Concept Schools

08/26/2026

As part of our week to celebrate new staff around the Concept Schools network, here is a welcome message from Noble Academy Columbus!

Welcome to the team, Ms. Grant and Mrs. Johnson! Our Kindergarteners are lucky to have you as their teacher!

08/25/2026

To be the new boy/girl/kid/teacher at your school can be intimidating, regardless of grade. Part of it is the excitement of the unknown, and another part is worrying over the unfamiliar or different.

As a Charter Public School Network that is open to ALL, Concept Schools would like to salute all who recently joined us. For this week, we will highlight and welcome our new students, staff, teachers, and members of the community who will help shape the course of the year.

This time is for all of us, and one day we hope to look back and remember this time as the moment we launched towards greatness and success, together!

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08/24/2026

How much of a difference can be made in the life of a student when he/she is not treated as "the new kid", but rather a member of an extended family and community. This is what the students at Chicago Math and Science Academy did for Justiniano Catalan, nearly 20 years ago.

Mr. C began his Concept Schools journey as a student, then as an older brother helping his younger brothers, then as a mentor across multiple Concept Schools, next as a staff member at CMSA, then moving to an Instructional Assistant at IMSA West, and finally becoming a coach for VEX IQ/FLL robotics teams and an instructor for PLTW Launch.

Check out this short story as part of our series, which goes with this week's theme.

08/24/2026

At one point we have all been there: the new kid in class, new employee at the office, new family in town, new teacher in a new school, etc.

We want to wish all of our incoming new friends a warm welcome across each campus in the Concept Schools network! This is our 28th "New" School Year, and this week is important because we want to assure that everyone knows they belong here.

We thrive as a network because we are there for one another, even during moments that seem unfamiliar or at times when everyone around us is unknown. This is the best time to introduce ourselves, lend a helping hand, and give our new friends a chance to join us.

As such, this will be the Concept Schools New Student/Staff/Teacher Welcome Week!

08/21/2026

We wrap on an element of positivity, which will guide the course of this school year. It is so exciting to see the thousands of students in the 40+ schools who are eager and happy to learn.

The mission of Concept Schools is personified in each face we see in this page of our scrapbook. The memories we create over the year will undoubtedly last a lifetime. To welcome new students is a blessing, to see them grow and continue beyond the classroom is bittersweet, and to see them thrive is the realization of a dream.

To every student, every teacher, every staff member, of every campus, of every family, from each region, to each classroom, to every community....and beyond: may you have an absolutely wonderful, unforgettable, and incredibly prosperous year!

💙🧡

Schools

08/20/2026

As our salute to winds down, we wish to provide you with a message from Mr. Sedat Duman, President and CEO of Concept Schools.

We are at the forefront of another opportunistic year. Every day schools are open and students are in class means that we are one day closer to breakthroughs and discoveries. Our students must continue to be in environments where they thrive, and where they are encouraged to bring out the best of their talents and abilities.

As we begin Year 28, we see an even brighter future than what we had imagined. The path to the present may have altered over the course of time, but our mission remains the same.

Thank you all for joining us on this wonderful journey! May 2026-2027 be a great year for us all!

08/18/2026

The 2026 rankings release of Best High Schools by the US News & World Report gave us spectacular news!

HSA McKinley Park High School IS RANKED THE TOP CHARTER PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN ILLINOIS!!

This remarkable feat deserves utmost praise, admiration, and appreciation to the dedicated team at HSA McKinley Park. To be ranked #1 is the result of continued efforts by teams of educators and staff, along with parents and members of the greater community, who work tirelessly to bring forth the best in their students. HSA McKinley Park High School truly is a family, and this recognition only proves that their investment provides dividends that will live far beyond the campus walls.

Horizon Science Academy McKinley Park High and Concept Schools stay true to our mission, now and always, as the legacy we wish for tomorrow begins with brave steps we take today. You chose wisely, and we could not be more grateful to be a part of your continued journey of success.

08/17/2026

In our final week of celebrations for , we highlight an alumnus who went full-circle and returned to uplift others.

So imagine going from uninterested middle school student to becoming an honors Neuroscience Researcher at the University of Ohio. How does that happen? Well, we can simplify this to this quote from Mr. Bedri Parlar.

Concept Schools sees his progress and are astounded by his accomplishments. To know that the foundation of his upward trajectory occurred via the halls of Noble Academy Columbus is an award the likes of which are unquantifiable. This goes to show that a teacher can make all the difference, even if the student grows to follow a path far from the history class that inspired him.

Thank you, Mr. Parlar, for your desire to give back to the community which made such a profound impact on your life.

08/13/2026

Wow...so much story packed into a single photograph. For a mother to share this moment with her child is a treasure that will never be forgotten by either of them.

We think about the journey it took to get this far. How much love and dedication are present in this moment? How much joy and happiness are visible in the faces of those who are in the shot? These rhetorical questions outweigh the obstacles that stood between success and triumph, and to see this now is a moment that will be forever preserved as one of victory and greatness.

Gateway Science Academy of St. Louis - Smiley - thank you so much for posting this!

4th grader, Sibel, is very proud of her mom for being named Concept Schools Teacher of the Year!