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SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRY PLAINDEAIER Sometimes, for various reasons, a teenager will not be able to cope with the en­ vironment in a traditional high school. . v A great portion of the students who aren't able to adjust to a high school en­ vironment become dropouts, and forfeit their opportunity to ever further their education. McHenry high school is doing something for those children. This is the third year that the district has operated the Alternative school, with about forty students expected to participate. . What is the Alternative school? Actually, it's a third branch of the high school, along with East and West campuses, where students can earn high school credit, and receive a diploma upon graduation. The first three years of operating the Alternative school has cost the district's taxpayers nothing. Through private funding, the program has not been even a small drain on the district's finances. While there remains some question as to whether or not the Alter­ native school will operate during 1978-79 because of a lack of further private funding, all systems for this coming year are definitely 'go'. An extensive search is presently being conducted by the high school administration to find a qualified individual to administer the Alternative school program. Heading the program the first two years was Clyde Leonard, who resigned to take a position heading a larger Alternative school program in Indiana. Before leaving last week, however, Leonard discussed the Alternative program, and is confident that it will continue to serve a very real need in the community. The entire Alternative school, located on Main street, revolves around something called 'homegroups'. The homegroups are the backbone of this program. Every student and every staff person belongs to a homegroup, and each staff member is a homegroup leader. The homegroup leader's respon­ sibilities are: -To serve as a 'point person' for each student in their homegroup. -To assist homegroup inembers in scheduling each quarter and in career planning. -To provide 'common sense' based approaches to obtaining a high school diploma. -To make a home visit once each quarter and provide home-school communications during the year. Homegroups plan a large number of the group activities and events at the school. Student representatives are elected by each of the homegroups, and these persons participate in weekly school b u s i n e s s m e e t i n g s . Homegroups also have the responsibility for ^planning physical education outings. * The Alternative high school offers a limited curriculum. The curriculum focuses on the basic skills or competencies a student should have upon graduation from high school. ' Every activity which the Alternative school gets in­ volved in has a specific lear­ ning contract. There are two types of contracts, independent and group classes. The group contracts are courses studied during school hours in a traditional classroom situation. The in­ dividual contracts involve independent study, classes at other schools, community participation contracts, and working study projects. The independent study contracts are projects un­ dertaken by the student for high school credit, which are not taught in group sessions. Students may also take courses at other schools, such as taking automotive repair at East campus because the Alternative school has no facilities. The third type of independent contract involves community participation, whereby a student would travel with someone, and observe that person working. For example, a student could observe a policeman in action, and then report on what the patrolman's duties are. The final type of independent contract is a working $tudy, in which the student actually earns money and high school THE AND BACK TO LANGUAGE •«̂ €O£0,U .CUFFS NO^S •BEST PAPERBACK HARD6 O.CT.ONARV .charue iEARHER fOR W Visn OUR ^NC|xPANoroBsc,ENCE nCT,OM SECTION. CZfc ZBookmatfL 34M W. ELM. McHENRY - U5-S444 • OPEN DAILY 9-«, FRIDAY TIL 7 credit. This program is similar to the shared-time program at West campus for juniors and seniors. The Alternative school is committed to the idea that both young persons and their parents must be involved in the educational process which PAGE 10 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 21. 1977 - director of the program, based on the recommendations of the interviewing committee. -The final decision is com­ municated immediately to the student. There are four times during the school year (at the beginning of each quarter) when new students get involved in the Alternative school. In conclusion, under the direction of Leonard, the school has well met the needs of in­ dividual students who best function in a small' school ex- "It's an atmosphere, an attitude. I think we want to bring Christ and God into the school as much as possible. It's a way of life." > takes place during the student's perience. For the third con- later teenage years. In line with secutive year, the school will this belief, parents and ' • students serve* together on committees ranging from in­ terviewing committees to an advisory council for the school. Sharing in decision-making