By Julie St. Louis
Special to the Turnagain Times
Starting this fall the school bell will ring for seventh and twelfth grade students in the Girdwood Valley. The new middle and high school program, Girdwood Optional Education or Go-Ed, is sponsored by Girdwood 2020 to provide a classroom environment for independent study programs like the Anchorage School District Family Partnership Home School program. The classroom will be open on Sept. 8 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, at the Girdwood Community Center.
“This is an ideal location,” said Phil Livingston, Girdwood High School Now Task Force Chair. “With the building already setup for wireless internet and a library under the same roof, students will be in an extremely motivational learning environment.”
The Go-Ed program is not like your typical middle or high school with multiple classrooms and teachers for each subject. Girdwood students in this program are enrolled in independent study programs and the classroom will provide a supervised and focused environment for their study. Go-Ed will be especially useful for athletes and other students who have personal education requirements that need more flexibility than traditional programs.
The curriculum for each student is optional. The Family Partnership Home School program offers access to many different independent study curriculums including those of the University of Nebraska Distance Learning Program which has been used by many home school students in Girdwood as well as bush communities throughout Alaska. The courses are college preparatory. The Family Partnership option also makes available a wide range of electives from the Anchorage School District, University of Alaska Anchorage, and King Career Center as well as programs form the internet and private vendors.
The Girdwood High School Now task force is currently interviewing several candidates who have applied for the classroom monitor position. The person selected will provide oversight of the students and their work while they are at school.
The Go-Ed program was made possible by a grant from Girdwood 2020. The target enrollment is 10 students. Contact Susan Kennedy, Wendy Jennings, or Phil Livingston to obtain the enrollment registration forms at 242-3346, 783-2467, and 230-3753 respectively or e-mail gvohschool@gmail.com . An open registration session will be July 23 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the new Girdwood Community Center.