By Haleigh Ehmsen-
Brad Winders, 18, works 40 hours a week and is training to be in the army. He also is a senior at Mount Vernon’s Alternative High School from 9a.m.-2p.m., Monday through Friday. Although one would think school would add even more stress to his busy schedule, he says that at the alternative high school the individualized work makes it manageable. There is less pressure to stay with the class because all his classes are online.

Brad is taking eight online classes ranging from Math of Personal Finance to Art Appreciation to Algebra I. He is even taking an online P.E. course that teaches him about physical fitness and requires him to log 90 hours of physical activity over the course of a year. Brad said, “I can go at my own pace and work on things at home if I need to. I’m getting better grades here than I did before.”

There are 16 students enrolled at the alternative high school which is located in the old middle school building on First Street. All classes are online and the day begins at 9 a.m. The students get breaks about every fifty minutes similar to MVHS, but at the alternative high school they don’t change classrooms. They stay in the same room and continue to work on different classes online. They break for lunch that is delivered from MVHS and usually all eat together.

Trevor Weitnauer, a senior, said, “The students are nicer here, we work together.” This is seen in the family-like atmosphere of the classroom from the furnishings to the self-created artwork of students hands on the walls.

After lunch students continue to work online sometimes collaborating with each other. For example, Brad likes to play music during work time. This can sometimes be distracting to other students and Jennifer Holub, the director of Mount Vernon’s Alternative High School said “We work as a team. If it’s not working for us, we figure out a way to fix it.”

Holub was inspired to start the alternative high school because she saw a need for some kids to have a different way to do school. “Kids need to finish high school. It’s simple,” she said. So far Holub says things are going well. Holub’s job as director of alternative education is to help and encourage the students to finish high school. “Kids are accumulating credits and that’s the goal,” she said. She also is trying to get the students to go on job shadows and other vocational opportunities to get them thinking about their future.