is the way of being a'responsible person in the community. The program is based on the belief that young persons at, or. about, the age of sixteen, are able to assume much of the responsibility for completing the quality of work and the number of credits necessary for a high school diploma. The Alternative schopl also has published a list of guidelines, or "rules we live by," according to a brochure on the school. \v The rules are: ,-Each student must make ^ consistent progress toward a diploma each quarter. -Each student must display a behavior which is respectful of the rights of others and not ' detrimental to others' progress. -Each student must fulfill . the normal high school physical education requirement each quarter. -There shall be respect for the property of others. No malicious destruction will be tolerated. How do students enroll in the Alternative school?. The school admits new students at the beginning of each quarter. Admission is strictly voluntary. Each student wishing to get involved in the school takes the following steps: -Pick up an application at the school, complete it thoroughly, and return it to the school. -When the application is returned, interviews with each individual are conducted by a committee consisting of students, staff, and parents. -A final decision on each t. .application is made by the „ ;"4 "•*. *' open its doors at no expense to the taxpayers of the district. The success of the school is well expressed in the words of one of the school's students. "I like classes a lot because the kids get involved," he said. "I can really open up to the way I feel about a subject. I feel very comfortable hare. You may have lots of responsibilities, but it is worth it." The students feel it's worth it. The administration feels it's worth it. The faculty members feel its worth it. That's the Alternative school. Marian Central Tom Parsley The way of life Tom Parsley was talking about was the way in which religion is in­ corporated with education at Marian Central Catholic high school in Woodstock. Parsley is the principal of the school, which, this year, has a projected enrollment of 712* up from 675 lpst year. Besides a number of new students, the school has also added a new nun to the teaching staff. Sister Philip Neri of the order of school sisters of Notre Dame. She will join two other nuns, three part-time priests, Father Michael Tierney, who is the director of religious studies at Marian, twenty-eight lay teachers, and three ad­ ministrators, which makes up the staff at Marian. What's going on at Marian Central this1 fall? Parsley noted the Freshman Focus program, which all freshmen are required to take. The program consists of a series of mini-courses, which a studeht takes for five weeks at a time. The mini-courses in­ clude art. music, study skills, group counseling, career ex­ ploration. health education, mythology, and speech. "We began the Freshman Focus program a couple of years ago, but we have ex­ panded it and changed it to fit the child's needs," Parsley said. Also different this year, is the - Religious Studies department. The department change is explained in the curriculum guide , "The Religious Studies program has gone through major changes this year in the fact that all the courses have (Continued on page 11) (Continued from page 6) in the' Education For Life curriculum demand more of their students... than other teachers do. That, adg the lact that during the second quarterjof the school /f Back-To-School Greetings Learn more, And you'IT earn more. Cracking the books pays off. We encourage you to increase your earnings potential which in turn will increase.your banking |x»tential. for an admittedly selfish reason. We think that anyone who is wide-awake enough to complete a jrood education will-do business with the wide-awake bank. Because we're in a class by ourselves. (|j| Uw iculc-aiwh' /tank makes itdhomx. THE FIRST NATI0NAM3ANK HI OF McHENRY , 3814 Mr. ELM ST., McHENRY, ILL PHONE 815-385-5400 year, the students didn't do very much outside the classroom, contributed to the reduced enrollment. Indeed, mistakes have been made. But, hopefully in this second year of operation, those errors have been rectified. One of the strongholds of the program last year was the cooperation between students and teachers. "I feel closer to the kids now," Wirtz said in commenting on last year's program. "Sometimes, they look at you not just as a teacher, but as a person. But sometimes," he added, "you become one of the guys instead of a teacher." Wirtz also noted that there was a problem getting students into the curriculuip because their parents want them to go to college. The stigma associated with a different curriculum has' always been that it is * for 'dummies', Wirtz said. But that isn't true at all. In fact, the students in the Education For Life program may learn more than the normal curriculum offers. Certainly, the students do more writing, having to add to a journal in English class daily. There is a bit of irony in all this. While students are now learning progressively, i.e. modern theory, Education For Life students are returning to the basics. However, that step back into the i>aet jast may *eji9tNMhe wave of the future.