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🎓 Chautauqua & Bay High Named Canopy Schools by the Gates Foundation
📅 May 27, 2025
📧 For press inquiries, contact: bdscomm@bay.k12.fl.us
In partnership with Bay High School, Chautauqua Learn and Serve Charter School has been nationally recognized by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) — part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — as one of America’s Canopy Schools.
This prestigious designation honors schools that go above and beyond to care for all students and the broader community.
🏫 About Chautauqua
Chautauqua is a one-of-a-kind school serving adults with special needs and differing abilities. Students learn through acts of service — both locally and globally.
Their contributions include:
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Maintaining a regular homeless outreach program
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Preparing and serving meals in the community
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Acquiring workforce skills by cleaning Bay High School
Chautauqua students have also traveled the world, advocating for inclusive education and helping other school districts replicate the Chautauqua model — a powerful blend of service, dignity, and purpose.
🤝 A Decade of Collaboration
“This recognition is a powerful reflection of the heart of Bay District Schools. Chautauqua and Bay High show what is possible when we commit to community, collaboration, and compassion.”
— Superintendent Mark McQueen
“This award speaks to the quiet power of doing what’s right — of standing beside students others may overlook and helping them become leaders in their communities and around the world.
We don’t do this work for attention. We do it because it matters.”
— Cynthia McCauley, Founding Principal
🌍 About the Canopy Project
The Canopy Project by CRPE highlights schools that are redefining public education by prioritizing:
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"Equity"
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"Responsiveness"
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"Community engagement"
Chautauqua and Bay High now join a select group of schools nationwide who are working to ensure all students are seen, supported, and celebrated.
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