How did North Star Academy get started?
Governor Whitman signed the law creating charter schools in January 1996. Before the ink was dry, James Verrilli and Norman Atkins began designing the school. Verrilli had been a teacher and principal at Link Community School in Newark and Atkins had been co-executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City. They were joined by a group of Newark parents and other interested citizens. In October 1996, they submitted their charter application. In January 1997, North Star was hailed in the governor’s state-of-the-state address and awarded one of New Jersey’s very first charters. It opened its doors in September 1997 with 72 fifth and sixth graders.
