Executive Director's Corner

 
August 2022
 

NYOS Families,


We hope you have enjoyed a restful and fun-filled summer break. It’s hard to believe that we are now officially one year into our new campus facilities that allowed us to open our doors to 400 new students. This year, we look forward to welcoming just under 200 more. 


Welcoming New Senior Staff Members to NYOS:

I would like to introduce you to some individuals who bring accomplished, innovative backgrounds to add to the unique mission of our school. As senior administrators, their influence is felt across many areas at NYOS. They have been working hard through the summer, adding their perspective and ideas to support our culture of relentless improvement. Please welcome two new Senior Staff members to NYOS. 


  • Lauren Benoit started at NYOS as the High School Assistant Principal. She was promoted to the Principal position at the end of the 21-22 school year. Prior to her time at NYOS, Lauren worked as a middle school science teacher and was named Teacher of the Year three times in both Austin ISD and Elgin ISD. She also served as an Assistant Principal at Elgin Middle School and as the Manager of Student Support for the UTeach Institute. 
  • Kendra Shelton joined NYOS as our new Director of Finance in May. Throughout the past decade, Kendra has provided audit and consulting services for the Texas State Auditor’s Office, University of Texas System, and Texas Education Agency. She received a Master’s of Accounting from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.

Also, please congratulate our new Chief of Schools.

  • NYOS celebrates Julie Atchley who was promoted to NYOS Chief of Schools position. In this role, Julie oversees Elementary, Secondary, Special Programs, State and Federal Grants, Data Analytics, and more. Julie has spent seventeen years at NYOS in a wide variety of roles. She is steeped in NYOS culture and expectations. Under her leadership, NYOS takes a strong step toward our vision of shared instructional planning, resources and knowledge across all grades PK-12.  

Receiving New Accolades:

We were thrilled to receive both new and continued accolades recently, including the following awards:


  • Niche: Named the #3 Best Charter School for Elementary, Middle School, & High School in 2021
  • US News & World Report: Named the #10 Best High School in the Austin Area, the #116 Best Texas High School, the #194 Best Charter High School in the US, and the #986 best National High School in 2022
  • Austin Family Magazine: Named the #1 Best Charter School in Austin by the 2022 Readers’ Poll

As NYOS continues to thrive and advance, the heart of our school remains the same: we are committed to educating the whole child and providing a unique and personalized learning approach that supports each individual student at our school. We look forward to a great school year with you all. 


Sincerely,


Kathleen Zimmermann

Executive Director

NYOS Charter School