Spring break can be a springboard

Since she was a kid, Tiffany Wolf branded herself a member of the Class of 2006.

When she got closer to graduation, though, things weren’t exactly going as planned. She got fed up with the rigid order and structure of high school and dropped out for six months during her junior year.

“It scared me,” Wolf said of the realization that she might not graduate on time.

So she enrolled at The Bridge Academy, a dropout prevention and retrieval center in the Coeur d’Alene School District, which also serves students from neighboring districts.

This week, Wolf and dozens of other Bridge seniors are working through spring break so they can graduate on time. They sat in their one-room schoolhouse Monday, typing away through lessons.

In other schools, seniors “check out” during the last quarter of the year, Principal Stephanie Bennett said. At Bridge, they check in.

“They know they need to be here because they need to finish,” Bennett said. Most of the academy’s 160 students are seniors and about a third are juniors.

The students say they don’t mind coming in this week because the hours are short – three a day – and because they’re working toward a goal of completing credits before the end of May.

The self-paced learning makes more sense to Wolf, who is a whiz at math but struggled with history at her regular high school. Using a computer program, she can spend as much or as little time as she wants working through her credits.

She likes the independence that the school gives her, too.

“No one’s going to make you do it,” said Wolf, who wants to be a film director or producer. “If I don’t do the work, I don’t graduate.”

Still, she acknowledges that Bridge isn’t for everyone. “If you’re the kind of person that needs to be pushed, probably regular school would be better for you,” Wolf said.

For teacher Charles Kenna, having that choice is important. He doesn’t buy the criticism that alternative education is bad because it’s a deviation from how things are done in conventional schools.

Kenna pointed out that the one-room school was popular in the 1800s.

“Now we’re back to that, using computers,” he said. “It’s the 19th century meets the 21st century.”

He believes computer-based, self-paced learning will catch on, as technology use in schools grows. “I’m willing to bet in 10 or 15 years this idea is going to be all over the place.”

At least in North Idaho, the strategy is popular. About 20 names are on a waiting list to get into the school, a former bicycle shop on Best Avenue in east Coeur d’Alene.

Corinne Barron, 16, was drawn to the academy because it allowed her to focus on academics.

“I came here to finish high school faster and get out of all the drama,” Barron said, referring to catty girls and other distractions of regular school. She plans to attend North Idaho College in the fall and wants to go into law or public speaking.

For Kiel Traverse, 18, the academy allowed her to go to school in the morning and work in the afternoon. She also likes learning on her own, instead of in a traditional classroom atmosphere. “It makes more sense,” said Traverse, who wants to study graphic arts at the University of Utah.

Susan Thomas, a teacher who has been at the academy since it opened three years ago, wanted to dispel a misconception that her school is easier than others.

“It’s really not. It’s a rigorous program,” one that is aligned with the state’s curriculum, Thomas said.

Although some students might have to readjust to being in a regular classroom if they go on to college, she said they will benefit from the study skills they’re learning.

Plus, she added, “when you leave an environment and you feel successful, it’s easy to transfer that.”