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Teachers from all charter campuses, wearing their matching Jaguar t-shirts gather in the River of Grass to celebrate the start of the school year. With every seat filled, teachers watch performances from Charter students, speeches from principal Bayer and keynote speaker Chase Mielke, and receive awards for teaching in Charter for 20 to 25 years. 

Over the years, the Charter community continues to grow and become a family. As teachers walk up for their awards, their friends cheer them on and show their support. The River of Grass is filled with smiles, excitement, laughing, and cheering for each other and looking forward to the start of the school year. 

Performances from the Academic Village High School band, cheer, and dance teams, and the West Campus Middle School Saxophone Ensemble, leave teachers in the crowd celebrating. These performances wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our Charter staff, most importantly, Middle school teacher Ms. Kostzer. “I love to be able to provide an opportunity for the teachers to reconnect after summer vacation, and provide an inspiring way to get teachers invigorated for a new school year,” Kostzer states.

This year reconnecting is what Charter is all about. Being able to connect with students and each other is shown to play a huge role in having a successful learning environment. Keynote speaker and fellow high school teacher, Chase Mielke, had a lot to say and advice to give about how to create this kind of learning environment. “Teaching is really hard. It takes so much energy and work, so being able to help remind teachers that they’re not alone and that they have many other people that care about students as much as them is ultimately the gift I can try to give,” says Mielke empathetically. “The stuff I stress out about like having a perfect lesson plan matters, but not as much as helping others feel good about their lives. It’s more than a test score,” he explains. Impacting several teachers attending the State of Charter, Mielke was able to share his experience and inspire teachers all over Charter to continue to be the best versions of themselves going into the 2024-2025 school year.

After a morning of amazing performances, music, and celebration the charter staff will see each other on the first day of school along with their students. Charter teachers on all campuses look forward to the year ahead and they will move forward as believers, motivators, innovators, and educators.