It’s a promising milestone for one of the island’s newest charter schools. 

Just seven months in, Business and Technology Academy Charter School has gained accreditation from the accrediting commission for schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

“Everything we do, everything we say, I think every student in here could trust me when I say, we mean business,” said Dylan Sablan, BTACS Principal. 

But this is more than just a seal of approval. Accreditation brings new opportunities, especially for seniors preparing for graduation.

Sablan says it now opens the door to things like financial aid. 

As BTACS Board Chairman Baltazar Atalig puts it, “Being part of WASC gives you an opportunity to be able to go to 5,000 colleges around the world that are WASC-accredited schools. Think about that for a moment–that gives you a wide range of opportunities to fulfill your dreams.”

Courage Owens, a junior and student government president, shared what this means for her and her peers.

“We can finally have sports teams, and I know a lot of schools really want sports teams. And also, the kids who want to get into really good colleges are looking at scholarships for that and just making it a better experience overall,” said Owens. 

It’s a win for her family too, including her brother, a graduating senior, and her mother, Samantha Owens, who reflected on why they chose a charter school over the Guam Department of Education.

“I know for my family in particular, it was a special opportunity for us when we found out that BTACS was getting started, it seemed like a good fit for what our family and what our kids were looking for. I know that my kids have been able to thrive in this smaller school environment. They’re known by all of their teachers and school administrators, and it’s really become like a family opportunity for them,” said Samantha. 

Meantime, with that smaller environment in mind, Owens also weighed in on whether she’d support growth as charter schools push to raise the student enrollment cap.

“I think whenever we consider growth, it’s really important to think about maintaining quality as well. So, I think if the resources were in place to be able to accommodate growth and maintain quality, I would absolutely be all for that,” added Samantha.