Comstock Park Public Schools is offering new program called Flex Academy for high school students to catch up on credits, preparing them for what comes next -- careers or continued education.
After falling behind in his classes, 16-year-old Caleb Clark says he’s finally on a path to get his high school diploma and start a career in welding.
Caleb is enrolled in Comstock Park School District’s new Flex Academy, a hybrid high school designed to help students who are behind or who struggle in traditional classrooms.
Besides attending the Flex Academy, Clark takes welding classes at the Kent Career Tech Center. He hopes to become a pipeline welder someday.
But for now, Clark needs to complete subjects required to graduate. The Flex Academy is different from a normal school class, says Clark. “It’s kind of like a big family.”
Located in a separate classroom, the academy is staffed by one full-time teacher and several other teachers who drop by to help out in specific subjects. The Flex Academy replaces the Career Academy, which was designed to bring struggling students along within the high school’s mainstream setting.
The academy has 22 students and is adding more, says Director Chris Sposaro. Students earn a diploma with as few as 18 credits, the state minimum.
This is James Harger, reporting for School News Network