Alternative to keep students in school

Page 9

A partnership between the local Native friendship centre and a school division means that Native students will get another opportunity to continue with their high school education.

The Napi Friendship Centre was confirmed in June for funding from the Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres Initiative for an alternative school.

"We will accommodate a small number of non-Native youth," said Carol Specht, executive director of the friendship centre. "We always try to accommodate the non-Aboriginal aspect of everything we do."

Integral to the success of the alternative school is Rena English, a member of the nearby Peigan Nation.

"A lot of the students I will be working with I already know," said English, who is the outreach worker. "I know them, their background, their parents."

Students may need encouragement or understanding, said English, and this she can provide. Difficulties with class sizes or the pace of the curriculum are other reasons why students may wish to access the alternative school.

The school, which began operating in October, is set up in the basement of the Napi Friendship Centre. It can accommodate a maximum of 15 rotating students, between the ages of 14 and19 years.

The alternative school has partnered with Livingstone-Range School Division, which operates both a high school and elementary school in Pincher Creek. However, the formal partnership with the division does not exclude a working relationship with either Piikani High, in Brocket, or the separate school in Pincher Creek.

The late start for the alternative school was to give the mainstream schools a chance to assess their students for referrals to the new school.

But even without that assessment, the interest was there.

"We (had) plenty of names," said English.

Individual personalized programming has been set up. Some students will do all their classes (making use of distance education) at the alternative school, while others will have to access classes at division's high school.

"One of our challenges will be to walk the line between what's alternative and what's provincial standards," said Ken Williams, teacher/principal of the alternative school. "If we do provincial standards only, then the students might as well go to a regular school."

The goal will be to reintegrate the students into the mainstream schools.

This year, the alternative school will remain with regular school hours, because of existing bus transportation. But next year, both Williams and English anticipate classes in the evenings, on weekends and during the summer.

"Right now we're looking at students with academic ability but who are underachieving," said Williams. "In the future we can look at special needs. We want to preserve the maximum flexibility for each student."

Funding has only been guaranteed for one year.

"We want to secure self-sufficiency," said Specht. "We're hoping that the education grants will come to us and we won't need to get grants from other sources."

But if the school were only to operate for this year, English said it would have been a worth while venture.

"Children are never a waste of time," she said. "They're your future."