianapolis, Emmis Communications, Marion County Health Department, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Academy Plus of Indiana, Midtown Community Mental Health Center, The Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis, three parents of adolescents and two students who received treatment at Fairbanks Hospital.  

Educational Services Provided

·         The school plans to implement and expand on the academic model developed by Sobriety High School in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The school will replicate aspects of restorative justice principles, continual learning plans, and curriculum development of Sobriety High School.

o        Sobriety High School began in 1989 with 4 students in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

o        In 2001, Sobriety High had grown to three charter school campuses with 74 students. 

o        In 2001, 95% of seniors (19 students) at Sobriety High graduated with an average college matriculation rate of 75%.

o        There are 20 recovery high schools nationwide.

Summary of the Founding Group

·         Fairbanks Hospital, which was founded in 1945 and is recognized as a leader in the Midwest for addictions treatment, has specific experience working with adolescents in recovery.  In 2004, they treated over 400 adolescents.

o        In 2001, Fairbanks Hospital staff began a study related to developing better outcomes for adolescents in recovery.  After three years of research, the Fairbanks Hospital Board voted to pursue the development of a recovery high school.

·         Fairbanks Hospital has made a commitment to open Recovery High School and will provide the school with the support and resources necessary for the school to be successful.

·         Fairbanks Hospital currently offers an educational program to students undergoing addictions treatment in its residential treatment facility.  These educational services are provided by Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township. 

·         Fairbanks Hospital plans to continue to work with Lawrence Township to provide an educational program for residential patients independent of the charter school.  The superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township submitted a letter of support for the charter school.

·         Dr. Lyle Taipale, the Chief Academic Officer at Sobriety High School, believes that the success of a recovery high school depends on the organization's understanding of the disease of addiction and recovery values.  Fairbanks Hospital has the experience and expertise necessary to understand addiction and recovery for adolescents. 

·         The school's Board members have a wide range of experience in education, recovery and addiction education, management, finance, law, marketing, fundraising and nonprofit governance.

Governance and Management

·         The school's Board will govern the school and will be responsible for establishing the educational and operational policies of the school, approving the budget, and monitoring the school's performance related to the charter agreement. 

·         The Board will have three committees that will oversee the school: curriculum and academic standards, recovery and student life and program evaluation and accountability. 

·         The President/CEO of Fairbanks Hospital will also be the President/CEO of the school.  Helene Cross, the current President/CEO of Fairbanks Hospital, will serve in that role for the school as well. 

·         The President/CEO will be responsible for providing support to the Board, strategic planning, appointing and supervising the Chief Operating Officer (COO), providing community visibility for the school, fundraising, and measuring and monitoring the school's performance.

·         The COO will report to the President/CEO and manage all internal functions of the school, including reporting on staff performance to the President/CEO.  Rachelle Gardner, the current Director of Adolescent Services at Fairbanks Hospital, will serve as the COO for the school.

·         The COO will arrange for all non-academic support for the school (allowing the school director to focus on academics) and act as the liaison to Fairbanks Hospital for the human resources, marketing, information technology, fundraising and development, accounting, food service and recovery management services. 

·         Fairbanks will ensure compliance with regulations and provide financial stability to the school, allowing the school's leaders to focus on academic issues.

·         The School Director will be the educational leader of the school and will develop the curriculum.  The School Director will work with the COO to hire staff, recruit students, and assist with fundraising.

·         All teachers will deliver instruction to students and will also act as Learning and Recovery coaches.  The dual nature of the teacher's responsibilities is essential to the school's success.

Financial Viability

·         Because the school wants to start small and grow slowly, the President of the Fairbanks Hospital Board has indicated that Fairbanks Hospital will support the school financially for the first 5 years until the school reaches maximum enrollment of 120 students.  This support includes covering any school expenses in excess of revenue received.

·         Fairbanks Hospital will provide space for modular classrooms for the school on its property for the first two years of operation.  The school will have shared use of Fairbanks Hospital's gym and cafeteria.

