Students have ‘Options’

Students are faced with options every day, both in and out of the classroom: what to eat for lunch, what to wear to Friday’s game, what to write that looming English essay about. But a larger question some students find themselves facing is whether or not a traditional public school education is their best bet for a successful future.

That’s where Options Charter School comes in, offering an alternative learning environment to students who struggle with behavioral issues, students who need more one-on-one attention, students who are scrambling to catch up after a long absence, or students overwhelmed with the sheer size of a typical public high school like NHS.

With more students transferring from NHS to Options, some assumptions have been made that the nearby charter schools, one in Carmel and one in Noblesville, offer nothing more than an easy way to graduate for unmotivated teens. However, Options superintendent Mr. Kevin Davis and Options principal Mr. Mike Gustin assure that is far from the truth.

“What we’re trying to do is to do something that is almost radically different to reengage people who have become disengaged,” Davis said. “We are advocates of public schools, and charter schools are public schools. We’re not competing; we’re hopefully complementing the public education system.”

Gustin, after working with Options Charter School for the past four years, said the staff members at Options do their best not to compare their school of 158 young adults to other learning establishments because of their many obvious differences.

“At Options the classes are very laid back, with anywhere between five and twenty students per classroom. The teachers try to eliminate homework, giving all the work in class to ensure every student can get one-on-one help with anything they are having trouble with,” Options sophomore Shelby French said.

According to Davis, about 37 percent of students at Options, more than twice the normal percentage at other given schools statewide, are classified as needing special education because of learning disabilities or other factors. He listed smaller class sizes with more individual attention among one of the largest reasons why an education at Options proves a more fitting choice for some students. Options counselor and Practical Applications instructor Mrs. Melanie Terrell noted that along with smaller class sizes also comes more accountability of students, forcing them to pay attention and refusing to let them be ignored in the classroom.

“Students have a voice here,” Terrell said.

A typical day at Options Charter School begins at 8 A.M. and continues until 3 P.M. Students attend five class periods daily for 70 minutes each, and change schedules each quarter as opposed to each semester, ultimately allowing students to earn a maximum of 16 credits a school year instead of 14, as offered at NHS.

Davis explained that there are three main phases to the Options curriculum. When students have less than 25 credits (generally freshmen and sophomores), they take mostly traditional core classes, such as math, English, science and social studies. Then, after students have earned 25 to 35 credits, they participate in Practical Applications classes, which help them prepare for life after high school. The last curriculum phase occurs in students’ last semester before graduation, during which they participate in Senior Institute, a program required in order to gain a diploma in spring.

In the Senior Institute program, seniors are taught life skills and time management, while also putting together individual service learning projects.

“They have to choose something that impacts the community in some way,” Davis said. “It’s a lot more participatory.”

Davis also said the school even offers duel credit classes, and this year there are 16 students taking freshman college composition courses.

Although the Options staff tries to provide students with the necessary resources for academic success, they do lack a gym and other facilities to provide for any physical education classes. And because of the school’s size and emphasis on academic motivation and success, students are without extracurricular activities and the chance to choose from a large catalog of courses.

“We really focus on what we need to do,” Davis said. And, according to Davis, what the Options staff needs to do is aid their students in learning and growing and to get them to a place where they are confident enough to gain job skills or attend a college after graduation.

“Options has helped me continue to work towards my future even with all the ups and downs I’ve been experiencing. I also strongly believe that I couldn’t have done it without the help of Options Charter School,” senior Tiffany Whitcomb, who transferred from NHS to Options last February, said.

“We feel like it’s our mission here in this area and county to serve those who we feel like need the service,” Davis said.