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Students Favor Middle Colleges As Alternative Smaller Classes Offer Big Challenges

Posted on: Tuesday, 15 November 2005, 00:00 CST

By Sue Doyle\ Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - For 17-year-old Brendan Reape, it was the small student body and even smaller campus.

With Eugene Duffy, 17, it was the chance for a more rigorous class load.

Marlene Lam, 17, wanted a jump-start on college.

Their reasons may be different for attending Academy of the Canyons - a high school for juniors and seniors on the campus of College of the Canyons - but their explanations for staying were the same: more challenging classes and less social pressure.

Gone are the stereotypical cliques, jocks, cheerleaders and others caught up in the hierarchy of being cool.

At this school, where daily schedules consist of four high school classes and six college units, the 200 students are less interested in football games and dances and more focused on graduation and moving on with their adult lives.

"I was bored at Saugus High School," said Lam, a senior. "I knew I was going to College of the Canyons after graduation and thought this would be a good start."

Known as middle colleges, there are about 13 such schools in the state and 31 nationwide. The concept first started in 1974 at a New York community college as an alternative for high school students on the verge of dropping out.

Since then, middle colleges have developed into an alternative school system for all types of students with a wide range of grade- point averages seeking a change from traditional high school environments.

The 200 students who attend Academy of the Canyons, a cluster of modular trailers tucked next to the community college's large concrete buildings, hail from public and private school systems. Some were home-schooled.

"We have students who are 2.0 and students who are 4.0-plus, and everything in between," said Principal Jill Shenberger.

All went through an application and interview process for the school, which is part of the William S. Hart Union High School District. Not all applicants are accepted to the school, which is now in its sixth year of operation.

Shenberger said the teens thrive in the small school community, in part because she and the faculty know all students by name. Many students arrived there looking for an atmosphere that's more personable than what's found in many high schools.

But as varied as the students are, Shenberger finds they often have one common trait: focus.

Shenberger said the 17- and 18-year-olds at the school are all goal-oriented, whether that means graduating from high school early or jumping ahead with college transcripts.

Those goals may contribute to their high achievements in their college courses.

Last year, Academy of the Canyons students outperformed classmates in their college courses by about 12 percent, a three- percent increase from the year before, according to a College of the Canyons study.

Students on average scored about eight percent higher last year than the 800 others from the William S. Hart Union High School District also taking classes at the community college, according to the study.

In addition, after graduation from Academy of the Canyons in 2004, about 84 percent of the students continued their college education. About 68 percent of Hart district graduates that same year pursued college, according to the same study.

Leslie Crunelle, assistant superintendent for educational services at the Hart district, was not surprised with the results from the study, because she said students in Academy of the Canyons are there to accelerate their education.

"These students have made a conscious choice to be in an environment where that's part of their educational experience," Crunelle said. "That is always a powerful indicator of success."

Daniel Wise, 16, said that at Academy of the Canyons, he has a heavier workload with both sets of classes. But he finds that the studies are more involved and productive than were his classes at Valencia High School. He appreciates the change.

"At high school, you learn about what happened," the high school junior said. "Here it's more analytical and in-depth."

Duffy said he finds his classes challenging, that they force him to think more. At his former high school, Duffy said, he was blazing through courses without a hitch.

The high school senior also prefers the small campus found at Academy of the Canyons and its tightly knit student body, where he has made many friends.

"There isn't the regular stereotypical social structure here," Duffy said. "People are friendly. I've made more friends here than at regular high school."

Sue Doyle,(661) 257-5254

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

Source: Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.

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