By Sonya Hollins, editor
editor@comvoicesonline.com
*This is the first of a 5-part series focusing on Youth Advancement Academy.
KALAMAZOO (Mich.)- School may be out for the summer, however Robert Pratt shows up for school bright and early at Youth Advancement Academy to interview for a summer experience to learn the trade of auto body repair.
Dressed in a crisp striped polo-style shirt and slacks he smiles as he talks with Joe Morton, director of the academy located in the former Chime Elementary School.
“This is an opportunity for you to learn a new skill,” said Morton to Pratt after the interview. “You have a chance to turn your life around and just experience what else is out there.”
Pratt, 17 promises to make the most of the six-week paid auto body experience offered in conjunction with Rushmore Body Company. The family-owned company has been around for more than 40 years and according to Dan Rushmore is committed to “supporting our local youth and upholding our professional and personal civic responsibility.”
Rushmore will train the students on everything from how to run a business to customer service. What the students learn will help provide some of the real-life application to the math, science and reading skills they will need to graduate and secure placement in the job market.
For Pratt, the Youth Advancement Academy charter school is his second chance to make the most of his education and future. He along with more than 50 other students of Kalamazoo County voluntarily attends the school as a result of an expulsion or extended suspension from their home schools. The academy will allow them to earn a high school diploma or a chance to keep up with those at their home schools until their suspension or expulsion is lifted.
Morton said the school offers a better alternative than simply staying home or deciding to pursue a GED. Those who may have qualified for the Kalamazoo Promise too may still be eligible if they complete their high school diploma requirements.
“These students can go out and decide, ‘I just want to get a GED,’” said Morton. “But, a high school diploma will help prepare them for community college and even a university once they graduate. Students can come here and not miss a step with academics.”
Youth Advancement Academy operated by the Ombudsman Program based in Tennessee, serves more than 50 students in grades 9-12 (ages 14-20) who have been expelled or placed at the school through court order. In 2008 the academy entered a three-year contract with Kalamazoo Regional Educational Services Agency (KRESA) to act as a governmental fiscal agent.
The small class sizes and computer-based learning curriculum allows for students to work at their own pace and still receive the teaching assistance they need. The academy’s board members include Dr. David Hutton, president; Dr. Robert Hamel, vice president; Tim Terrentine, secretary/treasurer; William Chapman, trustee; and Edward Parham, trustee.
This past June, the first four students of the academy graduated with a high school diploma and Morton said there are many more success stories to come.
A SECOND CHANCE
For Pratt, his educational future was on the line after what he thought was a joke turned criminal. Two years ago while a freshman at Parchment High School, he wrote the note which stated the ‘school was going to blow up at 9:30.’ After questioning of the students, he eventually admitted to the note and was suspended for 180 days. Instead of just staying out of school, he learned of what is now Youth Advancement Academy. He said the choice was a good one.
“Here I can work at my own pace,” said Pratt. “I want to become a nurse and go to (Kalamazoo Valley Community College).
He said even though he was eligible to return to his home school after his suspension, he decided to remain a student of the academy and graduate in June.
Student Zach Harkness, 17 too is having success at the academy. After leaving Loy Norrix High School to get away from ‘bad elements’ that were influencing him he enrolled at Galesburg High School. There while he only knew a cousin, trouble seemed to follow him. He skipped school and was eventually caught with marijuana and charged with intent to deliver. After his dismissal he enrolled at Reach and Teach on Kalamazoo Avenue (the former Bible Baptist Church) which eventual emerged with the academy.
Today his grades have improved at the academy where he said independent work at his own pace was key.
“I never did my work at the other schools, but I learned I am good at math,” said Harkness. “I wish I would have done better at my old school. I could go back (to home school) but just don’t want to.” Harkness wants to open his own small assisted living home in the future and will work toward that at KVCC when he graduates next year.
Peter Monroe, 18, was expelled from Vicksburg High School when he was caught with a knife over three inches long. He said his family was devastated and even searched out boarding schools which would allow him to graduate with a diploma but they were expensive. They heard of the academy and enrolled. He said the teaching staff is what has helped him in his transition.
“I like working on my own at the computer, but when I’m struggling with something the teachers will sit down with you and help you work through it,” said Monroe.
