Alternative school prepares for big move
DANVILLE — Students quietly worked on lessons and read books out in the hallway and in classrooms the size of small offices in the basement of the Jackson Building.
Less than a block away, students sat elbow-to-elbow in another makeshift classroom at the Laura Lee Fellowship House.
The well-behaved students don’t seem to mind the close quarters of their learning environment because District 118’s alternative education program is providing them with the specialized teaching they need to learn.
For these students who are at risk of academic failure, the alternative education program is a lifeline to help pull up their grades.
“As the semester gets going, we’ll identify the kids who aren’t passing,” Alternative School Principal Tracy Cherry said. “It really is a safety net that keeps kids in school and has really improved the dropout rate.”
Classroom space, however, is at a premium at the two locations that house the district’s rapidly growing alternative education program.
Thomas Ryan, a spokesman for Memphis-based International Paper, said the company's annual exports to the three countries total more than $100 million and support 20 percent of its workforce. William Lane, a spokesman for Caterpillar,