Horizon Science Academy celebrates its MIT graduate

by Tom Ott
Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Mikel Graham is the Horizon Science Academy’s star graduate.

Graham, who was the valedictorian of the Cleveland charter high school’s Class of 2004, received bachelor’s degrees in aerospace technology and philosophy last week from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the fall, he will head to graduate school at Georgia Tech.

Advocates of Ohio’s privately run, publicly financed charter schools are trumpeting Graham’s success.

A video of an interview that he gave to the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions can be found on YouTube. Ron Adler, president of the pro-charter Ohio Coalition for Quality Education, took him to Columbus late last month to meet with state legislative leaders.