Colleen Vogt is dedicated to her students at Will Carleton Academy written by Elyse Hawkins Colleen Vogt has spent the last 24 years working as the director at Will Carleton Academy. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Colleen said her parents formed a strong educational foundation which sparked her desire to go into education. “I was raised in a house where my parents valued education, and so I had really good educational experiences growing up,” Colleen says. Colleen then attended Hillsdale College, graduating in 1990 with a triple minor in early childhood education, French, and English. While still a student, she began working at Mary Proctor Randall Preschool which is a tuition school under the supervision of Hillsdale College. Following graduation, Colleen got a job at Hillsdale Academy which opened in the fall of 1990. She first taught first and second grades for two years before moving to teaching third and fourth grades. “It was just a terrific educational and teaching experience for me,” she says, “I very, very fondly recall my days at the Hillsdale Academy.” Colleen explains that her experience at the academy laid the foundation for the rest of her career, especially at Will Carleton Academy. “From my experience of teaching at Hillsdale Academy, I came to truly understand the value of a rewarding education.” In the fall of 1997, Colleen began to hear rumors of a new school opening up in the area. “It was founded by a group of parents, mostly moms, who wanted something different for their children,” Colleen says.
That was the beginning of Will Carleton Academy and on Memorial Day weekend of 1998, Colleen was offered the director position at Will Carleton Academy. Will Carleton Academy is a tuition-free kindergarten through 12th grade public school with a tuition-based preschool program. She says that, because of the support of parents from the very beginning, Will Carleton Academy was founded on a strong foundation. “Will Carleton Academy has really not had the opportunity to fail,” Colleen says. Colleen explains that Will Carleton Academy encourages and allows parents to have a say in the education of their children. “Charter schools epitomize the idea of choice,” Colleen says, “If a family chooses our school, we come alongside them, and we provide individually what each child needs.” Will Carleton Academy has two different programs, both a general education program and a special education program. About 280 students are currently enrolled in the school, though that number fluctuates year to year. Colleen says that, though each class is capped at 22 students, Will Carleton Academy does a good job adapting to the students’ needs each year, even sometimes offering two sections of a grade. Colleen says a big part of the school’s success is the staff members and their commitment. “We have incredibly committed staff,” Colleen says. “The average stay right now for our teachers is about 14 years and I believe it’s because our Code of Conduct is so strong and supports their instruction, just as the family-teacher relationship is strong and supports their instruction.” Colleen says that Will Carleton Academy’s educational meth-
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MICHIGAN PARENT SUMMER 2022
