2008 Woodie Awards
Alternative school seeks city's financial resources
Betsy King
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Community
More than 70 Middletown teenagers might get a second chance at high school.
Success Academy High, opened its doors in 2006 to cater to students in need of an alternative method of education.
Now, the academy is looking to expand its Middletown facilities.
This year, only 60 students were admitted into the academy due to budget constraints despite a waiting list 77 students long.
Debbie Alberico, director of communication for Middletown City Schools, said that the Success Academy was created as an effort to provide extra support for students who need
it most.
"Success Academy is not perceived as a program to fall back on when traditional high school does not work out-it is competitive, and a privilege for students to be accepted into the program," Alberico said.
Carmela Cotter, assistant principal of Success Academy, said the students who attend the school have unique home situations that requires flexible schedules or more individual attention.
"Many of the students who go to school here are leading very adult lives," Cotter said. "You have some (students) who are already parents, have ill parents they need to take care of and some simply require more individual attention than the average high school student."
According to Cotter, Success Academy is distinctive because of the flexibility students are given in order to complete the course work that is assigned.
"Students are allowed to come and go at any time they want during the day. We don't run on the standard 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. schedule, and they aren't required to be here for any particular amount of time each day," Cotter said. "Therefore we have some students who can complete two years' worth of material in only a year, and others who take their time."
According to Cotter, students complete their coursework online and are guided by teachers who specialize in mentoring and encouraging the students.
Teachers are hand-selected and are required to be experts in the field they teach. They also need to be able to work one-on-one with students more than traditional high school teachers.
Success Academy High, opened its doors in 2006 to cater to students in need of an alternative method of education.
Now, the academy is looking to expand its Middletown facilities.
This year, only 60 students were admitted into the academy due to budget constraints despite a waiting list 77 students long.
Debbie Alberico, director of communication for Middletown City Schools, said that the Success Academy was created as an effort to provide extra support for students who need
it most.
"Success Academy is not perceived as a program to fall back on when traditional high school does not work out-it is competitive, and a privilege for students to be accepted into the program," Alberico said.
Carmela Cotter, assistant principal of Success Academy, said the students who attend the school have unique home situations that requires flexible schedules or more individual attention.
"Many of the students who go to school here are leading very adult lives," Cotter said. "You have some (students) who are already parents, have ill parents they need to take care of and some simply require more individual attention than the average high school student."
According to Cotter, Success Academy is distinctive because of the flexibility students are given in order to complete the course work that is assigned.
"Students are allowed to come and go at any time they want during the day. We don't run on the standard 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. schedule, and they aren't required to be here for any particular amount of time each day," Cotter said. "Therefore we have some students who can complete two years' worth of material in only a year, and others who take their time."
According to Cotter, students complete their coursework online and are guided by teachers who specialize in mentoring and encouraging the students.
Teachers are hand-selected and are required to be experts in the field they teach. They also need to be able to work one-on-one with students more than traditional high school teachers.
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