Luz operates much as a traditional high school with hourlong science, English, math and foreign language classes. It has a student council and sports teams, which only a handful of other charters have. It has after-school clubs and organizes field trips, including a monthlong foray to Spain last year. It even plans to leave its warehouse location within weeks and move to the former Desert Hills Center for Youth and Families near West Grant and North Silverbell roads. What makes it different, Granado says, is small classes, stricter graduation requirements and parental involvement.
Students also can earn college credit in some classes.
Luz also requires every student's parents to spend 40 hours volunteering at the school every year. All of which means one thing to the school's largely Hispanic population, counselor Helen Mims says. We're preparing them for something. We expect them to do something. But if they see, 'Corina Fuentes, graduate of Luz Academy,' I want a light bulb to go off.