Succeeding on a different path

TIMES photograph by Annette Beard Dakota Duffy
TIMES photograph by Annette Beard Dakota Duffy

Dakota Duffy graduated in May from Pea Ridge Academy.

While that may not seem unusual for an 18-year-old, Duffy learned at mid-term this year that he wouldn't be able to graduate from Pea Ridge High School in May.

Duffy was taking afternoon classes at Northwest Technical Institute and working in the evenings. By Christmas, he learned that there was one more class he needed and it wasn't offered in the morning.

So, Duffy, 18, transferred to Pea Ridge Academy, the alternative learning environment on campus, and was able to complete all of his work as well as continue working.

"I'm getting married in the summer and starting my family. I want to continue welding, working," Duffy said.

"I had to finish a class that I couldn't finish there," Duffy explained adding that he's earning his welding certification at NTI. Before graduation, Duffy was working at a fast-food restaurant earning minimum wage for only about seven hours a week, not earning enough to support a family, he said. Now, he has the promise of a good job with pay ranging from $18 to $20 an hour and 40 hours a week.

"It's self-paced work. It's a lot more peaceful," Duffy said of working at the ALE.

"We have a lot of students with different circumstances," Josh Johnson, director, said, "that prevent them from succeeding at regular school. The majority of them are grateful for here where they have a chance to get caught up and graduate."

"A lot of the seniors who've graduated this year have contacted us and thanked us for forcing them through," Johnson said, smiling and remembering the student for whom he took the extra time for stopping at his house making sure he got up and went to school.

"I'm generally a pretty nice guy," Johnson said, but adopted a "mean" persona in order to help this particular student be accountable. "He just wanted to sleep in. He was unmotivated."

That student was a very bright student, Johnson said, and eventually earned a full scholarship to Northwest Arkansas Community College.

"The combination of Mrs. (Ladonna) Penner and ALE helped us find the resources to make the students successful," he said.

"No matter what we do here, we need the support of the family to see the value of an education, then students' chances are greatly increased," he said.

Twenty students have fluctuated in and out of ALE this year. Some students have had problems bigger than academics and attendance, but most of them simply need an opportunity to get into a smaller, quieter environment, Johnson said. Eleven students graduated; four will continue next year at ALE; five have signed up for the charter school.

"The alternative learning environment is different than the traditional education. The difference is that we can cater to the individual needs of students better. We can afford them the care that they may not have been able to have in teh traditional setting," Johnson said. "The staff of the academy is dedicated to identifying the individual needs of students and ensuring that those needs are met to make sure that they can meet the graduation requirements and be prepared for life after high school."

The staff has unique abilities to work with unique students, he said, and strives to strike a balance between holding kids accountable for their own education while meeting their individual needs to insure their success.

Some of these students are highly intelligent.

"Over here, the onus is on them. I've seen kids teach themselves algebra 2. For the most part, what the ALE provides is a lot quieter place, less social anxiety than at high school. Over there, there are cliques. Here, they're all together. Relieving that social anxiety allows them to focus on school."

Of the 11 graduates from Pea Ridge Academy, seven received scholarships, one joined the military and one already had a job.

Community on 05/28/2014