The mission of the Area Learning Center is to help students in special circumstances achieve success upon which they can build. Our goal is credit attainment towards earning their high school diploma. All efforts by staff are focused on that goal. We expect that students understand the urgency of earning credits towards their diploma.

The Area Learning Center is significantly different than a traditional high school setting. For most courses, students use a web-based curriculum in which they engage in self-paced learning, while teachers facilitate their learning in a variety of ways. A common misconception of an ALC is that it is an easy ticket to earn your high school diploma.  The reality is much different. Students that come to the ALC soon realize that we have high expectations for them and their learning. Students receive instruction and are expected to be proficient on the same state standards as a traditional high school student. We are off to a great start  We celebrated our first graduate this week and 35 percent of our students have earned at least one credit this year.

Our first student assembly focused on three areas: Be respectful, be responsible, be here. We are committed to our students and not only their academic success but also their social and emotional growth.

We are in our second year on the campus of Riverland Community College.  Our first year was focused on setting the roots of our program at this location. We are looking forward to growing and expanding opportunities for our student population that involves accessing courses at Riverland. This is a work in progress but one that we are committed to. This is a great space for our school,and we are excited about the future of the program.

Tonya Prouty is the principal of the Area Learning Center.