Who We Are

paradise.jpg We are a group of dedicated parents, teachers, and students who have created a charter school of choice within the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. This school, Three Rivers Charter School, is limited in size and personalizes education to meet each student’s needs.

The academic program of Three Rivers Charter School (TRCS) has three cornerstones: genuine relationship, academic individualization and personal rigor. We believe that each student carries a unique set of talents and should be assisted in developing, showcasing, and mentoring these expressions. We believe that young people are capable of deep thought, and that curriculum should be carefully tiered to present challenging material and critical experiences. We believe that students rise to the expectations of their parents, their educators, and their peers, and that school is the natural venue in which to dialogue, explore and develop these ideals.

 

In March 2009, the Board of Directors at TRCS received high praise for the leadership of the school from the director of the Northwest Center for Educational Options:

Dear Three River Charter School Board Members,
I would like to take just a minute to share with you my observation (and opinion) about the leadership of your school. I have worked with Oregon charter schools since the inception of the Charter School law in 1999, as the Director of the Charter School Program at the Oregon Department of Education, and most currently, as a staff member of the statewide Charter School Association (NWCEO).

 

I am familiar with each of the eighty-eight charter schools in the state and want you to know that Three Rivers is consistently at the top. The leadership of your principal, Katherine Holtgraves, is extraordinary. She is viewed by those of us in the charter school arena as “the gold standard” and what excellence really “looks like” in action. She understands the managerial side of administration but, more importantly, is committed to her role as instructional leader. We have called upon her expertise and wisdom in a variety of ways, most recently as a speaker at the Annual Charter School Conference that was attended by 125+ charter school and district leaders.

Merilee Bales is another outstanding member of the Three Rivers Charter School leadership team. Her keen understanding of teaching and learning and ability to share this knowledge with her colleagues is remarkable and I am certain has a strong correlation to the high academic achievement of Three River’s students.

Your board is to be commended for the support you provide you charter school, in general, and its leadership, in specific. Katherine and Merilee are two shining stars in the Oregon public school system. You have much to be proud of!

Sincerely,
Joni Gilles, Associate Director
Northwest Center for Educational Options
Clackamas, OR
www.nwceo.org

 

Our work has been greatly influenced by the following educational leaders:

 

Three Rivers Videos by Josh Barinstein

 TRCS 2007-2008