3 minute read
Alternative
Alternative Program Changes Lives
A grassroots effort to provide students an alternative to a traditional high school setting led to the development of the Lawrence College and Career Academy. The program serves students in grades 10-12 from both Lawrence high schools. The Academy opened in the Lawrence College and Career Center in March of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of public school buildings in Kansas and a shift to remote learning. COVID-19 did not stop the new program and its staff from changing students’ lives.
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The Academy prepares students for selfsustainability as they learn academic, career, social, and emotional skills. Students participate in daily wellness check-ins and benefit from flexible learning pathways and community partnerships. The Academy supports students through graduation, career path employment, and successful completion of a wide variety of postsecondary educational opportunities.
By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, the program had served 67 students. As of July 12, 2021, 80 students, including 37 seniors, have enrolled for the fall.
“Our goal is to graduate all seniors,” said Principal Dr. Bill DeWitt.
DeWitt recently shared with the school board some common reasons students drop out of high school. They include poor attendance and grades, a lack of credits and/or academic skills, pregnancy, or economic reasons, such as needing to work and/ or help support their families. He added that some students prefer an alternate educational route, such as through the school district’s diplomacompletion or GED programs.
“Other students drop out because they do not like high school or do not feel welcome there,” he said.
Senior Issac Riffel will enter his third and final semester at the Academy in the fall.
“I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be among the first students to attend the Academy at the Lawrence College and Career Center all day,” said Riffel, a member of the Academy’s student leadership team.
“It is the best high school experience I have ever had,” Riffel added.
Academy sophomore Michael Douglas Winebrenner shared similar sentiments.
Lawrence High senior Gracyn Garrett said that she learned about the Academy while seeking the paperwork necessary to drop out of school. “This place was my last resort,” Garrett said, adding that she did not expect to last the full semester.
“I started my senior year with the credits of a first-semester freshman, and I’ll leave with my ServSafe certification (in food handling), Childhood Development Associate (credential), and CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) license. Of course, my favorite part, a high school diploma, something I really didn’t think I would be able to achieve,” said Garrett.
“It is no flattery nor exaggeration to say that this school saved my life. They (the Academy staff) have given me the materials to build my skills and the confidence to know that my past doesn’t have to define me,” Garrett said. “Above all, the Lawrence College and Career Academy has given me pride in myself, hope, and a future worth living for.”
Lawrence Board of Education Vice President Shannon Kimball thanked the Academy students for sharing their stories with the school board. “Your words have been so inspiring, and I’m inspired by you,” Kimball said.
In addition to graduating all seniors, DeWitt shared that the Academy goals for the upcoming school year include using data to reduce students’ stress and anxiety through continued connections to research-based academic, social, and behavioral strategies. The Academy will use continued partnerships with the community to help remove post-secondary barriers to school and employment. It will also maintain communication and relationships with all former Academy students. He said another goal of the program is to build flexible learning and graduation pathways for students.
“Thank you, Dr. DeWitt, for your leadership of this program. It is changing lives,” said Erica Hill, school board president.
