This summer we are saying goodbye and thank you to two really special people who are retiring from the Edge High School Board of Directors. Both have been such an important part of our history that our tuition-free alternative charter school wouldn’t be what it is without their leadership.
“Nothing that happens or doesn’t happen in this classroom today is more important than you.” (Greg Hart)
Greg Hart is someone you may have seen in the hallways of school. But did you know that he also founded our school? In the 1980’s he was the Director of the Pima County Adult Education program. He saw a need for a school that could provide a self-paced, counseling-intensive, credit recovery alternative for youth who had dropped out of school or who were at risk of dropping out. And in 1985, based on his vision, Edge was founded.
Thanks in part to Greg’s lobbying efforts, Edge started as a program of Pima County Education, funded by federal and state funds. During that period we had formal agreements with Tucson Unified School District, the Sunnyside School District, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center to provide credit recovery opportunities to their students. Ten years later, we opened our doors as a physical, bricks and mortar school. Today’s Edge High School has grown to include two campuses, and welcomes students from all over the Tucson area with tuition-free individualized learning.
Greg has served in many roles on the Edge Board, most recently as our Board President, and we are so grateful for his leadership. In a recent op-ed with the Arizona Daily Star, Greg talked about the importance of great teachers. He describes himself as an “indifferent and difficult student” in high school, but had a teacher that did her best to make him accountable. He feels passionate about bringing joy to the learning environment – and at Edge, so do we. In fact, building joy in our students is one of the primary values of our school. And our motto “Be You, With Us”? That was inspired by Greg’s dedication to putting our students first!
Regina Suitt
Regina Suitt is also retiring from the Edge Board of Directors this summer. Regina has been a Board member since 2010, and recently retired as the Vice President overseeing Adult Education at Pima Community College. In her over 30 years of experience in education she has served as a high school English teacher serving Tohono O’odam youth, a GED instructor, a full-time teacher at the Pima County Jail, and has taught at the Arizona state prison. She currently serves as the President Elect for the Coalition On Adult Basic Education (COABE). Her 13 years on the Board have seen our school grow and improve in so many ways, and we really appreciate her service.
Thank you Greg and Regina for the many years that you dedicated to our Board of Directors – supporting our mission, helping us navigate challenging times and growing our school. Edge is a better place because of you!
Interested in joining our tuition-free charter high school? Find out more and enroll today!
About Edge
EDGE is a Cognia accredited, tuition-free, charter high school, with two campuses in the greater Tucson area. We provide an alternative to traditional education, meeting the diverse learning and life needs of our students with our blended curriculum and flexible morning or afternoon class schedules. Our high-quality, passionate teachers are dedicated to individualized instruction in our small academic classes. Be you. With us. At Edge.