By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A new high school academy is starting this fall in the MidTown Center building in USD 308.
"We should have about 30 students," said David Patterson, who was on the committee for the Mid Town Center. "Our capacity, then, after the first trimester is going to be pushing 40 to 60 and that's probably about the number that we're going to stay at for a little while. We do really appreciate starting with a little bit smaller of a number, because we are starting from ground zero in this school. We have some ideas and what a model might look like, but as far as the day to day routines and everything, we for sure, kind of want to make sure we get all of our systems down and get the relationships built with the students and the staff."
There will be five new teachers in the building.
"One of our main objectives and one of the things we heard from all of the alternative schools, was to make sure that you hire quality people who care about kids," Patterson said. "Kevin Stucky and I think we did a pretty good job in that area. We spent a lot of time. For example, we have a teacher with a educational administration degree, we have one with a counseling degree, we have one with a MBA. She's going to teach our English. We're very fortunate to have quality, quality staff. It really wasn't that hard of a sale to get staff once you start talking about an alternative school program like what we're trying to pull off."
The important thing to note is that alternative school does not necessarily mean remedial learning and students in all stages of high school will be a part.
"We're talking a typical freshman, age 14-15 through one year removed from your senior cohort class," said Superintendent Mike Folks. "Realistically, we could have 14 or 15-year-olds through 19-year-olds working at our MidTown Center."
The MidTown Center will have an extra period at the end of the day, but otherwise will run on the same basic schedule as Hutch High, so that students who need to go back and forth for electives or even advanced courses in some subjects can fit their schedules together.