Charter school leaders, I commend you on a successful 2025-26 academic year! I know many of you will be celebrating graduation in the coming days, so I wanted to pass along my official congratulations to your students.
Dear Members of the Class of 2026,
Congratulations on your high school graduation! I know I speak for the Coalition’s Board of Directors when I say, “Well done!”
You’ve likely heard this already, but high school graduation is a major life milestone—the culmination of four years of progressive growth and academic development across the arc of adolescence. Of course, graduation also represents an even longer journey from those early days when you stepped foot into kindergarten classrooms, as freshly scrubbed, eager, and unformed students. You may have forgotten, but I bet your parents remember!
As a former charter school administrator, I can attest to the emotion and pride of high school graduation. At Lincoln Charter School, which I led for 14 years, I loved the pomp and circumstance that marked our graduation week each year. It was so heartening to see our students—some of whom had been with us since kindergarten—walk across the stage as great, contributing citizens.
I know you will soon step into that role, too.
At Lincoln Charter, we also entered graduation week assured that we had prepared our students well. When graduates came back to visit in the fall, they invariably told us their college classes weren’t really so hard after all. They felt prepared. Confident. Capable. That feedback was wonderful to hear, and it inspired us with our next class of students.
Similarly, I know your charter leaders have worked diligently to prepare you for your milestone moment. You’re ready to launch. As you leave high school for the exciting, new terrain of college or career, you can be confident that your charter school experience has positioned and prepared you well. You have the skills, mindsets, and competencies you need to succeed.
My advice to you is simple: Enjoy this moment. Follow God’s plan for your life, wherever it leads. And please go back to your charter schools to visit, letting your school leaders know where you’ve been and what you’ve done. This is the good and great reward for those whose life’s work it is to nurture minds and shape learning.
Godspeed.
Sincerely,
Dave Machado, Executive Director, NC Coalition for Charter Schools
Above: Shutterstock photo.
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