April 16, 2014
By Tara Cavanaugh
When the new Pathways to Success Campus opens this fall, it will be home to a program that’s unlike anything the district has offered before.
The program will feature a variety of options to help students choose their best pathway to success, said Lee Ann Dickinson-Kelley, the district’s interim deputy superintendent for instructional services.
“We really see the opportunity to create another option for students who benefit from a small learning environment, flexible hours, and a more customized educational program,” Dickinson-Kelley added. “It will help those students who need to catch up on their credits as well as those who want to think differently about how to chart their path to college and career.”
The new program will feature:
- Dual enrollment and early college opportunities
- Internship opportunities and other career connections
- Graduation coaching, counseling and mentoring
- Credit recovery options
- World language instruction
- A flexible learning environment, including online learning and blended classes
- Team teaching and co-teaching
- Health support in an on-site clinic
- Flexible scheduling, including evening and year-round classes
- GED support
- Teen parent support, including day care
The Pathways to Success Campus will also be the new home for students who currently attend the Roberto Clemente and A2 Tech program.
Roberto Clemente Principal Dr. Ben Edmondson and A2 Tech Principal Tyrone Weeks are playing a large role in shaping the new Pathways to Success Program, and so are their students. Students have submitted ideas for classes, curriculum themes and team-building activities for when both sets of students come together in the fall.
“My kids are excited for the opportunity,” Weeks said. “They realize that by merging our schools we have a chance to do some really rich academic work. They’re excited about having some real career pathway opportunities as well.”
“We’re going to try to prepare students so that upon graduation they have something that’s waiting for them that’s good,” Dr. Edmondson said. “I said to them: ‘We’re going to roll this thing out right, and you’re going to see a program that’s probably going to excite you like no other program has.’”
As they’ve worked on shaping the program, Dr. Edmondson and Principal Weeks have been working with educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
EMU is impressed with the Pathways to Success program, stating, “This program will create an environment where students experience success and build confidence and prepare themselves for life after high school. That’s a really important part of any program: a recognition that life doesn’t end at the end of the high school, that really it’s just the beginning.”
Students and families interested in learning more about Pathways to Success can attend upcoming informational meetings:
Tuesday, April 22 – 6:30-8:30pm
4377 Textile Rd. Roberto Clemente
Wednesday, May 7 -11:30am-1:30pm
3090 E. Eisenhower Parkway –Mallets Creek Library
Wednesday, May 14 – 6:30-8:30pm
2800 Stone School Rd.- Pathways to Success Campus
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