Alternative High School Set To Open

In Canaan House

By Jeff White

The town offices that currently share Canaan House will have a new neighbor starting August 30, as the Newtown school district plans to open what officials call “an alternative high school” in the western wing of the building.

As many as 15 students are scheduled to start their school year there, in a scholastic setting geared to more personal, intimate, supportive teaching and learning. The program, modeled after those of neighboring school districts like Danbury and Ridgefield, will attempt to reach students who, for a variety of reasons, are not finding success at Newtown High School.

“Some students learn better in a non traditional way,” high school Principal Bill Manfredonia said this week. “Sometimes within the confines of the high school, we can’t meet the needs of every student.”

“It’s not a special education program, or a dropout prevention program,” he added. “It’s something we’ve known we needed for a while, but this is the first year we thought we could implement it successfully.”

High school social worker Susan Buzaid and high school psychologist Mary Ann Agostin, along with assistant principal Jules Triber, took on the task of developing the alternative program. Their effort was aided by the input of two teachers, Doug Russell and Carol Skolas, both of whom will teach in Canaan House this school year.

Mr Russell, who is entering into his second year in the Newtown school system, has a 20-year background in special education and alternative education programs. When asked for his help, Mr Russell said he “jumped” at the opportunity to teach in the alternative high school. “I believe in giving kids opportunities,” he said.

For Ms Skolas’ part, her background rests in psychology, therapy, and art.

As they walked through the now empty hallways of Canaan House’s Western District offices, both Mr Russell and Ms Skolas expressed their enthusiasm for the proposed high school program. “This is a program for kids who are not making it in the traditional high school,” Ms Skolas explained. “Their learning style is really addressed in this school. It’s a conducive style to their learning style.”

Added Mr Russell, “It’s going to be an alternative approach to the traditional type of educational setting. We’re building a community of students so they feel ownership in the program.”

The cap for the inaugural year is 15 students, with the eventual cap set for 20. Participating students had to apply for the program and undergo an extensive interview process in which they outlined their goals and expectations for the program.

Students will work toward a Newtown High School diploma, fulfilling Newtown High School grade level curriculum requirements for sophomore, junior, and senior years. Freshmen are not allowed to participate, as school officials felt it important that students had at least one year at the main high school.

School days will run from 7:30 am to 2 pm, and will be broken down into group work, one-one-one instruction, and community feedback. All of the usual subjects will be taught, though perhaps not in the way many students have come to expect at the high school. A large emphasis will be placed on letting the students dictate the pace and direction of instruction, as well as certain aspects of the curriculum.

“Carol and I consider ourselves role models,” Mr Russell said. “Students will help establish the ground rules for the program. As far as the day to day activities, the students will have input from day one.”

For those subjects, like a foreign language or a social studies elective, high school teachers might be recruited to come over to the alternative high school to supply some instruction.

Part of the program’s requirement is that students find their own way to class; they will not be bused by the school district.

The school will differ in that it will place a community service requirement on all students participating in the program. Each student will have a determined number of hours he must spend performing a variety of services throughout Newtown.

Mr Russell cautioned against the presumption that the district’s alternative high school represents a break from Newtown High School. Alternative high school students will still participate on high school athletic teams, and in high school extracurricular activities such as band and clubs.

“Many people think we are breaking all ties with the high school, and that’s not necessarily true. We’re breaking academic ties with the high school,” Mr Russell explained. “I think honestly, the high school is a very academic oriented school. But we have a lot of kids that don’t fit into the traditional academic program. But they are very intelligent kids. They have great potential for succeeding academically.”

In Ridgefield, an alternative high school as been in place for the last five years, and according to Paul Hazel, the school system’s director of personnel, “it is one of the best things we do.”

Ridgefield’s program is also limited to 20 students, with the same rigorous interview and application process as Newtown plans to use. “It’s not just for every kid. They have to be willing to make a commitment,” Mr Hazel explained.

“These are kids that for a whole host of reasons don’t fit into the modern context of a high school They are bright and skillful, they have talents. You’re going to find some very accomplished kids. Just come watch it, go live it and breath it, and you really get a sense of the kind of affection and hard work that exists there.”

For now, Canaan House’s Western District has been cleaned and readied for the school’s August 30 opening; phones are the only things that the school district is waiting on for the meeting rooms. The alternative high school will share space with the school district administrative offices when they move into Canaan House later this fall.

As of this week, Ms Skolas and Mr Russell had three more students to interview; they are conducting screenings in the high school’s main office. Both teachers are ready to move forward with the program, and are optimistic about its potential for success.

“It’s going to be a life course,” Ms Skolas described, “somewhere where they can find out who they are, what they’re learning, and where they’re going.”