“Service Learning” a Focus of New Kent Academy
By Judy Chia Hui Hsu, Seattle Times
Apr. 15–In September, the Kent School District will open Kent Phoenix Academy — a nontraditional high school for district residents — on the Sequoia Middle School site.
The district will close Sequoia in June and send its 470 students to nearby middle schools.
The 26,840-student Kent School District, the fourth-largest in the state, is making this transition to accommodate the area’s shifting student population, Assistant Superintendent Mark Haddock said.
A recent demographic study prepared by the district showed that in 2009, middle schools would be under capacity in relation to projected enrollment and that some high schools would be over capacity, Haddock said.
Adding the 500-student Kent Phoenix Academy to its four large comprehensive high schools is a way to help the district reduce dropout rates and serve students with a variety of needs, such as access to a smaller setting, individualized course work or more flexible schedules, Haddock said.
The district currently runs one other alternative school, Kent Mountain View Academy, which has programs for second- to 12th-grade students, including a transitional program for high-schoolers who need to make up credits.
Kent Phoenix Academy’s programs will emphasize technology and “service learning,” said its principal, Merrilee Carey.
Service learning is a way to make schooling relevant, Carey said, because it allows students to connect an academic subject with a community-service project — some might study poverty, for instance, while working at a food bank.
Kent Phoenix Academy will house:
–Kent Performance Learning Center (grades 11-12): A new program, the first of its kind on the West Coast, offers small classes, an individualized online curriculum, individual class computers, small-group discussions and community mentors. This is a partnership between the district; Communities In Schools, a nonprofit dropout-prevention organization; and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
–Kent Virtual High School (grades 9-12): A new online program giving students access to core, elective and Advanced Placement courses through the Internet, a computer lab and on-campus academic and technical support.
–Kent Success (grades 9-12): A credit-recovery program open in the afternoons and evenings for students who need to take or retake courses to graduate on time.
–Kent Gateway (grades 9-10 for the first year): A new program with small classes, team-teaching and students who stay with the same teachers for two years.
The school is interviewing students and teachers for its programs, Carey said.
All students admitted will help create an individualized learning plan and sign a contract with their parents and the school administration before beginning classes.
Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 206-464-3315 or jhsu@seattletimes.com
Boundary changes
Nearly 1,900 students in Kent schools will be affected next year by boundary changes for elementary, middle and high schools.
Elementary schools: About 520 elementary-school students — including nearly 100 in highly capable and English Language Learner programs — will be moved to different schools.
Middle schools: About 830 middle-school students, including 470 at Sequoia, will go to other schools.
High schools: About 530 high-school students will leave the overcrowded Kent-Meridian and Kentwood high schools to attend the under-enrolled Kentridge and Kentlake high schools.
Exemptions: Some students may request to remain at their current schools for a year or more if parents can provide transportation. This applies to fifth-graders entering sixth grade, seventh-graders entering eighth grade and all high-school students who want to graduate from their current school.
Information: 253-373-7000 or www.kent.k12.wa.us
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Copyright (c) 2007, Seattle Times
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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