A different sort of school

Bob Ward programs the new computers that students enrolled in the EAGLE CAP school will use. The new program at the former North Baker School is designed for students who are pursuing college or vocational training.

By CHRIS COLLINS
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A new academic program opening this fall in the former North Baker School building will focus on helping students plan their educational future.

Those accepted at the school will choose either to pursue a college prep track or vocational training to prepare them to enter the workforce after graduating, says Barry Nemec, the Baker School District’s special education director, who will also serve as principal of the new school.

It will be known as EAGLE CAP, an acronym for Education Alternatives Guiding Lifetime Engagements through Career and Planning.

The first 20 students enrolled are participants in the Baker Youth Community Action Project (BYCAP), an employment and conservation training program. Last year these same students attended the Learning Opportunity Center at Haines, and most will be pursuing the vocational track at EAGLE CAP next year, Nemec said.

The Haines school has been closed.

The new program will be limited to 50 students in its first year. Funding will come through state school support at a rate of about $6,000 per student.

Nemec says the new high school program will operate on a “student-first” approach and blend face-to-face and online instruction in partnership with Blue Mountain Community College and local businesses. Laptop computers or Fujitsu tablets will be provided to each program participant.

Students must apply for the program and will be admitted based on applications and interviews with advisers, Nemec said. Those accepted to the school will plan their course of progress along with their parents and advisers.

Adults will advise them along a path that meets the students’ goals for the future, “rather than leading kids in a direction they don’t necessarily agree with — which they’re going to fight,” Nemec said.

And whereas traditional educational programs are developed around strict timelines that advance students whether or not they have mastered the curriculum, students will advance at their own pace at EAGLE CAP, Nemec said.

“It’s about education, not about time. It’s about learning,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean students won’t be expected to set realistic goals and strive to achieve them. Nemec acknowledges that the system isn’t for every child.

“This is a special program for kids who are preparing for the next step,” he said. “It is not a clubhouse. Kids need to come prepared to work.

“It’s rigorous and some kids are not mature enough or do not have enough skills to participate in a program like this,” he says.

But those who are will reap the benefits, both academically and financially.

“If a student wants to go on to college, we will do everything we can to prepare that student,” Nemec said.

That means offering each student an opportunity to graduate with an associate degree while also earning their high school diplomas and to enroll in college as a junior, translating to a minimum savings of $20,000 for families.

“With the expense of college, we want to give students ... an opportunity to earn as many credits as possible,” Nemec said.

Two BMCC instructors are signed up to provide instruction in math and computer science at EAGLE CAP. Social science and science classes also are being considered and would be provided by BMCC staff as well, Nemec said.

In the first year, students who want to pursue the vocational track will have an opportunity to study culinary skills or learn building and design. The plan calls for adding other trades as the program expands, Nemec said.

Gere Richardson, longtime Baker High School vocational teacher, will teach the culinary classes. She will spend half her time at EAGLE CAP and the other half at BHS. Students will earn credits through Walla Walla Community College.

Annie Fale, a BHS language arts instructor, will spend one-third of her time at EAGLE CAP teaching English courses and the remaining two-thirds at BHS.

Robin Mawhinney and Sheryl Payton, who were employed as paraprofessionals in Haines last year, will work at the new school in 2011-12. Kim Virtue, who was the teacher at Haines, has transferred to the BHS Guidance Department for the coming year.

The new school also has formed a partnership with the Sumpter Valley Railroad.  Volunteers on the railroad will provide students with instruction in building and design in collaboration with the BYCAP program.

Students will learn all phases of metal work, including welding and fabrication, and how to use all types of power tools and hand tools, said Scott Craig, Training and Employment Consortium Workforce Development coordinator who also coordinates the BYCAP program. The work will qualify students for college scholarships of up to $1,500, Craig said.

Nemec also is seeking advocates from other professions in the community to work with students throughout their academic careers.

Although they will get their academic instruction at EAGLE CAP students will be eligible to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities and electives at BHS.

The new school will be housed in the south wing of the former North Baker School building. Students will have access to a common area, a computer lounge and two classrooms that will be used for meetings between the students, parents and teachers. The school’s gymnasium will be available for recreation or physical education classes as needed.

The Baker AllPrep Academy and Early College program will continue to occupy the second floor of the building. And the YMCA is establishing an office in the building and will be using the gymnasium in the afternoons and on Fridays, Nemec said. Marla’s Mall, a clothing giveaway program for students and their families, will be moved from BHS to the North Baker basement.

EAGLE CAP will be open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students’ schedules will be flexible to allow them to complete their high school studies while also earning college credits or participating in the apprenticeship programs, Nemec said.

Applications for the new school will be available during regular registration dates the week of Aug. 8-13 or by calling Nemec at 541-5224-2285.

Students will spend the first two weeks of school developing their plans and classes will begin about mid-September, Nemec said.