MANCHESTER – Founders Academy students are leading the charge on a school community project to raise funds to purchase Nightlock door barricades for their Round Table rooms. Dean of School, Cassie Hayes, working with the Manchester Police Department (MPD), wanted to add another layer of protection for students and classrooms at The Founders Academy. Dean Hayes gave each Round Table a challenge: Adopt the classroom door where your Round Table meets and raise funds for Nightlocks. Dean Hayes personally donated $5 to each of the 25 Round Tables. Nightlocks are $50 each.

To date, Founders students have raised about $3,000 for Nightlocks including donations from the school’s National Junior Honor Society. Students and their Round Tables got creative in their fundraising efforts. Examples of fundraisers the Round Tables executed include a GoFundMe, Hat Day Fundraiser, Guess the Candy, Guess the Movie, and hot chocolate and bake sales that occurred during the school day.

Round Table is a cornerstone of The Founders Academy curriculum. Each day throughout the school year all students meet with their Round Table to consider all aspects of the school’s mission which is to fulfill the challenge put forth by the Founders of our nation. Students focus on putting the mission into their everyday lives whether that’s through community service, discussions, character building and/or leadership.

Nightlocks are anchored securely to the floor and use the strength of the floor to provide protection and act as a door jammer. Each door that has a Nighlock system has its own wall-mounted box with the device inside. In the event of a lockdown or a drill, the box can be opened by a teacher or student, and the red handle removed. One end is slid into a slot into the door; the other end fits into a notch in a metal plate mounted on the floor. All Founders Academy teachers and staff have been trained on using the Nighlocks by the MPD. Students will be trained this spring. “The Founders Academy is excited to add this extra layer of protection to our school. Our students took the lead on creating a safer school by creating and running their own fundraisers. I’m proud of all of their efforts,” said Dean of School, Cassie Hayes.

All of the locks have been installed by NorthPoint Construction Management from Hudson, NH. The Founders Academy estimates the total cost of the project to be about $6,000. Fundraising efforts are still underway. Anyone interested in donating to this project should send a check to The Founders Academy with Nighlocks in the memo line.

The Founders Academy is a public charter school for students in grades 6 through 12 that is free and open to all New Hampshire students. Beginning in September 2022, The Founders Academy will open its doors to 5th-grade students.

The Academy develops leaders who understand and apply the lessons of the past, demonstrate exceptional character and lead by example. The Academy recognizes the importance of balance in the development of the whole person, and respects each student’s journey.

Principled leadership is fostered by means of a curriculum of classical studies that includes analyzing the lives of great men and women of history, mining the rich classical ideals of the Western tradition, and tracing the evolution of the precious and costly idea of liberty.

The Founders Academy is still accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. To learn more about The Founders Academy or to apply for admission, visit www.thefoundersacademy.org.

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