Friday, September 17, 1999
Alternative school wins award
Troubled teens get back on track
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
LEBANON — When the Warren County Alternative Center opened last year, its founders and supporters knew it was the best thing to happen to troubled teen-agers. Now, the whole state knows, too.
The school and its operator, the Warren County Educational Service Center, were honored this week at the Fifth Annual BEST Awards Gala in Columbus, where the program was one of 46 to receive a 1999 Best Practice Award.
It also was one of five among the winners to garner a Safe Schools Award. The only other Southwest Ohio program to do that was the Cincinnati Professional Practice Schools Partnership, a collaboration among the Cincinnati Public Schools, the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and the University of Cincinnati.
The nonprofit BEST organization — Building Excellent Schools for Today and the 21st Century — is a coalition of education, business and community organizations. Its goal is to identify, salute and promote exemplary programs so they can be duplicated else where.
“I am extremely pleased and shocked,” said Allyson Couch, director of the school that serves students in grades 7-10. “For a school just starting its second year of operation, it's quite an honor.”
Ms. Couch said she believes the Alternative School was singled out because of the atten tion each student gets.
Last year the school served 96 teens who had difficulty in their home schools. Many of the students were three to four years behind their peers in reading and math skills, were truant and had served suspensions or expulsions. Others were extremely bright but acted out or otherwise had difficulty.
Students are referred by their home school. All Warren schools except Mason participate in the school, which has roughly a $1 million budget.
“I'm real happy about this,” said John Lazares, superintendent of the Warren County Educational Service Center. “We started from zero but got a lot of support from the community. We raised over $400,000 with help from local businesses and others who wanted to see this program succeed.”
At the center, pupils are tested to determine their skill level. An education plan is developed for each student. The six-hour school day has four periods where students focus on English, math, social studies and science.
New this year is “Project Outreach,” a community service activity developed and carried out by the students with assistance from the school's guidance counselor. It will probably involve reading to children who are clients of the county's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities board. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Warren County are also getting involved, as is the Warren County Juvenile Court.
Usually, students remain a year and then return to their home school, the Warren County Career Center or a work program. This year the center has about 90 students and should reach capacity of 98 shortly, Ms. Couch said.
“Our students feel safe to answer here. There's not the social pressure you see at the other high schools. It's not like at their high school where they're competing with the cheerleaders or valedictorians. They have a lot of success.”
Most of last year's students advanced one to two grades in their work, Ms. Couch said.
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