“If you have an idea, we’re the people to see to make that idea a reality” – Christy Noe, Collaborative Educational Network founder and CEO

CEN was approached by the developer of a master-planned community who knew that having a strong school would be key to the community’s success. The developer wanted an innovative school and had a number of forward-thinking features, such as building an all-solar community and using locally-sourced foods in the cafeteria.

The CEN team listened closely to the developer, who came to them before the building design had started. He articulated the focus and ethos that he wanted for the school. The CEN team identified approaches that would align with the developer’s vision, wrote the charter application (which was approved), led focus groups to gather input on the desired features of the school and to promote it, recruited and trained the board, and helped to plan the facility’s needs.

Among CEN’s first steps was the task of hiring the school’s principal. Having done that, they worked closely with the principal to ensure a strong start. According to the principal, “Christy was a consultant but also a mentor. Immediately on my arrival, many things changed (school size, enrollment, needs), and the CEN team was indispensable to helping me to rapidly navigate changing circumstances.”

There were indeed many changes. The original estimate of the size of the school on opening was 35 students; instead it opened with more than 150 and has enjoyed a strong waitlist for nearly 10 years. Now at 1,300 K-12 students, the school just had its first graduating class and is discussing an additional campus. As she looked back on the years, the school principal stated

“Of course, my first call is always to my board chair when there is a serious problem; more often than not, the second is to Christy. The CEN team is indispensable to responding to unexpected challenges, and they are flexible in stepping away when we don’t need them. The support looks far different in year ten than it did in year one. Each year, we have reduced our services from them, but they are always ready when we have had to come back for more help, which we certainly do.”

Ten years into this powerful collaborative relationship, CEN continues to address the school’s evolving needs, having led the school’s leadership search and provided support for the first build, two expansions, design and refinement of a project-based learning curriculum, ESE compliance, and operational processes. Through it all, CEN has aimed to serve as a thought partner, bringing deep and broad experience to serving the school.

On a final note, the principal commented that “CEN has been a huge help. They provide a nimble, flexible system of support. It happened organically, but the support mechanisms they put in place worked. As a result, the need for support diminished as we worked.”