Brandon Twp.- Jaimie Johnson lost 30 pounds in the first semester of her freshman year of high school from stress.
She was overwhelmed by the size of Brandon High School, dreaded going every day and missed seeing her friends, who always seemed to be upstairs while she was downstairs, or vice-versa. She never considered college.
After half a year at BHS, Johnson decided to change gears and enrolled in the Brandon alternative education program, CHOICES.
‘I knew (CHOICES) was smaller, and I liked that,? says Johnson, sitting now in an office at the Sherman Lifelong Learning Center, where the alternative ed program is housed. ‘I like it because it’s more personal. The teachers get to know you better and help more with learning. There is more (personal) responsibility here. Here, it is up to you whether you pass or not.?
Johnson, now 18, will return to Brandon High School on May 24? to graduate. She and 23 other CHOICES students have earned their high school diplomas and many of them will accept them in a commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the BHS Performing Arts Center, 1025 S. Ortonville Road.
Amanda Fahr, 16, will also be walking as a CHOICES graduate. She had also tried high school, but lost credits after a year at BHS. Like Johnson, she believes it was too big. One of the benefits to CHOICES for her is the one-on-one attention given.
‘You can always get through something,? says Fahr, who plans to attend Oakland Community College for business administration and will transfer to a four-year college to finish her degree. ‘Even if it’s hard and you think you can’t do it, the teachers make you believe you can.?
Michele Higdon is one of four teachers and a parapro in the CHOICES program, which currently has 60 students from grades 9-12. She has taught life skills and social studies for six years in the program, which was begun in 1995.
‘Alternative education is a new beginning, a new start,? explains Higdon. ‘It’s a chance to look not at the mistakes you’ve made in the past, but at opportunities and choices you still have to make.?
Most CHOICES students are young, 16-19 year-olds who are not comfortable in a large high school setting, Higdon says. They are students who learn better by hearing, not reading, and thrive with hands-on education.
In the alternative ed setting in which she teaches, students do more projects, have more group discussions, and learn ‘real life? skills. One project students did this year in a world cultures class was to research a trip to Europe, including costs and places of interest. The project also taught students to use the internet. In a mythology class, students made a Greek newspaper and created a Greek comic. In literature, students have written a Chaucer tale in their own modern setting.
The program has about a 90-percent success rate.
‘It takes both maturity and a caring hand,? says Higdon. ‘They have to grow up and realize they need to be responsible. We try to get them ready for the world of work.?
Jesse Prince, 19, finished the CHOICES program in January. He will not be at the graduation ceremony because he joined the Army after finishing school and will be deployed to Korea May 21. But he is grateful for the opportunity CHOICES gave him.
‘I came to CHOICES for freedom,? Prince says. ‘I needed more credits in less time since I was signed up with the Army. (CHOICES) lets you push yourself. You go at your own pace. I learn better that way.?
Higdon enjoys coming to work and building close relationships with the students.
‘It’s rewarding because you see so much growth,? she said. ‘You see kids who have never liked school or have done poorly and you watch them develop and mature.?
Higdon notes she has helped many students fill out college applications, some who tell her they never thought they would go.
Johnson was one of those.
‘When I was in high school I wasn’t thinking about college,? she says. ‘Now I am. I want to go to OCC (Oakland Community College) for a business degree or join the Army or another military branch.?