The Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School (MCSCS) is a charter school

Charter school

Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...

 serving students in grades 1-12 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Founded in 1999, the school is located in the Center City

Center City, Philadelphia

Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...

 neighborhood and had a 100% graduation rate in 2006-07.

History

The Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School opened in 1999 with over 720 students in grades first through twelfth, adding a grade every year for 4 years.

Governance

The school is led by a Chief Administrative Officer

Chief administrative officer

A chief administrative officer is responsible for administrative management of private, public or governmental corporations. The CAO is one of the highest ranking members of an organization, managing daily operations and usually reporting directly to the chief executive officer. In some companies,...

 and a principal. A six-member Board of Trustees meets with the CAO and principal regularly.

Extracurricular activities

Extracurricular activities offered at the school include cheerleading

Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

, exercise, sewing

Sewing

Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era...

, public speaking, and debating and choir.

Athletics

MCSCS has no gym or other athletic facility, so most practice and games take place at a local YMCA near Girard, not owned by the school. The school basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team is known as the Elephants, named after the school mascot, an African Elephant. The school currently has no other athletic programs.

Curriculum

The school uses a back-to-basics curriculum. Students in grades 5 through 12 are required to select a school-to-college course of study; current selections are Law, Medical, Computer Science,and Accounting

Achievements

The Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School was named one of the top 10 schools in Philadelphia, including public and charter schools. Also, every Thursday, the school participates in its self-created Homeless Project, in which the CAO and several students go out and feed and clothe homeless citizens of Philadelphia.

External links

• Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School