Parents and students interested in the possibility of a Southeastern Massachusetts district-wide charter public high school are invited to an informational session in Carver on January 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carver Public Library.

Eric Hieser, executive director of Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis, will describe the extremely successful International Baccalaureate (IB) degree program and the kind of education that parents and students could expect should a school modeled on that program be chartered for this region. Hieser, president of the Board of the Massachusetts Center for Charter Public School Excellence and a member of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, will also speak about the process of creating a charter school.

Sturgis, which is expanding on the Cape over the next year, draws students from across the Cape and Southeastern and South Coast regions because of its reputation for excellence. The school was recently ranked 27th in the nation in Newsweek Magazine's annual ranking of America's top public high schools, and students have achieved test scores among the highest in the state. However, the lengthy waiting list, the traveling distance and limits of the school district make enrollment for students in off-Cape families difficult and in some cases impossible.

All interested parties are invited to attend.