MONROE — Countless hours of work are about to bear fruit at Monroe High School.
This week, school staff are making last-minute preparations to kick off an innovative program that is the first major step in using a Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation grant the school received in December.
On Tuesday, the school begins its advisory program, giving students 20 minutes a week with a staff member to plan class schedules, career paths and check on academic progress.
"It’s a really nice start to personalizing the school," said Helen VanderWerff, family and consumer science teacher.
The high school is using a three-year $517,000 grant to create smaller, more personal learning environments for its students.
The process is slowly taking shape after two community meetings and a summer of research and workshops.
"There’s a lot of conversation going on," district spokeswoman Rosemary O’Neil said. "This (program) is the first visible difference in an attempt to make a more real connection."
The program was piloted last spring during student registration and made for a smooth registration process, according to school staff members.
The advisers, whom students will have throughout their school career, do not replace the school’s counselors. They can direct students to the appropriate resources and act as sounding boards, VanderWerff said.
Students also know that there is someone they can go to who is monitoring their academic progress.
"It’s especially good for those kids who could fall through the cracks," VanderWerff said.
There are only three counselors for the 1,200 students at the school. Students often find it difficult to even schedule an appointment with a counselor. Also, counselors must juggle the wide range of needs of the hundreds of students assigned to them.
"I’ve never seen my counselor," said junior Trevor Hoeker. "It’s just really hard to get to speak with one of them."
The program gives students someone who cares about them, he said. Advisers can be key to motivating students to do better in their classes, Hoeker said.
"I know students whose grades got better during the program last year," he said. "This really is making school a better place."
You can call Herald Writer Diana Hefley at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to hefley@heraldnet.com.
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