Alternative Oregon high school program expanding
By LAUREN DAKE
The (Bend) Bulletin
Thursday, August 20, 2009 10:41 AM PDT
MADRAS (AP) — Annalysia Miller wasn’t sure if she would graduate from Madras High School. The 17-year-old was falling behind. Then she enrolled in Jefferson County School District’s online alternative program.
‘‘I would still be attending high school if the (alternative program) wasn’t there. Or I would have dropped out,’’ said the Madras resident. Now, she’s a high school graduate, holding down a job she loves at The Museum At Warm Springs and waiting to learn if she is accepted to ITT Technical Institute.
Until recently, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council ran the school district’s alternative online program, which offers students a chance to work at their own pace. When Jefferson County School District took over last year, it lifted a 30-student limit on the program and watched as it exploded to 80 students.
This year, officials are opening a building for the alternative school on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and hoping to expand the Madras-area program. District officials have also dedicated to the program a full-time teacher and a staff member to serve as director.
‘‘We realize there is a definite need out there in our community, and we found great success in the program last year,’’ Superintendent Rick Molitor said. ‘‘At one point, we had over 80 students enrolled in the program and 20 graduated from the program. ... Those are great numbers, and we felt there were more students out there we could capture, and we want to put a priority on doing that.’’
This year, Molitor hopes the enrollment tops 100 students. The alternative high school program allows students to take the classes at their own pace, either from home or at a building where the district provides computers and a teacher to help. The teacher will split her time between Madras High School and Warm Springs, according to Molitor. The hope is that students who don’t do well in the mainstream high school will find a way to succeed and graduate through the alternative program. Students have to meet the same state and federal requirements to receive their degrees. The idea behind the school is simple.
‘‘Our goal is to get kids graduated from high school,’’ said Marlys Alger, who is the new alternative education and home school director. Alger will also be responsible for reaching out to the district’s 60 or 70 home-schooled students. The district hopes to support parents who home-school their children and provide more options through online curriculum.
