With every student that enrolls at the Charles F. Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning, Principal Liz Fulton goes over the Developmental Assets, provides the students and parents with written information, and meets with all of the parents individually. The school’s goals are rooted in the Developmental Assets, as it tries to support students, meet social and emotional needs, and work with parents and the community.
The Fernandez Center has three educational programs, and students in all of them get involved in the community. The first program is a credit-based program with a small teacher-to-student ratio where students earn a regular high school diploma. The second is a competency based program that offers an alternative high school diploma. The program is only available for 11th and 12th grade students, and students are required to have a job and work at least one thousand hours over the course of the program. The third program is a special education program for junior high and high school students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Giving back to the community is important to the students and staff at the Fernandez Center. The community has supported their unique learning environment and the students see that, feel fortunate, and enjoy giving back.
The school has a wood shop, and seniors from the community come in and volunteer with students, mentoring them and teaching them how to make things. Recently, a group of students made toys with the senior volunteers and went into local elementary schools to demonstrate how the toys were made and give them to the young students.
The students at the Fernandez Center have many opportunities to build positive relationships intergenerationally. They can mentor students at area elementary schools, and they often help out at events such as track and field days. There is also a daycare on the school site, and many students are paired up with elderly residents at a local care center.
Students have planted flowers for the community, helped build a greenhouse, done cataloging at the Portage County Historical Society, participated in environmental cleaning projects, volunteered at school district events, and made scarves for homeless families.
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