LPOHS night school program begins

SANDPOINT — Statistics for high school drop-outs paint a grim reality.

Earning on average $9,200 less per year than high school graduates and $1 million less over their lifetime than college graduates, they are twice as likely to slip into poverty within a year and three times as likely to be unemployed than diploma-bearers.

A handful of young adults in Bonner County, however, are set to escape those unfortunate figures by enrolling in the Lake Pend Oreille High School’s night school.

“They’re a really impressive bunch,” administrative aide Kathe Murphy said. “There’s so much going on in their lives, but they still value their education enough to finish high school.”

The night school program is an independent study designed for young adults under the age of 21 who need to work but want to earn their high school diploma. Students keep their regular work schedules and complete their studies on their own time. On Tuesday evening between 3 and 7 p.m., enrollees visit LPOHS to drop off their completed work, consult the staff for academic assistance and collect their next week’s assignments. The system allows for students to work at their own pace, tackling as many credits as they find manageable.

“It’s a hard population to find,” Murphy said. “These students have to be working but under the age of 21. Still, we found a couple new ones last year.”

According to Murphy, one misconception that the alternative school battles is the notion that their students are troublemakers or lazy. In reality, a variety of circumstances brought this year’s night school enrollees into LPO’s fold, like Stacey Blakenship, who couldn’t finish high school because of health  problems. As for laziness, many of them juggle enough responsibilities to make Thomas Edison long for his easy chair. Take Shawna Meadows, who has children to care for, or Jasmine Reagen, who maintains a backbreaking work schedule.

Night school staff hosted an orientation meeting for students last Tuesday, outlining LPO’s expectations of students and school resources. Murphy, along with teachers Mona Stafford and Tom Pagliasotti, answered questions and detailing important dates.

However, they emphasized that, for those that qualify, it’s not too late to set up a plan with the program. Call 263-6121 to make an appointment.