From the May 6, 2004 Issue of The Cape Cod Times
(Letter to Editor)

Lighthouse Charter is making a difference

I was so excited to see your May 2 story about Dr. Jane ("Goodall to bring her message from jungle to the Cape"). It was a wonderful story.

It was the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School that brought Roots & Shoots to Cape Cod. Through the incredible outreach of its talented staff, dedicated parents and wonderful students, Roots & Shoots has spread to nine more schools on Cape Cod. The determination of this group to work for positive change on Cape Cod led the Goodall Institute to choose Cape Cod for this national conference.

Staff, students and parents planned the conference and raised the $30,000 needed to put it on. The Lighthouse Charter staff wrote the grant that founded the Youth Council on Sustainability, which focuses on student leadership for environmental issues. Every day the school sends the message to its students of the importance of community service and the ability of each person to make a difference in the world.

In all the discussions of charter public schools and what they cost, we rarely see any words about their value - not just to the students who attend, but to our larger community.

OLIVE CHASE
Marstons Mills