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News from HOPE Christian Schools
2016 Back-to-School Edition
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HOPE Fidelis opens with strong enrollment
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Our seventh school at 4200 W. Douglas Ave. opens to scholars, families and the community
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HOPE Christian School: Fidelis opened its doors on August 24, serving grades K4-5 with plans to add a grade each year up to 8th grade.
HOPE Fidelis is the seventh school in the HOPE Christian Schools network, which serves nearly 2,000 scholars and their families throughout Milwaukee through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and in Racine through the Racine Parental Choice Program.
Each HOPE school has a Latin name with a unique meaning. “Fidelis” means “faithful.” Principal Edie Martwick says the name is a constant reminder of the faithfulness of God and our call to serve Him faithfully with the talents He provides.
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The HOPE Fidelis team preps for opening day.
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"Today is about more than a beautiful building. It’s about the people who work here, the families who bring their kids here, the learning that is going on here, and the people in the community who care about what happens here. And when you add the element of faith, it takes everything to a whole new level.”
- State Senator Duey Stroebel, at the opening of HOPE Fidelis
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The Drexel Fund invests $2 million in Milwaukee for the expansion of HOPE
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A big win not only for the HOPE family - also for Milwaukee and Racine
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We're thrilled to announce that HOPE Christian Schools has received a $2 million investment from the
Drexel Fund for additional growth and expansion in Milwaukee and Racine.
This is Drexel's first investment in a private school network in Wisconsin. The venture philanthropy fund seeks to increase access to financially sustainable, high-quality seats in faith-based and other private schools.
The funds will accelerate HOPE’s ability to provide an additional 1,800 high-quality seats in Milwaukee and Racine.
The Drexel Fund has a long-term goal of launching and supporting private school networks across the nation. Near-term investments concentrate in states and regions that provide the most advantageous environment for new, high-quality, financially sustainable private schools. Wisconsin is one of six states identified as a prime location for investment due to strong school choice legislation, high academic need and market share trends.
“HOPE Christian Schools meets our criteria for successful academic performance, use of data to improve instructional practices, and strong character and faith development for students,” says John Eriksen, managing partner and co-founder of the Drexel Fund. “In addition, HOPE has demonstrated its commitment to growing the number of high-quality, private school seats available to children in Milwaukee and Racine.”
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Welcoming in a new school year at HOPE
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Dear Friends of HOPE,
We’re welcoming in another year in the Lord at HOPE Christian Schools!
We welcomed back more than 170 staff members for professional development in order to get ready for the nearly 2,500 scholars we hope to serve this school year. What an incredible blessing to be offering Christ. College. Character. to so many families across southeastern Wisconsin.
We gain more experience with each school year, and that enables us to continuously improve for our scholars, our families and the communities we serve. We’ve made some exciting additions to our academic program, our character formation programming, and our ability to provide more coaching and support to our school leaders.
As we were making all these preparations, we witnessed more tragic loss of life as the wave of violence hit home in Milwaukee earlier this August. We saw some of the worst and some of the best of our community during that time. We’re moving forward as a team, building in time to intentionally discuss issues of race, equity, diversity, dignity, justice and respect. We intend for our schools to be a place where our community can gather and find hope and steadiness. Our scholars are preparing to take up their roles as serving leaders with strong character, and that is vitally important to our families, our communities and our world.
We have so much to be looking forward to in the coming year as God continues to bless our efforts here at HOPE. God’s richest blessings to all of our staff, scholars and families for a great school year. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us.
Yours in Christ,
Zachary Verriden, Executive Director
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HOPE High School alumni are packed and ready to head to college for this school year. We have students returning to schools around the state and around the country as the fall comes.
Please keep all of our new and returning college students in your prayers as they transition back for another year!
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Dressed for success, in school and in life
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From little polos to coats and ties, HOPE scholars express excellence through school uniforms
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We have high expectations when it comes to scholars being in proper uniform when they arrive to school each morning. Why has HOPE embraced school uniforms in our schools? There are three primary reasons:
- School culture. We strive for a culture of excellence around the 3 Cs: Christ. College. Character. We want excellence to shine through our buildings, our staff and our scholars. When our scholars present themselves with a high standard of dress, they convey excellence to themselves and to those who observe them.
- Benefits for scholars. Proper dress is preparation for life. There are uniform expectations regardless of career or vocation in life: A surgeon in the ER. A mechanic in a car dealership. A teacher in a classroom. An attorney in a courtroom. School is the scholars' occupation right now, and the uniform signals that we take this occupation seriously. Scholars are anticipating future success by building habits of dressing for success now.
- HOPE parents support having uniforms. Parents have told us they chose HOPE in part because we are a uniform school. Uniforms reduce peer pressure or bullying that can happen because of clothing. They level the playing field for all scholars and keep the focus on learning.
Ultimately, we want the motivation to dress for success to come from the scholars themselves. That's because dressing well is not about carrots or demerits. It’s about who we are as children of God: motivated scholars striving for excellence.
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If you interacted with HOPE staff or visited a HOPE school over the summer, here are some of the things you may have seen or heard. We welcome visitors! To schedule your visit, contact
Melanie Johnson
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HOPE Prima team walks the community
- On August 19, groups of staff members went to visit various organizations in the neighborhood around our school to get to know what great things are happening! Here is a picture of some of our staff visiting the Running Rebels!
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HOPE team professional development - HOPE Christian High School was the site for our largest gatherings of teachers and staff for summer professional development.
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Founding families
of HOPE Fidelis gathered to celebrate the grand opening on August 22.
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Principal Castenzio Venegas welcomes kindergarteners on the first day of school at HOPE Via in Racine.
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Important Dates and Upcoming Events
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- September 3 - HOPE High School Football 7:00pm @ Raabe Stadium (Wisconsin Lutheran College) vs. Brookfield Academy
- September 6 - HOPE High School JV1, JV2, Varsity Volleyball Match, 4 p.m. @ St. Francis
- September 10 - HOPE Hawk Golf Outing, Pewaukee (see details below)
- September 15 - HOPE Fidelis Open House and Parent Leadership Organization (PLO) Launch
- September 15 - HOPE Fortis Parent/Staff Basketball Game and Ice Cream Social
- September 17 - HOPE Via Fall Family Carnival, Racine
- September 21 - HOPE Fortis Inaugural Parent Leadership Organization (PLO) Meeting
- September 29 - HOPE Caritas Muffins with Mom
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18 holes + 3 Cs = 1 great outing!
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Join us for the 2nd Annual HOPE Hawk Golf Outing benefitting the men's basketball program at HOPE Christian High School.
When: Saturday, September 10th
Where: Pewaukee Golf Club
Time: 12:30 p.m. registration, 1:00 p.m. start
Dinner to follow golf
Click here for a flyer and reservation info.
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HOPE Christian Schools is a network of seven Christian college preparatory schools serving more than 2,000 scholars and their families in Milwaukee and Racine.
Each HOPE school focuses on the “3 Cs” –
Christ. College. Character. HOPE scholars in K4-12th grades receive a values-based education that develops knowledge and cultivates character – the fundamental traits they need to become inspirations to their families, leaders in their communities, and successes in the workplace.
The HOPE Christian Schools are supported and managed by
Open Sky Education, an entrepreneurial, not-for-profit organization in tireless pursuit of a full and lasting education for all children. We were formerly known as "Educational Enterprises."
We changed our name in July 2016 to more clearly communicate the optimism we feel about the opportunities ahead for our organization and for each individual we are privileged to serve.
Now is a great time to join our growing team!
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Feedback is a gift!
If you have comments or questions, contact Community Relations Director
Melanie Johnson.
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