·         In addition, Fairbanks Hospital has already approved a long-range capital plan to renovate the existing facility and build a 30,000 sq. ft. Recovery Center.  The second floor of this new facility will be dedicated to the high school.  Construction is expected to begin in 2007 or 2008.

·         The most recent audit for Fairbanks Hospital states total assets in excess of $11 million.

Accessibility

·         The school is committed to providing a curriculum that will be individualized to meet students' needs.  The school places importance on evaluating each student's needs individually and it will have access to tools for conducting these evaluations developed by Sobriety High School.

·         The school will meet the needs of special education students through the continuous learning plans that will be developed for every student.  A special education teacher will be on staff to serve students.  In addition, the Recovery High School plans to join the Virtual Special Education Cooperative.

·         In addition, Hope Academy plans to join the Virtual Special Education Cooperative.

·         The school will contract with a service provider for English as a Second Language instruction that will be offered on-site to students with Limited English Proficiency. 

·         The school has developed a transportation plan that includes several strategies for assisting students with transportation: encouraging car-pooling, offering IndyGo bus passes, and allowing students with driver's licenses to drive to school.

·         The school will also have the opportunity to contract with Fairbanks Hospital for the use of its van to provide transportation for students.

·         The school has made a commitment to ensure that transportation is not a barrier to attending the school.

Leadership Information

*Note: The information provided below is solely a summary of qualifications, and does not reflect a comprehensive description of each founding member's expertise and experience.

Name and Proposed Positions of Applicants

·         Helene Cross—Authorized Representative, President/Chief Executive Officer

·         Rachelle Gardner—Chief Operating Officer

·         Christopher Stack—Chairman of the Board

·         Marissa Manlove—Secretary of the Board

·         Malcolm Pownall—Treasurer of the Board

·         Pat Galyan—Board Member

·         Dorothy May— Board Member

·         Pat Rooney— Board Member

·         Michael Rosiello— Board Member

·         Rebecca Schenck— Board Member

Capacities Represented by Applicants (by topic area)

School Leader Biography

·         The current President and CEO of Fairbanks, Helene Cross would become the President and CEO of Hope Academy.  Rachelle Gardner, the current Director of Adolescent Services, would be the school's Chief Operating Officer. 

o        Ms. Cross joined Fairbanks in 2001 as President and CEO.  Previously, she was the Executive VP of Crossroads Rehabilitation Center.  She currently serves on the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, the National Alliance for Alcohol Research and Education and the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention.   

o        Ms. Gardner has been the Director of Adolescent Services at Fairbanks Hospital since 1992.  In that capacity, Ms. Gardner has supervised the adolescent clinical team, implemented program plans to expand the treatment continuum to meet adolescents' recovery needs, and provided community education regarding adolescents and their recovery needs. 

·         Hope Academy has not yet identified a School Director.  The organizer has formed a search team comprised of members of the school's Board, a Fairbanks Hospital Board member who is an Assistant Superintendent for the Indiana Department of Education, and other education experts who will interview and recommend final candidates to the school's Board.  The school plans to hire the school leader in fall 2005.

Education

Experience

·         Dorothy May worked as an elementary teacher for the Indianapolis Public Schools for her entire career before retiring in 1999.  As an educator, she developed system-wide mathematics curriculum and a computer instructional guide. 

·         Michael Rosiello served as board chairman for the Sycamore School, a private school for gifted students.  As a board member, he also served on the executive, governance and buildings and grounds committees.

Training

·        Dorothy May has a BS and an MA in education.

·        Pat Rooney has BS in education.   

Other Youth Work

Experience

·         Rachelle Gardner is the current Director of Adolescent Services at Fairbanks.  She has extensive expertise in treating adolescents with chemical dependency.  One of her responsibilities is providing community education regarding recovering adolescents to area schools, churches and community groups.

·         As Vice President of Consumer and External Relations for Noble of Indiana, Marissa Manlove is responsible for overseeing Noble's services to children.  She has experience as a school psychologist and as a clinician working with children with developmental disabilities.

