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Supporters of the Nord Country School, a hoped-for charter, appealed to the Chico Unified School District Board of Trustees at a special meeting held May 16 at Nord Elementary School. The board voted in March to close the small school and was set to decide May 18 if it will OK a charter application. Community members have already raised more than $50,000 and secured a $100,000 line of credit in an attempt to move the effort forward, said Ernie Dalton, shown speaking above. The school has a history that dates back to 1867, as commemorated in a clay tile project that the school’s 52 students worked on this week. (From left below are George Johnson, Seryna Aceves and Veronica Covarrubias—all students in Kelly Noble’s second- and third-grade class.) Once glazed, the tiles will be assembled into a grid and installed over the entrance to the District Office on Seventh Street. The project was conceived by Janice Hofmann, a District Office employee who donated the time and materials for the artwork, which depicts the school bell, garden, orchards and other features of the school.