| Making the grade | |||||
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BY TIFFANY DE MASTERS The Spectrum | |||||
ST. GEORGE - As a senior in high school, the next step is usually to graduate and continue on with educational pursuits. But sometimes, students skip the graduation step, leaving them without a diploma. For several years Southwest High School, an adult alternative high school, has provided a second chance for a diploma or general education development certificate for those who did not graduate. Students at the school range widely in age and come from all walks of life, but all of them have a desire to complete their high school diploma or obtain their GED. Kathy Page has been teaching at the school for two years. "It's an adult high school for those who, for some reason, didn't complete their high school experience," she said. Page said there is no set type of student at Southwest. "We see them as young as 16 up to 40, 50 and 60 years old, who may not need it (high school diploma) but have a desire to have it," she said. When students first come to Southwest High, Page said, they take a placement test to determine where they are academically so they can be placed on a track to obtain a high school diploma. "I really admire the students who come here. They have a tenacity about them," Page said. "They've come to a point in their life where they see the importance of an education and what it can do for them personally and what it can do for their families." One of the students attending Southwest is 20-year-old Virgina Jessop. Formerly a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she left her home in Hildale at the beginning of this year. "I wanted to make my own choices in life," she said. Jessop was home-schooled by her mother until second grade, then attended a private school until eighth grade. "(After that) I decided to stay home and help with the kids, I could've gone on if I wanted to," Jessop said. Because she is now out of the FLDS community, Jessop said she wanted to further her education. "I knew there was more out there, and it's important to have an education so you can get a good job," she said. There have been challenges along the way for Jessop, who said just getting to school can be difficult. "It's taken me longer to understand it (subjects) but they (Southwest) have good teachers," she said. Jessop tries to put in one to two hours of study every day. "I thought math was hard, but so far English has been harder," she said. "(Since I started) I feel like I've been successful and I'm catching on. It's been a different experience." Jessop moved to Draper on May 5. She will not complete her GED at Southwest High, she said, but will continue to work toward her high school diploma at a similar institution in Draper. "I want to go into nursing," Jessop said. "I don't know where I'm going to attend school for nursing - I'm just taking it as it comes." Page said for most people, it's important to complete their high school education. "It's self-satisfaction. High school graduation is a big deal in society, and those who pass that opportunity, it leaves a big hole in them," she said. That was true for Michael Nagy, 43. While attending high school, he thought school was unnecessary. "I'd been working and the money seemed more important to me than a piece of paper that said I spent 12 years in school," he said. "It's (my opinion) changed after seeing the possibilities of what having (a diploma) can do and what I've missed out on." Nagy worked in construction all his life, but when the economy started to fall, he said, things got tough. "In order to go anywhere with what's left of my life I figured it was time (to get my GED)," he said. Nagy began attending Southwest High in early March. "When I went in there (Southwest) I was barely smarter than a fifth-grader - then I finished high school," Nagy said. Starting the process was difficult. "The hardest part was actually going, swallowing my pride and going and doing it," Nagy said. "It was hard because when I looked around all I saw was young kids. As I continued to go I started to see more of my peers, which made it more comfortable." Nagy said he feels a lot better about himself after completing his GED. "I'm not so worried about filling out an application and having to leave half of it blank," he said. Nagy will go on to attend the Motorcycle Mechanics Institution in Phoenix, where he will learn how to work on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It will take 18 months, but by the time he graduates he will be a certified Harley-Davidson technician. Another student at Southwest High is working for her diploma not just for herself, but to set an example. Devin Dzikowski, 19, attended Hurricane High School before she dropped out. She said she ditched classes frequently. When Dzikowski learned she was pregnant she realized she didn't want to set the example of dropping out of school for her child. "She doesn't need a drop-out for a mom," she said. "The second I found out I was pregnant I wanted her to be able to go to school and have an example." Dzikowski's daughter, StoryAnn, is now 4 months old. Dzikowski started school in August. She said it's not difficult, just time consuming, and there's a lot of studying. "You need to want to stay here because you can leave when you want to," she said. Dzikowski comes in every morning and stays all day. Her hope is to enroll in Dixie State College in August after she receives her diploma. "Since I've been working on my diploma I feel more accomplished and less like a failure," she said. "I feel like I'm working toward being a better person. It's really helped my self-confidence." The most difficult thing, Dzikowski said, is leaving her daughter every morning. Page said it's going to be exciting to see the students graduate in June. There will be a minimum of 250 graduates. "It's really thrilling to see the shifts in their lives and their attitudes," Page said. "It's thrilling to see them fulfill a dream for a lot of them." Currently housed in the North Instructional Building across from the DSC campus, Page said, Southwest High will move to its own location at 16 S. 300 West in July. The school should be up and running in August. Nelda Kissinger, director of Southwest High, said the adult high school has been in Washington County for about 20 years and is part of the school district. The school is funded through state legislative funds and grant money. The school, Kissinger said, allows students to work at their own pace. "It's (Southwest High) for anyone 16 years old or older not enrolled in public school," she said. "They can drop in and study around a job or a family." The program is year-round. Kissinger said classes were once offered only nine months out of the year, but that changed because she saw there was a greater need. After taking the placement test, students' courses are individualized. "Each person gets their own curriculum. They feel like they're not doing wasted assignments," Kissinger said. "There are full-time instructors and part-time teaching assistants." Last year, Kissinger said, 860 students came through the high school, and 81 percent graduated with a diploma or GED or made a grade-level gain. Enrollment at Southwest High is $65, however Page said there is an enrollment waiver from now until June 24. To contact Southwest High School, call 652-7728. | |||||
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TheSpectrum.com Originally published May 16, 2010 | |||||
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