·         Rebecca Schenck worked as a nurse's assistant in a high school and presented programs in area schools on drug abuse awareness and prevention.  She also served on the PFO at two area schools. 

Training

·        Marissa Manlove is a certified school psychologist in Indiana. 

Management

Experience

·        As the current President and CEO of Fairbanks, Helene Cross manages all aspects of the organization.  Previously, she was the executive vice president of Crossroads Rehabilitation Center, an agency with an $11 million dollar budget.

·        As past president and CEO for two commercial banks, Malcolm Pownall has extensive experience managing large organizations. 

·        Pat Galyan was CEO of a sporting goods retail chain. 

·        Pat Rooney has served as the interim executive for several non-profit organizations including the Legacy Fund of Hamilton County and the Conner Prairie Museum. 

Training

·        Helene Cross has an MS in management. 

·        Rachelle Gardner has a MA in organizational management.

·        Christopher Stack has an MBA from Northwestern University.

·        Malcolm Pownall has a BA in business administration. 

Entrepreneurialism

·         Malcolm Pownall founded several businesses including a commercial bank and a property management company. He also founded a church. 

·         Pat Galyan started a chain of sporting goods stores in Indianapolis.

·         Pat Rooney started a travel business.   

Fundraising

Experience

·        Helene Cross was the grants manager for the Central Indiana Council on Aging.

·        Pat Galyan raised money for Progress House.

·        In 2000-2001 Rebecca Schenck served as co-chair for Zoobilation, the major annual fundraising activity of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, which raised more than a million dollars to benefit the zoo.  

Finance / Accounting

Experience

·         As past president and CEO for two commercial banks, Malcolm Pownall has extensive financial experience.  

Marketing / Public Relations

Experience

·         As the Director of Community Services for St. Vincent Hospital and as the Assistant Hospital Director of Wishard Hospital, Helene Cross was responsible for community outreach. 

·         As the Vice President of Consumer and External Relations for Noble of Indiana, Marissa Manlove is responsible for communications and government relations.

Legal Expertise

Experience

·         Michael Rosiello is a partner in Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Training

·        Michael Rosiello has a JD from Stanford Law School.   

Management of Public Funds

·        As the current President and CEO of Fairbanks and as former executive vice president of Crossroads Rehabilitation Center, an agency with an $11 million dollar budget, Helene Cross is responsible for managing public funds.     

Nonprofit Governance

Experience

·        Helene Cross currently serves on the board of directors for the Coalition for Homeless Prevention and Intervention, the National Alliance for Alcohol Research and Education, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and the United Way Community Issues Committee.  She has also served on the board of Arts Indiana, United Way/Community Service Council, Big Sisters, Healthy Indy Partnership, the Marion County Health Needs Assessment Steering Committee, and the Near Eastside Multi-Service Center.

·        Christopher Stack serves on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Art Center, Indiana Medical History Museum and Fairbanks. 

·        Marissa Manlove serves as a board member for Drug Free Marion County and Parents for a Drug Free America and is a former board member for Ronald McDonald House of Indiana and the Lawrence Township Schools Foundation.

·        Malcolm Pownall is a board member for the Indiana Bankers Association, the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the Indianapolis Convention and Visitor's Association, Monroe Christian Church, St. Francis Hospital Health Care Foundation, and Fairbanks Hospital.

·        Pat Galyan and Dorothy May both serve on the board of Progress House and Dorothy May is a former board member for the General Services Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.

·        Pat Rooney serves on the board for Central Indiana Community Foundation, the Legacy Fund of Hamilton County, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Save the Prairie, Inc., Covenant Christian High School, Hamilton County Theater Guild, Second Helpings, Inc., and the Hooks Discovery and Learning Center.  She is a past board member for the Community Center of Indianapolis, the Indiana Chapter of National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Indianapolis Retirement Home, Indianapolis Opera Company and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

·        Michael Rosiello serves on the board of the United Way and has also served as president of the board of directors of the Sycamore School.

·        Rebecca Schenck serves on the board of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Christamore House, Crossroads Rehabilitation Center, the Police Athletic League, and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation.