Friday, 08/12/05

For Olivia Branson, Brandi Hutchison, Jessica Woodard and Brandi Howell, high school is no longer a drag or a hardship.

In fact, the girls couldn’t be happier now that they are among the 35 students currently enrolled in the new Summit program through the Dickson County Adult High School.

Housed in the New Directions Academy building in Charlotte, the new voluntary program, which is an off-campus branch of the adult high school, kicked off this year for 17-year-old high school students dealing with problems or hardships that put them at risk of dropping out.

Summit program teacher Walt Hite said most of his students primarily experienced academic difficulties at Creek Wood and Dickson County high schools and were referred to the program through school guidance counselors.

But regardless of the reasons behind their enrollment, the new program provides those students with an opportunity to earn their diploma and they will graduate with other students in the Adult High School program.

Hite said the curriculum is comprised of all state-required classes and that some elective courses have been removed.

“It’s all the same requirements by the state of Tennessee,” Hite said. “They must pass all three Gateways and have all required courses. They all realize the importance of why they need it, that’s why they’re here.”

Students attend classes 20 hours per week, either in the morning or in the afternoon, so they can work or study the rest of the time.

Hite said some of the students are married, have children or have responsibilities to their parents that limit them to the amount of hours they can attend classes.

“They all have something they’re dealing with,” Hite said. “Things have happened to them in their lives that they needed this. They will get their diplomas and they will be successful. They’re working real hard, they try real hard and they were very happy to be able to do this.”

On Monday the students were studying William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. That’s something Olivia Branson never thought she’d be doing.

“I like it here. It’s fun,” she said, adding that Macbeth was “OK” and that she liked her teacher.

“He’s pretty good,” she said.

“It’s the best opportunity ever,” said Brandi Hutchison. “It gives you a chance to get your diploma and you don’t have to get your GED.”

Jessica Woodard said she is glad to be attending Summit.

“I like this school. It’s really nice here,” she said.

For Brandi Howell it’s a new beginning.

“I’m glad we have this class because it gives me an opportunity to make up the credits I missed during high school,” she said. “I’m really happy for that.”

Hite said the program was designed by himself along with Secondary Education Director Brooks Duke, Adult High School Director Phyllis Bradley, Dickson County and Creek Wood high school guidance counselors, New Directions Academy Principal John Gunn, Francis Lindner at Dickson County High School and Jamie McIntire at Creek Wood High School.

“We visited Claiborne County which has one of the most successful programs in the state,” Gunn said. “The students are very excited to have this opportunity.”

“I think it helps on our dropout rate in our county and gets services to students so they have something when they leave here,” Hite said. “It’s a state diploma, one just like they would get from Creek Wood or Dickson County high schools.”

The students had to make application and go through an interview process to be accepted, Gunn said.

“They want to get it within their senior year, or so-called senior year,” he said.